Venerable Xenophon, His Wife Maria and Their Sons Arcadius and John (V–VI)

The Venerable Xenophon and his wife Maria lived in Constantinople in the fifth century. The noble and wealthy couple were distinguished by humility and kindness. They had two children, John and Arcadius. When their sons had grown up, the pious parents sent them to the Phoenician city of Beirut to continue their studies. By God’s providence the ship was wrecked on the way, and the brothers were cast ashore in different places. Grieved by their separation, John and Arcadius became monks. The parents, shaken by the news of the shipwreck, were told by God in a heavenly vision that their sons had survived, after which, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Xenophon and Maria set out on pilgrimage to the holy places of Jerusalem. Here they met Arcadius’s teacher, gifted with the grace of clairvoyance, who recognised in the God-fearing couple the parents of his spiritual son, understood their sorrow without words, and brought the whole family together. Great was their joy. After this Xenophon and Maria too took the monastic habit, pleased the Lord by silence and strict fasting, and received the gift of wonderworking, while Arcadius and John went into the desert and shone there with valiant ascetic labours.