Venerable Thomas of Maleon (X)

Before he became a monk the Venerable Thomas of Maleon was a military commander. The valiant knight always came away from the field of battle victorious, and he lacked neither glory nor honour, but his love for Christ and his desire to please the Lord alone overcame his love for all that passes away, and he became a monk.

Moved by divine love, the monk visited experienced monastics and humbly asked them for spiritual instruction. A few years later Thomas received a blessing for the desert life and, encouraged by a miraculous appearance of the holy Prophet Elijah, went to Mount Maleon (the eastern part of Athos).

The blessed Thomas’s life, radiant with holiness, did not go unnoticed by those living round about: little by little those who desired the spiritual life gathered around the saint, and the holy father became a great guide and teacher of monks.

The Lord rewarded His God-pleaser with the gifts of healing and wonderworking.

The Venerable Thomas of Maleon reposed in peace in the tenth century.