¹ Here begins the life of Saint Berach, confessor and abbot.

² Among the many works that the all-powerful might, infinite wisdom, and perfect goodness of God brought to completion—so magnificently and wondrously—in the creatures of this newly created world from its very beginning, His incomprehensible divinity shines forth most especially and excellently in the saints whom He predestined and ordained from eternity.

³ For the kingdom of the island of Ireland, lying far toward the rising of the sun, the Lord willed to visit its inhabitants, who for a long time had clung to the worship of idols, through many glorious saints in whom He made His will manifest, lest they should perish. Among these saints, after the passing of the most holy father Patrick, there arose in the borders of Connacht a man of noble lineage, illustrious and of great merit before God, named Berach. Like a new star shining forth, he dispelled all darkness and showed the way of truth to those wandering in the region of the shadow of death.

⁴ For he was a man sent by God, who prepared the way of the Lord in the wilderness of this world [John 1:6; John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3]. He lovingly visited a people given over to the worship of demons, sometimes rebuking them, sometimes exhorting them, and sometimes dazzling them with miracles, and so he brought them perfectly to the faith of Christ. Of him also may be spoken that prophecy: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” [Isaiah 9:2]. Concerning this holy man, blessed Patrick, filled with the spirit of prophecy, foretold, saying: when he had, according to custom, visited the land in which the man of God was to be born, yet had not entirely converted its inhabitants from the error of paganism, and his disciples marveled that they did not obey the warnings and holy exhortations of so great a preacher, he is said, instructed by the Holy Spirit, to have spoken prophetically: “Let them be, brothers, let them be; for shortly after me there will come one who will enlighten this people by his life and teaching. He will be born from this very race, and here he will be powerful. Not only this people, whom you see to be fierce and untamed, but also countless other nations he will turn to Christ by his holy instruction, like gentle lambs.” And all this came to pass exactly as the distinguished prophet foretold.

⁵ The father of this holy man was called Vendalus, and his mother Finscriad. Although they had been brought up among the ranks of the nobility and were richly endowed with earthly possessions, they nevertheless strove with all the devotion of their minds, despising the worship of idols, to lead a celibate life. When they begot him in the first bloom of youth, it was divinely revealed to them from the very beginning of his birth what he would become. For on the night when he came forth from his mother’s womb, Saint Fregius, about the middle of the night, after the morning praises, went out from his cell and turned his eyes toward the borders of Connacht. Near the dwelling place of the child’s parents he saw a striking light, as if it were a globe of fire. Wondering what this sign might portend, the holy man summoned one of his companions and said: “Go to the house of Vendalus, my kinsman, and if perhaps my sister has given birth to a male child, let her come to me with the child.” The messenger, carrying out the command of Father Fregius, came to the house of the parents of the newborn boy and found a very beautiful infant with his mother, and he made known to them the will of the man of God. When they heard the messenger’s words, the infant was immediately brought to Saint Fregius. Seeing the child, clearly anticipated by the gifts of God, the man of God gave thanks to divine mercy and said: “Bring this infant to the church, that he may be washed in the saving bath and thus be joined to Christ the head” [Titus 3:5]. When they had brought him to the place of the baptismal font, Saint Fregius asked the parents by what name the child should be called. They answered: “Call him Berach.” When he had been baptized and this name given to him, Saint Fregius said: “This name has been rightly given to him, for he will be blessed, and his place will remain in heaven.” The mother wished to keep the child, reborn in Christ, with herself, so that he might be more tenderly nourished by her own milk rather than by that of another nurse. But the holy man of God did not permit this, saying: “Know, my dearest sister, that you will no longer bear the care of this child. For he will remain with me in the name of Christ. God, who created him, is powerful enough to bring him to full bodily growth without the ministry of a woman’s milk.” And the outcome of events proved this to be true. For while he was being raised with careful attention by the man of God, the child was accustomed to suck the right ear of Saint Fregius as though it were his mother’s breast. Thus it came about, by the will of him who is able to bring forth honey from the rock, that through contact with the ear of the man of God the child grew as though he possessed all the abundance of a mother’s milk [Psalm 81:16].

⁶ When his childhood years were completed, he was handed over to the study of letters to be instructed, and in these he advanced from day to day with great keenness of mind and capacity for understanding. Embracing with diligent devotion the holy example of his teacher, namely Saint Fregius, he now devoted himself to study, now to prayer and the praises of God. Growing under so great a teacher, God looking down upon his desires from on high adorned the saint with good works, so that scarcely anyone on earth was thought to be his equal.

⁷ After he had reached the age of discretion, eager to withdraw from the company of his parents, and having obtained the permission of his teacher, he hastened to the region of Leinster, with an angel as his companion and with one attendant accompanying him. Coming to the city of Glendalough, he placed himself under discipline beneath Saint Coemgen (Kevin), the most illustrious abbot of the monastery of Glendalough. As he was entering the church to pray, see Saint Coemgen was standing before the doors of the same church and, foreseeing in the spirit what manner of life the newcomer would lead, he looked upon him and said to the brothers: “Look, a servant of God; let us go and greet him.” When they had greeted him, they asked the reason for his journey. He said to them: “I have come here from the borders of Connacht, desiring with all my heart to obey the commands of the holy father Coemgen and to drink deeply from him the draughts of sacred teaching.” When he heard this, the holy abbot Coemgen gave thanks to God, commended his resolve, kindly received him, and, giving him the habit of holy religion, instructed him in the rule of right living.

⁸ When a year of probation in the novitiate had passed, he duly completed his profession according to the observance of the order. From that time on, because of the merit of his holiness and the firmness of his purpose, he was praised by all and was commonly chosen as prior of the monastery. The man of God bore patiently the responsibility of so great an office, and he administered the ministry entrusted to him fittingly, according to the grace given to him by God. At times he carefully attended to the needs of the brothers; at times he compassionately relieved the poverty of the poor; at other times he applied himself to farming and to other labors of the monastery. In this way he carried out the charge he had accepted, like a vigorous steward, with the utmost diligence. Under his care the goods of the monastery increased day by day, and for this all gave thanks both to God and to him.

⁹ After this, when the monastery’s herdsman had kept less careful watch over the herd entrusted to him, see a wolf from a nearby place, lying in wait for prey, rushed in with swift course and carried off and devoured the calf of a certain cow that was exceedingly abundant in milk. At once the mother of the calf let out dreadful lowing cries and ran here and there, behaving almost like a mad creature. But while the man of God was praying, a marvelous thing occurred. For the wolf, having lost its ferocity, returned to the lowing cow and, offering itself gently after the manner of a calf, allowed the cow, licking it, to provide milk abundantly. Thus it came about, by the power of God, that the ferocity of the wolf was changed into the gentleness of a calf, so that thereafter it served the cow not as a wolf, but as a calf.

¹⁰ Not long afterward, the son of the king of Leinster, who had been raised from childhood with Saint Coemgen, was afflicted with so severe an illness that he seemed about to breathe out his life. Saint Coemgen came to him and said: “Alas, woe is me, for I have nothing that can heal your pain.” The sick boy replied: “To cool the unbearable heat by which I am burned within, I need apples and sorrel as a fitting remedy for my recovery.” Then Saint Coemgen summoned Saint Berach to himself and said: “My brother Berach, go out quickly, if you please, and bring with you what the soul of this sick boy desires.” Berach, wishing to fulfill the command of Father Coemgen, climbed a nearby hill and, bending his knees, prayed to the Lord to provide for the desires of the sick boy. Knowing that he had been heard in prayer, he commanded the nearby willows in the name of the Lord, saying: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who created all things out of nothing, let it come to pass that these willows produce apples, and that the earth bring forth sorrel, so that all people may know that you alone are God, powerful with the Father and the Holy Spirit to create all things out of nothing” [2 Maccabees 7:28]. And immediately the willows produced blossoms, and afterward they bore beautiful apples. Likewise, in the cold of winter, when the ground was barren and dry, it yielded sorrel in abundance. When he had gathered the herbs together with the apples produced by the willows, he gave thanks to God, to whom all things are possible, and offered them to the holy father Coemgen. When the man of God gave these wondrous fruits to the sick boy, he at once recovered his health. As a sign of this extraordinary miracle, it is said that even to the present day the willows growing in that place produce apples, which often bring healing to the sick. In this matter the magnificence of almighty God ought to be most devoutly revered, for in so marvelous a way, beyond the power of nature, He showed His inexhaustible sufficiency.

¹¹ At another time, the wife of the king of Leinster, stirred up by an evil spirit, devised a wicked scheme, like a treacherous stepmother, to destroy the same king’s son by evil arts. For she feared that he would prevail over her own offspring and hold them in contempt if he were to reign after the king’s death. She therefore climbed to the summit of a certain hill with other women skilled in magical arts, in order by worshiping demons to obtain from them either the death of the king’s son or the mutilation of his limbs. But the desire of the sinful queen came to nothing, because she could not prevail against the Holy Spirit who was at work in His saint. For by the prompting of God’s power, the man of God went up to that same place to look after the cattle, and, with God revealing it to him, he learned what the queen was doing there. Therefore the man of God hastened to the refuge of prayer and most devoutly begged the God of heaven that the incantations of those wicked women might not prevail against the innocent boy. And the Lord heard His saint, defending the innocent boy so that magical arts could not prevail against him. But He who exacts vengeance for the injustice of the wicked caused those who laid snares to fall into the snare themselves. For just as the earth once swallowed up Dathan and Abiram because of their wickedness, so by a similar punishment the earth swallowed up these women skilled in magic together with the queen [Numbers 16:32].

¹² After these things, when almighty God was already preparing to set the life of this saint upon a lampstand in the house of God, so that it might send forth the rays of His light to all, see the man of God received an angelic message in a vision by night, saying to him: “Tomorrow morning a stag will meet you at the doors of the monastery. Place your packs upon it and follow it along a straight path; and in the place where it rests, there you also shall make your rest. For there will be your dwelling, and your memorial for the future” [Matthew 5:15]. When morning came, he found the stag at the doors of the monastery, and after summoning Saint Coemgen and the brothers, he told them what had been shown to him in the vision and received their permission and blessing. He therefore placed his packs upon the stag as upon a tame donkey. The stag went before him with gentle steps, and the man of God, together with his attendant, followed, praising God. They did not cease from the toil of this journey until they came to the place which is today called Cluain Charpi, where they rested. When the stag had set down its burden and rested briefly, it vanished from the sight of the man of God.

¹³ Then Saint Berach, giving thanks to God, ordered his attendant to seek a suitable place where they might live in solitude and serve God. As the attendant searched for a place fit for dwelling, he found eighteen bodies lying in the earth and still quivering, as though the men had been slain at that very hour. For two sons of kings had fought a hostile battle there, and in that same conflict an equal number of men had fallen. Struck with horror and fear, the attendant returned to the man of God and reported what he had seen, namely that there was a certain field suitable for habitation, except that it was defiled and polluted by the blood of those recently slain. The man of God said to him: “Though unknowingly, you have given a name to that place. For in the future it shall be called the Corrupted Field,” which in Irish is called Cluain Coirpthe. For coirpthe in Irish signifies corruption or mortal sin. Then the man of God went to the place itself, humbly prayed to God for those who had been slain, and obtained their resurrection. When they were raised, they fell at the feet of the man of God and offered vows of thanksgiving to God and to him. The sons of the kings also, who were among those restored to life, thereafter loved one another throughout the rest of their lives as though they were brothers, and faithfully served God together until the end.

¹⁴ There was in that same region a man of great honor among the pagans, who was extremely skilled in the art of magic. Among them he was regarded almost as a heavenly power and was held in great reverence. This magician claimed for himself a hereditary right to the land that the man of God possessed by reason of a miracle performed there. When he heard that the man of God intended to live there, he hurried to the place and began to trouble him with his schemes and magical arts. He heaped insulting words upon him and strove to turn him from his purpose. But the man of God was shaken neither by threats nor by terrors; rather, standing firm like an unassailable wall, he steadfastly entrusted to God the work he had begun. At length the magician summoned the holy man before the king’s tribunal, and in the king’s presence he argued that no one ought to be deprived of his natural right, nor of the land of his birth. To this the man of God replied firmly, saying: “Your father Satan, cast down from the heavenly inheritance, fell miserably into the depths and sought the abyss of hell [John 8:44; Luke 10:18]. You therefore, being like your father, are not worthy to possess this land dedicated to God; rather, you will share in the inheritance of hell with your father the devil.”

¹⁵ While they contended before the king with these and other arguments, by the king’s command they were sent to Edan, son of Gauran, king of the Scottish people, so that he might judge and decide the dispute that had arisen. When, by order of the prince who sent them, they came to the town of the king of Scotland, the magician, moving quickly, went ahead of the man of God and said to the boys of the royal court who were playing ball in the street: “O noble youths, look at this wretched beggar following me on the road, and drive him from your sight, for he is not worthy of it. It is not fitting for your nobility that he should pass by through you.” Stirred up by these words, the unruly youths made a united attack on the holy man: some threw stones at him, others struck him with blows, and others reviled him with insults. But by God’s power it happened that the feet of those hurling abuse became so fixed in the ground they were treading that they remained immovable, as though they were great stones. For the magician, since he was clothed in more refined garments, the gate of the royal palace was immediately opened; but for the holy man Berach, regarded as contemptible and clothed in poor garments, it was shut.

¹⁶ While the holy man thus despised stood near the gate and noticed there a heap made of snow, he invoked the name of the living God and breathed upon it. At once that snowy mass was burned up by a fierce flame like dry wood, so that the buildings near the gate began to catch fire. When news of such signs reached the king’s ears, he thought that the magician had done them. He said to him: “O good man, we know that you are powerful in magical arts and that the divine powers of the gods obey you at your command. Go therefore to the boys and release them, and likewise extinguish the fire, lest we be endangered by its burning.” When the magician was unable to do this, though he tried, the king summoned his own soothsayer and ordered him to go out quickly and determine what these signs were. When he had carried out the king’s command learned who had performed these signs, returning to the king he reported that a certain holy man from Ireland, named Berach, who was powerful in every good work, had been mocked by the boys and was sitting at the doors of the royal court, and that by the power of almighty God he had performed these signs. On hearing this, the king went to the man of God, fell at his feet, asked pardon for the offenses, and received him with due honor as one who had performed such signs. He further asked him to release the boys and extinguish the fire.

¹⁷ After these things had been done, the holy man explained in order to the king the cause of his journey and the dispute with the magician. The king therefore, having taken counsel with his men and fearing to take upon himself the judgment of this dispute, decided that they should be sent back to the judgment of Odó the Black, king of the Brefnians, and of Odó, prince of the Teffians. Nevertheless, he promised generous possessions of land to the holy man of God if he would be willing to remain with him in his kingdom. But the man of God refused this, unwilling to abandon the place assigned to him by God. Two lepers and three blind men also followed the saint there, crying out persistently that they might be restored to health. Moved with compassion for the affliction of these wretches and trusting in his God, he sprinkled the lepers with blessed water, and they were immediately cleansed; and he washed the places of the blind men’s eyes with the same water, and at once restored them to their former health.

¹⁸ After receiving the reply of the king of the Scots, the man of God and the magician, sailing across the open sea, returned to their own lands. At length, traveling through the territory of Midencium, they came to a certain place now called Cell Beraycii. There the man of God, worn out by the labor of the journey, entered the house of a wealthy man who ruled that place and, explaining that he was sorely troubled by thirst, urged the household to give him something to drink. But although the same steward already had seven vessels full of mead prepared for the king of the land, he nevertheless turned the holy man away, asserting that he had no drink prepared for him. To him the saint said: “I ask the power of almighty God that it may be done just as you have spoken with your mouth” [Luke 19:22]. Then, when the saint departed, the king arrived immediately and asked that drink be served to him. When the cupbearer tested the vessels one by one and found them empty by the power of God, he reported to the king that he had found nothing in them except cobwebs. Deeply distressed by this, the host informed the king that he had denied drink to a certain man who had come to him and asked for it in God’s honor, and that the man had uttered these words: “So may it be, just as you have spoken with your mouth.” “For,” he said, “I declared that I had no drink prepared for him.” When the king heard this, he immediately recognized that it was Saint Berach who had spoken these words to him, and that as a punishment for denying him drink the vessels had been made empty. Then the king at once sent his servants on swift horses after the saint, so that he might be brought back with honor, since he had departed without the dignity due to him. Yielding also to the prayers of those entreating him, the holy man returned to the king and was received by him with joy. The king fell at his feet and begged pardon for what he had done. The saint, overcome by the king’s entreaties, invoked the power of God and, standing over the empty vessels and pouring forth a blessing, restored them to their former fullness.

¹⁹ For this reason the king granted many lands there to the saint. There also the man of God built a cell in honor of almighty God, for the construction of which the king provided what was necessary. And although the wicked magician saw the man of God shining with such great powers, he could not be moved to believe in God. Instead, he stirred up powerful men against him, so that they regarded him not as holy but as a malefactor. This, however, the man of God endured patiently, so that by patience he might overcome malice and await God’s judgment concerning the magician.

²⁰ Then the man of God and the magician approached the presence of those judges, desiring to hear from them a definitive judgment. The judges, however, fearing to offend either party, asked holy men and women to sit with them as assessors, namely Saint Finnian and Ultan, and the holy virgins Samtanna and Athracta, together with other prelates, virgins, and holy men. But the magician offered sacrifices to demons, invoking the names of his gods, so that they might defend him in his contest against so many holy men and holy women. Then the judges, assembling together with the others, and with a great multitude of men and women, hastened to hear the judgment, that they might see the outcome of the matter. One of the judges also, namely Odó the Black, who was called king of the Brefnians, said: “Alas for me, since I am ugly and black in body, that I must appear among so many honorable men and women. For what profit is nobility of birth or abundance of riches to me now, when I suffer reproach from so many people because of my ugliness? I will go,” he said, “to these holy ones, whose power I know to be wonderful in healing the bodies of the sick, and I will implore the help of their mercy, that the misshapen stature of my small body may be changed into a more handsome and greater form.” And when he had invoked by name the aid of all these saints, at last he turned to Saint Berach, earnestly begging him to fulfill his desire. To him the man of God said: “Son, you ask of us something unusual. But so that you may learn by tangible experience that the power of our God is infinite and ready for whatever he wills, put on my cowl for a time and embrace in your heart the faith of the Trinity.” When the king carried out the commands of the man of God and clothed himself in his garment, lying down upon the saint’s lap, he fell into a deep sleep. While he slept, the holy man prayed to God for an hour that he would change the stature and form of his body. Then, rising from sleep, he could not recognize himself, for he perceived that he now had a tall stature, whereas before he had been a small man; and he saw that he now possessed a handsome appearance, whereas before he had been deformed and dark. His attendants also, who accompanied him, refused to recognize him, until by clear signs he affirmed that he had thus been miraculously transformed.

²¹ The magician also, full of treachery and envy, refused to submit to judgment before so many good men. The magician said that he would undergo judgment only in a place called Rathin and nowhere else; and he promised this because there was there a certain tall tree in which, as it was said, the devil was accustomed to give answers to unbelievers. For by magical art he was enclosed there and gave to his worshipers whatever answers he could. Believing that, supported by the protection of demons, he could there more easily bend the judges’ decision in his favor, he therefore wished to undergo judgment beneath the tree consecrated to demons. To him the judges said: “Since the way for us to go there is not open, you who are trained in magical arts, loosen the roots of that tree and hurry to bring it to us, since your soul trusts in it. Otherwise we will judge this a truly just trial: that if Saint Berachus prevails against you in the name of his God, namely that he can bring the tree here, you yourself must yield.” Then Saint Berachus, taking with him holy men and virgins, prostrated themselves in prayer and remained prostrate for almost four hours of the day. Then a dark cloud covered all the people, and look, that tree which the magician desired was flying through the air toward them by the power of the saints’ prayer, like another Habakkuk to the lions’ den where Daniel was praying [Dan 14:33–36]. There too the tree was miraculously transplanted into the earth and firmly rooted. At this unusual sign the people who were present marveled and praised God, who is wonderful in his saints [Ps 67:36].

²² After a short time, however, an immense light shone forth from heaven and led all into astonishment. When silence had been made, a voice of an angel was heard from the midst of the brightness, saying: “Thus commands the Lord, the great Judge, that the treacherous magician is clearly defeated.” When this was heard, all were greatly amazed; and they declared that they had accepted without doubt the judgment pronounced by the angelic voice. Even the judges themselves said that there was no need in this case for human effort in judgment, since divine justice had been satisfied. But the magician was moved neither by the angelic voice nor by the marvelous transplantation of the tree to believe; rather, like a raging beast filled with fury, he did not fear to burst forth into words of insult and blasphemy. For he asserted that what had thundered in the air was not a true word, but a phantom. Therefore the holy man was deeply grieved that the magician spoke with an evil voice. And so, after first pouring out prayer to God, he said before all: “See, my brothers, what this evildoer does, who fears neither God nor shows reverence to angel or man. Is he not worthy to be struck by divine vengeance, he who refuses to believe in divine signs? Therefore I now beg the mercy of almighty God, that this wretched blasphemer may be deprived of the use of his tongue, so that he may no longer be able to utter words of blasphemy against the living and true God, until he is willing to perform repentance for his deeds.”

²³ And what the saint prayed for was granted from heaven. For the magician, struck by the vengeance of God, lost the power of speech. Ensnared by the trap of the ancient enemy, he no longer wished to repent, but hid himself in a certain secret place, separated from the common society of other people; there for an entire year he begged help from his gods, but found none. When the year in which he had hidden himself in this way was completed, look, the king’s hunters, pursuing a certain stag, came to the dwelling of the magician. Disturbed by the shouting and noise of the hunters, the magician looked out through a window, wishing to know what such a great commotion meant. But by the will of God it happened that a hunter, intending to aim his spear after the stag, wounded not the stag but the magician himself in the middle of the forehead. And so, his neck broken, the wretched man perished miserably, and the stag was seen nowhere.

²⁴ Not long afterward, however, after these events, about eight nephews of the aforementioned magician gathered together and took counsel to kill the man of God, and thus avenge the blood of their kinsman. Some of them thought it would be a just deed to rush upon the saint and condemn him to an evil death. Others proposed that, if this could not be done, they should devastate his monastery by fire, so that his dwelling would become desolate. But heavenly mercy, which always knows how to protect its own, did not permit this desire of sinners to be fulfilled. For a calamity soon befell those wretches who desired to shed innocent blood. The earth opened beneath their feet and swallowed them alive, just as it once swallowed Dathan and Abiram [Num 16:31–33]. Hence even now there is there a very deep and dreadful pit, which the inhabitants of that place call the infernal pit. From it, as it is said, an immense stench rises, so that because of the great horror scarcely anyone dares to approach it.

²⁵ It must not be omitted here how certain impious men, twelve in number, came one night to the monastery of the man of God; and, so that they might more freely carry off their plunder, they killed one of the brothers who kept watch over the monastery’s goods. And when, having seized the plunder—namely the monastery’s cattle—they wished to cross a rocky ford, it came about by the power of God that the spears they held in their hands stuck fast in the stones of the ford, and their hands likewise clung to the spears; and thus they stood immobile in the middle of the river, as if they were motionless stones. When this deed was made known from heaven to the holy man, he took with him a multitude of monks and hastened to the place where the body of the slain brother lay; and after pouring out prayer to almighty God, he restored the slain brother to life. Then he also approached the wretched thieves who were bound because of their crime, and mercifully releasing them, allowed them to depart. Prostrating themselves at the feet of the man of God, they thereafter lived devoutly under his instruction.

²⁶ There was in the venerable community of the holy father Berachus a certain monk who, without the consent of his superior, made a vow of pilgrimage, namely that he would newly visit the apostolic thresholds. Since he entirely desired to fulfill his plan, the pious father was greatly troubled about his departure, because he wished to keep him. Therefore, devising how he might draw him back from the vow of his pilgrimage, he said: “My brother, let us both enter our cell before you begin your journey.” When they had done this, and the door was shut, they devoted themselves there for three days and as many nights to fasting and prayer, until at last the disciple was overcome by sleep. When he finally awoke, he took care to relate to the holy man the dream he had seen. “I saw,” he said, “that I had set out on the journey of pilgrimage, and that a certain very handsome young man joined me as a companion on the way; and after crossing the waves of the sea, I came straight to Rome, with the same companion leading me, and in due order I completed the pilgrimage that I had vowed, together with that young man, according to the direction of my own will. That same young man also led me back by the same road as far as this place; and as he departed from me with great joy, he said that he had been an angel of God, and moreover declared that the pilgrimage which I had vowed I had fully accomplished.” When this was heard, they gave thanks to the Most High, who had fulfilled the desire of the one who vowed, and had increased the fervor of charity in Saint Berachus.

²⁷ After the most holy father Berachus shone forth with such great wonders of miracles, the fame of his holiness spread throughout the province of Ireland. And look, from various parts of the land people of many kinds, sick and infirm, flocked to him so that they might be restored to health. From him, all who sought healing with unbroken faith obtained it. For he himself was endowed in remarkable fashion with wholeness and perfection, and was powerful in driving demons out of those possessed by them. He was set over many communities of monks, whom, with God’s grace assisting him, he governed perfectly, like a distinguished abbot, resplendent in holiness of life, shining with the light of wisdom, and aflame with fervent charity. He was also pleasing in appearance, eloquent in speech, sweet in preaching, and devout in prayer. In judgment he was truthful; in injuries inflicted upon himself, most patient; in moral discipline, strict; in conduct, gentle. Therefore, since he abounded in these and other virtues, and seeing that the death of the body was near, he armed himself with heavenly weapons. Blessing the brothers who stood by, and commending his soul to God, he fortified himself with the saving sign of the cross; and thus, falling asleep in peace, he returned his blessed soul to his Creator.

²⁸ 27 Here ends the Life of the Most Holy Abbot Berachus.

Prayer #

¹ O God, who caused blessed Abbot Berachus to shine on earth with great miracles, graciously grant that here we may be aided by his prayers and be united with the angels in eternal blessedness. Through the Lord.