St. Justus the Antonian’s Glorification | تمجيد أبونا يسطس الأنطونى

His Monastic Life:
He was born in 1910 in the village of Zarabi near the Monastery of Al-Muharraq in Assiut Governorate, named Naguib. He worked as a tailor with his father and learned the Coptic language, mastering it, and was later ordained a deacon.
He longed for the monastic life, so he went to the Monastery of St. Paul in the Eastern Desert, spending about two years under probation, then moved to the Monastery of St. Anthony and was ordained a monk in November 1941.

As One Awaiting His Lord:
In his spiritual struggle, his eyes rarely closed; he stayed awake at night wandering within the monastery as if awaiting the coming of his Lord. When he wanted to rest, he would sit under a tree. In his early stages of struggle, he slept on a tree trunk lying on the ground to avoid comfort and remain praying all night.
Whenever he met someone, he would ask, “What time is it?” as if awaiting the hour of his departure.

His Struggle (Ascetic Life):
At the beginning of his monastic life, when evil thoughts attacked him, he remained awake praying the Lord’s Prayer aloud many times and did not stop until the thoughts fled.
Regarding the Holy Bible, he memorized the Psalms by heart, consistently studied the Scriptures until he memorized the Epistles of St. Paul, and loved reading the Gospel in Coptic.
He ate very little and would give his food to workers or cats; his favorite food was the crumbs of bread from the table, which he moistened with water before eating.
He lived in poverty and detachment, keeping no money. His cell reflected his asceticism; it was made of mud with a palm frond roof. Anyone could knock on it as it had no doors or windows. There were no mattress or pillows, just an old mat and a water bucket, everything on the floor, making it appear abandoned. The only important items were the Psalms books: the annual and the Kiahk.
Despite his extreme asceticism, he enjoyed good health, serving himself and fetching water from the spring, even for other monks.
His love for the Church was strong; at night, he would kneel praying before it. When the bell for the midnight prayer rang, he was the first to enter. His posture during prayer was like a soldier before the king, motionless and focused on the icon of Christ on the sanctuary veil. During communion, he would remind the communicants, saying: “Communion is light and fire.”
God granted him insight; he knew things before they happened and answered questions before they were asked. Despite this, he remained humble and spoke little; his silence was the greatest sermon.
The demons waged a fierce battle against him, and when they could not overpower him, they beat him, threw him to the ground, dragged him, and even put sand in his eyes, temporarily impairing his vision. He needed guidance and endured fifteen days before God restored his sight.

His Passing:
Upon completing his spiritual struggle, he fell ill a few hours before his passing, found sleeping on the ground like the poorest of men. They carried him to a room in the monastery where he surrendered his soul. His departure was on 8 Kiahk 1693 A.M., corresponding to 17 December 1976. One monk witnessed a light emanating from his burial place, and nearby soldiers saw light from the monastery for several consecutive nights, thinking there was an extraordinary celebration.
His sanctity was officially recognized by the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the synod session on 9 June 2022.