51: Our Mother Raises the Monk Silla Kristos from the Dead

Walatta Petros spent the rainy season on Réma Island and while there worked a miracle: she resuscitated Silla Kristos after he had died, as he himself has testified. One day, while Réma Monastery lacked a deacon who could celebrate the Liturgy--because the Europeans had contaminated the deacons [with Catholicism] and a patriarch [who could ordain deacons] had not yet arrived--our holy mother Walatta Petros ordered Silla Kristos to celebrate the Liturgy, but he replied, "No!" So she ordered him again, but he again replied, "No!" [Thereby,] he aggrieved her.

Furthermore, he disdained her and held her in contempt, saying in his heart, but not with his mouth, "What is it with this woman who gives me orders, acting as if she were a spiritual leader or a monastic superior? Does not scripture say to her', 'We do not allow a woman to teach, nor may she exercise authority over a man"?

Our holy mother Walatta Petros was aware of his concealed thoughts, but did not reveal anything to him. In that month, on the eleventh of the month of Maskaram, was the Feast of Saint Fasiladas. For this reason, Silla Kristos went to Mitsillé Island. But when God wanted to reveal the power of our holy mother Walatta Petros, he brought down a severe disease on Silla Kristos, who fell sick on the very day that he had left [Réma Island].

When the disease began to affect him badly, he said, "Take me to Réma," and right away, he was picked up and taken there. He was laid down in Tabota Kristos's house. He [already] was like a corpse. He did not eat, he did not drink, he did not move, and he did not speak. Rather, the whole day he groaned, "Elohé, elohé" ["My God, My God"]. His entire body swelled: he was afflicted with dropsy.

On the eighth day after he had fallen sick, Silla Kristos died on the Feast of Abba Ewostatéwos [Eustacius], on the eighteenth of the month of Maskaram [Sept 18 or 19]. Then water was heated to wash him, a cloth was brought to shroud him, and his dead body was wrapped in it. The threads of the shrouding cloth were carefully tied together, and everything one does for a dead body was properly performed.

Top: "How she told the icon of our Lady Mary of her distress." Bottom: "How she killed Silla Kristos via prayer & how she revived him."

Then messengers went and told our holy mother Walatta Petros [about Silla Kristos' passing]. They found her reading the book of the Miracles of Our Lady Mary, and told her that he had died.

Instantly, she went to the church, taking that book with her. Then she stood before the icon of our Lady Mary and implored her, "My Lady, it shouldn't be like this! Truly, I didn't ask you to kill him but to chasten him. The chastening that he received through his disease suffices [as punishment] for him. Merciful One, have mercy for my sake!"

Now fingers emerged from the Miracles and tapped on Walatta Petros's mouth. In addition, a voice emanated from inside the icon and said to her, "You of two tongues, go away! I hereby grant you [the] mercy [you have asked for]."

Immediately our holy mother Walatta Petros left the church, returned to her home, summoned Eheta Kristos, and said to her, "Has Silla Kristos died before turning himself into a monk? I beg you, go to him, call out his name three times, and say to him, 'Silla Kristos, turn yourself into a monk.'"

Eheta Kristos went to him, called out his name three times, and said to him, "Silla Kristos, turn yourself into a monk!"

Instantly, he woke up, opened his eyes, looked at her, and heard the words that she had addressed to him. With his eyes, he then made a sign to her as if saying "Yes!"

Now they brought a monk's cap, blessed it for him, and put it on his head. At that moment, he rose up and was alive again, like before. Then they brought him food, and he ate.

Chapter 52: The Monk Silla Kristos Sees a Vision

Listen further: We will tell you about the vision that Silla Kristos saw on the day that his soul separated from his body. He recounted, "A man of light with the appearance of a monk came to me. It seemed to me that he was Abba Ewostatéwos; the day, in fact, was that of his feast. This man took me with him, making me ascend up high and showing me a luminous and bright town whose colors are unknown [in this world] and whose shapes are inexpressible in earthly terms. Beyond that town, he furthermore showed me another one that was called Paradise. In that town were big trees without fruit, but also small trees with fruit. So, I asked the man, 'What are these big trees that bear no fruit?'

The man responded, 'They are monks who thought highly of themselves. They went by the name of monks, wore the clothes of monks, and wanted to be called abba here and abba there, but they did not do the work of monks. Rather, they spent their days in laziness and sloth, constantly wandering from town to town. Therefore, they did not bring forth any fruitful works.'

I then further asked him, 'so, those small trees that bear fruit, what are they?,' and he further replied, 'They are monks who humbled themselves, who were not famous and whom nobody knew except God. They stayed awake day and night in prayer and in prostration, wandering to minister for the relief of others. Therefore, they brought forth abundant fruit, as the Gospel says in the parable of the Seed, "There is some seed that falls between the thorns, and the thorns suffocate and choke it so that it does not bear fruit. But there is also some seed that falls on good soil and yields fruit, some hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold."'"

Silla Kristos told us all these things: that Walatta Petros had killed him, that she had resuscitated him, and that he had seen this [vision]. He is alive right up to now, and his testimony is trustworthy; he does not lie.

Do you see the great power of our holy mother Walatta Petros, how she made him who covertly had spoken ill of her and abused her, fall ill and die? [And she did it] covertly... she did not say to him, "Rise up!" but rather said to him, "Turn yourself into a monk!" because she feared vain praise.

EDITOR'S NOTE

A feisty saint indeed. She overdoes it--kills where she meant to chastise--but at least she faces it and endures her own chastisement from Mary, who likes a little more consistency: "You of two tongues, go away!" But she gives Silla Kristos his life back; and dying, it turns out, taught him the lesson he needed: serve your community and don't get all huffy about credentials! Practical angel, practical vision.

--Chris Wayan

SOURCE: The Life & Struggles of Our Mother Walatta Petros by Gälawdewos, 1672-73, translated by Wendy Laura Belcher & Michael Kleiner, 2015; pp 190-4. DATE: the monastery of Zage was founded 1632; Silla Kristos's objections have to be before 1636, when a traditional church patriarch was finally installed.

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