What is the greatest wisdom that guards a man against all sin

Saint Cleopa of Romania, born Constantin Ilie on April 10, 1912, in Sulița, Botoșani County, was a remarkable figure in 20th-century Orthodox Christianity. He grew up in a pious peasant family, the fifth of ten children, and from a young age showed a deep disinterest in worldly matters, drawn instead to spiritual life. At 17, he entered Sihăstria Monastery in the Carpathian Mountains with his brothers George and Vasile, beginning his journey as a monk. There, he took on the humble task of tending the monastery’s sheep, spending 15 years in the mountains, which he later called his "university"—a time of solitude, prayer, and study that shaped his profound spiritual insight.

Cleopa’s life was marked by both devotion and hardship. Tonsured a monk in 1937, he took the name Cleopa, meaning "guide," and rose to become abbot of Sihăstria in 1945. But his path was far from easy. With the rise of communism in Romania, he faced persecution from the Securitate, the secret police. In 1948, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy, he was arrested and held in a basement cell for five days without food or water. Released but hunted, he fled to the wilderness, living as a hermit in a shack by a cliff, serving Liturgy on a tree stump. Over the years, he spent nearly a decade in solitude across multiple retreats, deepening his practice of inner prayer and the Jesus Prayer.

When he returned to Sihăstria in 1964, Cleopa’s reputation as a spiritual father soared. For over three decades, he guided monks and laypeople alike, receiving hundreds daily with wisdom and humility. His influence reached bishops, metropolitans, and even Patriarch Daniel of Romania, who became his disciple. Known for his meekness and vast knowledge of Scripture and the Church Fathers, he preached a life of prayer, fasting, and confession, often downplaying his own struggles and gifts. He predicted his death, telling a monk weeks before, “My days are numbered and can be counted on your fingers,” and reposed on December 2, 1998. Over 10,000 attended his funeral, and his passing was noted worldwide, even in The New York Times.

Cleopa was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church on July 12, 2024, with his feast day set for December 2, alongside Saints Paisie Olaru and Porphyrios of Kafsokalyvia. His life—a blend of monastic rigor, resistance to oppression, and tireless service—remains a beacon of faith. Today, his tomb at Sihăstria is a site of pilgrimage, where the faithful still take soil, believing in its miraculous power, a testament to his enduring legacy.

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