Saint Euphrosynos the Cook of Alexandria
Our Holy Father Euphrosynos (Euphrósynos)1 the Cook was born into a peasant family, and had no schooling, but he was truly devout and faithful.
As an adult, he became a cook, and was able to save money out of his expenses by depriving himself, but only for the sake of almsgiving. His position as a cook permitted him to eat the best food first, but he never took advantage of this privilege. He ate his greens and olives gratefully, while the most appetizing meats and most tantalizing fish were cooking before him.
Later Euphrosynos went to a monastery, where his obedience was to work in the kitchen as a cook. In contrast to the meals that he used to prepare in secular hotels, he made very plain food in the monastery. To those who complained and mocked him, Euphrosynos meekly replied: "Good cooking is not useful for attaining the Kingdom of Heaven. The more the body craves pleasure, the more the soul will lose that which it truly needs. It is not my intention to punish you."
Some of the monks scorned him because of his coarse rustic background, but he endured their contempt in silence and was not disturbed by it. Saint Euphrosynos strove to please the Lord by his virtuous life, which he concealed from others, but the Lord Himself revealed to the monastic brethren just what spiritual heights their cook had attained.
In the same monastery there was a devout priest who prayed that he might know what good things are prepared for those who love God. One night, as he was sleeping, he found himself in a beautiful garden, where, to his astonishment, he beheld the most wondrous things. Then he saw Father Euphrosynos, the monastery cook standing in the garden and partaking of the good things of that place. As he approached the cook, he asked to whom the garden belonged, and how he came to be there.
Saint Euphrosynos replied, "This garden is reserved for God's elect, and by His great goodness, I also dwell here."
Then the priest asked him what he did in the garden. The Saint told him, "I have authority over all the things you see here. I rejoice and am filled with gladness and the spiritual enjoyment of them."
The priest questioned him again, "Can you give me something of these good things?"
"Certainly," he replied, "by God's grace, take whatever you wish."
Pointing to some apples, he inquired if he might have some of them. Taking a few of the apples, Saint Euphrosynos placed them in the priest's outer garment saying, "Receive that which you requested, and may you delight in them."
At that moment the semantron was heard, summoning the Fathers to the Midnight Service. When the priest awakened, he thought that his vision was just a dream. But when he reached for his outer garment, he found the apples which the cook had given him, and he could still smell their wonderful fragrance.
He got out of bed and then hurried to church. There he saw Euphrosynos and asked him where he had been that night. The Saint said, "Forgive me, Father, I have not been anywhere tonight. I have just come to church or the Service."
The priest urged him to tell the truth, so that God's glory might be made manifest. The humble Euphrosynos told him, "I was in the place where the good things are, which those who love God shall inherit, and which for many years you wished to behold. There you saw me enjoying the blessings of that garden; for God had deigned to reveal to you the blessings of the Just. He has performed this miracle through me, the lowly one."
"Father Euphrosynos, what did you give me from that garden?"
He replied, "The delightful and most fragrant apples which you just put on your bed. Forgive me, Father, for I am a worm and not a man."
When the service of Matins was over, the priest told the brethren about his vision and showed them the apples. They noticed the ineffable fragrance with spiritual joy, marveling at what the priest had told them. Rushing into the kitchen, they found that Saint Euphrosynos had already left the monastery, fleeing from the glory of men, and he could not be found.
The brethren shared the apples among themselves and, as a blessing, gave pieces to those who visited the monastery, especially for those in need of healing, for those who ate the apples were cured of their ailments. Many received benefit from the gift of Saint Euphrosynos. An account of this vision was written, not only on paper, but also in their hearts.
Finally, Saint Euphrosynos reposed in a remote Hēsykhastḗrion. The Church, knowing that a king or a philosopher is not more worthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than a cook, has numbered Euphrosynos the Cook among her Saints, for he knew God's will and lived according to it..
A fragment of the Saint's relics is located in the Monastery of Loukous in the Holy Metropolis of Mantineia and Kynouria in Greece.
1 The name Euphrosynos means gladness or delight.