The Monk John the Long-suffering, Pechersky, worked in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
The ascetic said that from his youth himself he suffered a lot, tormented by the lust of the flesh, and nothing could save — from it, neither hunger, nor thirst, nor heavy verigas.
Then the monk went to the cave where the relics of St. Anthony rested, and earnestly prayed to St. Abba. A day later, the long-suffering John heard a voice: «John! You need to shut up here in order to at least ease the abuse with invision and silence, and the Lord will help you with the prayers of His reverends».
From that time on, the saint settled in the cave, and only 30 years later he defeated carnal passion. The struggle was intense and cruel; the monk followed a thorny path to victory. Sometimes he wanted to leave the shutter, but then he decided on an even greater feat. The holy warrior of Christ dug a hole and, with the onset of Lent, climbed into it and covered himself with shoulder-length earth. He spent the entire post in this position, but the heat of passion still did not leave his difficult flesh.
The enemy of salvation brought fear upon the ascetic, wanting to drive him out of the cave: the terrible serpent, breathing flames, showering with sparks, tried to devour the saint. The actions of the evil one continued for several days. On the night of the Resurrection of Christ, the serpent captured the head of the monk in his mouth. Then Saint John cried from the depths of his heart: «My Lord my God and my Savior! Why did you leave me? Have mercy on me You, the One Humane, deliver me from my bad iniquity, so as not to get bogged down in the network of the hostile, deliver me from the mouth of my enemy: flash lightning and drive him away». Suddenly lightning flashed and the snake disappeared.
The Divine Light shone on the ascetic, and a Voice was heard: «John! Here's help for you. From here, listen to yourself so that the worst does not happen to you, and you do not suffer in the next century». The saint bowed and said: «Lord! why did You leave me to suffer for so long?». «By the power of your patience, — there was an answer, — I brought temptation on you so that you would be burned like gold, the gentleman assigns hard work to strong and strong servants, and easy work to weak and weak —. You pray for yourself to the one buried here (Reverend Moses Ugrin), he can help you in this struggle: he is taller than Joseph (Beautiful)».
The Monk John the Long-suffering died around 1160, having acquired grace against prodigal passion. His holy relics rest in the Caves of Antony.