Today the Saintly Sixteen continues as Moses the Black faces Raymond Nonnatus and legends abound! These two fascinating souls have much to teach us about non-violence, passing judgment, and idle gossip. Yet only one will make it to the next round.
To make it this far, both saints vanquished Johns as Raymond routed John of Nepomuk while Moses took it to John Wycliffe. Is this tidbit a harbinger of saintly things to come? Probably not.
Yesterday, Mechtild of Magdeburg secured her place in the Elate Eight 52% to 48% by holding off a late charge by Odo of Cluny.
In case you missed yesterday's episode of Monday Madness, in which Tim and Scott offer a rare glimpse behind the SEC's purple curtain, you can watch it here.
And finally, Episcopal News Service scored a journalistic coup by gaining an exclusive interview with both members of the SEC. Read the Q & A under the title Lent Madness Duo Shines Competitive Spotlight On Saints' Inspiring Stories. And thanks to you all for being a part of the ever-unfolding Madness this year!
Moses the Black
To paraphrase an ancient biographer, to the degree that Moses was a wayward soul, so great also his virtue. Moses is remembered as a thief and a murderer, a marauder and a womanizer. The ancient hagiographer Laurence remarked that Moses was “unrivaled for cruelty.” Another described him as “vulgar and worthless.”
“Spurred by some crisis,” Palladius tells us, Moses traveled to the monastery in Skete and was received by the monks there. Moses gave himself entirely to ascetic practices, training his body to be a pure temple. At night Moses especially struggled with temptation. First he tried to avoid sleeping. When this was ineffective, Moses began using the night to go fetch water for the other monks. He would walk as far as two miles to fill his jug to bring water back to the brothers. Serving the community in this way he found strength to resist temptation. It was not without cost, however. He had already denied his body excessive food and was traveling many miles each night. One evening he collapsed at the well, weary from the physical toll (ancient sources recount how he collapsed after a fierce struggle with the devil). His brothers found him and brought him back to the monastery. It took over a year for him to recover.
With such discipline, Moses grew to the point where he no longer struggled with temptation. Palladius gives us the memorable line that “we are more afraid of flies than he of demons.” Previously Moses was a formidable specimen who would take what he wanted with brute force. Now he was a model of hospitality, kindness, and nonviolence.
One story tells of how the monks at Skete were ordered to observe a fast for a week. That same week some brothers from Egypt came to visit Moses. Moses prepared for them a small cooked meal. The neighbors saw the smoke rising as Moses cooked and complained to the clerics. The following weekend, the clerics called Moses to stand in front of the community and pronounced, “O Father Moses, you have broken the command of men but observed that of God.”
One of Moses’ highest values was to avoid judging others. We have already seen how he refused to pass judgment on a brother by carrying a leaking basket to the meeting. Moses is remembered as saying, “If we are able to see our own faults, we will not see the faults of our neighbors. For it is folly for someone what has their own dead to leave it and to go and weep over their neighbor’s dead. To die to one’s neighbor is this, to bear one’s own faults and to be unconcerned about every person, that this one is good and that one is bad.”
Moses died with six other monks peacefully protecting the monastery from invaders. His pleas for conversion went unheeded. When he died a witness reported seeing a crown from heaven descend upon him. His body is honored at the Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Monastery of El-Baramous in Egypt.
Raymond Nonnatus
As was recounted in Round One, Raymond Nonnatus was so named because of the traumatic circumstances surrounding his birth. According to legend, his father, a local count, used a sword to perform a rudimentary caesarean section on his mother, who had already died thus rendering him “not-born.”
Raymond spent his earthly ministry among an order of monks who took a special vow to ransom enslaved people. While in Tunis, trading himself for some 28 slaves, Raymond ran afoul of the city authorities, who took a serious dislike to his preaching. They bored a hot poker through his lips and padlocked his mouth shut. For this reason, Raymond is invoked not only by mothers in labor, but also by priests trying to preserve the seal of the confessional, and those wishing to stop harmful gossip.
There is also a legend that Raymond had been made a cardinal when he died, and so was on his way to Rome for the ceremony. For this reason, he is often depicted in a cardinal’s outfit, in red and white robes, complete with his mouth locked shut. While selecting a cardinal who cannot speak does seem like an excellent pick, it also seems like this tradition conflates Raymond with someone else. Poor Raymond died without ever being a cardinal.
Along with being the patron saint of a popular English costume drama, devotion to Raymond Nonnatus is especially widespread in Latin America. Because of Spanish colonization, massive festivals to the saint are found all over the Spanish-speaking world, with their own unique contributions. In Costa Rica, the festival includes a three-hour long parade of oxen and cowboys -- presumably to commemorate the blind ox that carried the saint’s body, and his early life as a farmhand. The high point of the festival is when 30 other statues of San Ramon are processed in from around the country to have a saintly family reunion.
Raymond’s padlock has also given rise to another ritual, which has taken off at the cathedral in Mexico City. If you want to stop a particularly slanderous rumor about yourself, you go to an altar of Raymond Nonnatus, place a padlock upon it, and place the key to the padlock in the saint’s piggy bank, so the mouth of the slanderer is forever in the saint’s control. Then seat yourself in full view of the congregation, so everyone can gaze upon your spotless conscience, and feel properly chastened! Writing a plea to the saint and placing it on the padlock is also popular.
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Raymond Nonnatus: By Follower Of Eugenio Cajes - [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6197397
147 comments on “Moses the Black vs. Raymond Nonnatus”
Diana, thanks so much for your wonderful lyrics--I sing them in my head if I know the tune :- ) What a creative & clever way to celebrate them & our votes--thanks for sharing your talent w/us all!
Oh, man! Both wonderful saintly candidates. Going with Raymond because of Call the Midwife and the many wonderful stories that took place at Nonnatus House.
Moses. Conversion of life. An example.
Because of Lent Madness and Raymond Nonnatus, I discovered Call the Midwife! Love it, love it, love it! Go, Raymond!
Moses got my vote today! His brothers were more afraid of flies than he was of demons. Not that I have seen a demon, but I am sure that they are scary. But then again, horse flies and deer flies are scary too. I don't like wasps neither.
How can I not respond to the transformation and example of Moses the Black? A man as reprobate as all that legends says about him, struggled to transform himself into a better human being. Wow! Who does not struggle with inner demons, temptations and fears, especially in the darkest hours of the night?
My vote goes for Moses this time.
Me, too
As always, a difficult choice, as Diana's hymn relates, this time between devotion and persecuted works. Perhaps we could transform politics with a few padlock pilgrimages to the Cathedral in Mexico City?
We'll have to padlock a few (keyboarding) fingers too...
Since they're so evenly matched and neither one really grabs me, I voted for Moses for no other reason than that I'm tired of voting for losers.
Looking at today's matchup, there are others who were knocked out in the first round who I would have rather seen advance.
That said, I am still contemplating the merits and saintliness of both men as described by two excellent writeups.
Two totally weird choices
In this day of fake news, it seems especially appropriate to honor the patron saint of no-gossip.
Both men made major trades--both for the lives of others. A very hard choice, especially because of my penchant for gossip, but Moses the Black carried the day for me.
Had to vote for Moses when he said "it's folly to leave your own dead to go weep for your neighbor's dead" I'll be carrying around that nugget for awhile. Nonnatus is a fine man, but the bought of his padlocked mouth frankly gives me the creeps.
I agree! I love Nonnatus but .... that terrible image of the padlocked lips .... hard to unsee that one.
Well, I don't like either of these choices, tbh. I don't remember "womanizer" showing up on the original list of Moses the Black's sins. And I recoil at the mental image of a rudimentary caesarian by way of a sword. I do like the phrase "spotless conscience." I vote for both of today's bloggers, who gave a valiant effort with less than stellar material.
"Vulgar and worthless" is also an interesting commendation for a saint.
Of course, "Vulgar and worthless" is a description of Moses before his conversion.
Yes. That's what I was referring to.
Oh, okay. I misunderstood.
Poverty street fighting criminal vs Wealthy son not taking to farming. Not sure I care either way but voted for the farmer's son.
A toss-up between two great men - solved by voting for the one who shares my husband's name: Moses
Not voting today. Neither of these stir my soul.
Ms Soto: These thumbnails are summaries from the viewpoints of a few people but each of the saints are exemplary beyond measure for a lifetime - when I'm not stirred by such a summary, I do my own looking into the saints. This is sure to open new dimensions for any one of them for which modern knowledge exists. I believe that an understanding of any one of them will make a choice which denies a vote for one of them in favor over another a wrenching choice.
Had to go with someone who traded himself for slaves. Very few would ever do such a thing.
Raymond received my vote today.
Moses the Black.
He endured racism and rose to become an abbot.
He reformed swiftly and thoroughly, transforming himself from a pagan bandit chief to a Christian monk. An Orthodox website gives a sweet detail: "[H]e repented, left his band of robbers and went to one of the desert monasteries. Here he wept for a long time, begging to be admitted as one of the brethren. The monks were not convinced of the sincerity of his repentance, but the former robber would neither be driven away nor silenced. He continued to implore that they accept him." (https://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/08/28/102414-venerable-moses-the-ethiopian-of-scete) I love the thought of this big scary guy weeping because the monks were reluctant to accept him.
Moses the Black was wise and forgiving: consider the story of the leaky jug told in his Round of 32 bio.
After his conversion, he was committed to nonviolence, ultimately giving his life to uphold his ideal.
Awww... Thanks for sharing that, Beth.
My heart goes to Raymond, mostly because he put his life on the line for his faith, whereas Moses ran to the safety of the convent and saved himself. Moses is more like the rest of us who come to faith from a worldly life and have to fight with our demons. He is more like me and I know what that is like. So Raymond, courageous, till death, is the Saint for me.
I agree!
Thanks Diana.
Raymond Nonnatus gets my vote today. Thanks to his father's quick action, he survived his mother's death. He offered himself to free others. Call the Midwife--which will start a new season this Sunday!
Read the book, too, on which CtM is based. You get a view of Jenny's own spiritual journey. The match-up was a tough one, because I love what Moses stands for. But in the end, Raymond ransoming himself for others, and the fact that he watches over the same dear midwives who helped me through a hard pregnancy and brought a blessed daughter into the world--well that it finally took it for me, in both rounds.
C'mon... where are the Call the Midwife fans out there? I know there are a lot of RNs on this site. I'd never heard of Raymond Nonnatus till the BBC/PBS brought out the series and have been delighted to learn more about him. Truly a man for others, as the Jesuits say.
And there are plenty of times I need to remember that padlock for myself... go, Raymond!
Agree. Anyone who could be associated with Call the Midwife series deserves a vote.
Plus he was a freedom fighter
In preparing for this match-up, I was most captivated by Raymond Nonnatus with his passion for freeing captive slaves at great risk. Then reading Moses the Black's story this morning changed my mind. The blogger's sensitive writing brought Moses to life and had me doing a lot of soul searching.
I also commend SEC's introduction of today's pairings. I appreciated the lead in that had me focusing on their special spiritual qualities and achievements. " These two fascinating souls have much to teach us about non-violence, passing judgment, and idle gossip."
I'm going to spend time today contemplating these men's qualities of non-violence and non-judgement and I might appropriate those qualities into my life.
That said, in an upset no one saw coming, in today's pairing of Moses v Raymond, Linda is the big winner today!
Thanks go to the powers that be!
I voted for Raymond, he gave his life over for others. One of the biggest sacrifices I have seen.
The reason for my choice is probably a bit shallow but I love the series "Call The Midwife" and Nonnatus House is the name of the Mother House on the show. Series is based on a book by former midwife.
That's how I finally decided, too!
Moses, you represent an entire continent, and your conversion story is so inspiring. You went from being "The Rock" to grounding your life upon The Rock. The repentance you showed...Wow!!! You have my vote and my well-wishes in the rounds to come.
Moses could be a patron of the 12 step tradition of taking your own inventory instead of stressing yourself out finding fault with others.
That jumped out at me too, Megan. Moses seems to be the patron saint of AA with the non-judgment, his tenacious action plan employed to beat temptation. Inventories, living for others....
Moses for me. I'm inspired by the account of his transformation and his example of nonviolence.
I'm a sentimental old man. I voted for Raymond Nonatus to honor the sisters and nurses at Nonatus House in "Call the Mid Wife." While they are fictional characters, they represent something good in a broken world.
Ahh, but not all of the sisters and midwives, and their friends, patients and paramours are fictional. Read the book! You will love it.
Too wierd. Both of them. Will likely vote for either of their opponent next round!