Hear how St. Joseph faced the most fearsome spiritual battle of his life, an eight year battle against lust and fornication, and how by the powerful name of Christ and his indomitable spirit he became victorious.

0:27 St. Daniel the Hesychast calls Francis (St. Joseph the Hesychast) and Fr. Arsenios to be obedient to an Elder
2:32 Their Elders: Elder Joseph and Elder Ephraim the Barrel-Maker4:15 The perfect obedience of St. Joseph
6:43 The call to war
8:29 The battle against the demon of fornication begins
9:42 St. Joseph’s courage and dedication to be victorious
10:38 The intensity of the struggle
12:32 St. Joseph begins to despair and God grants a vision to console him
13:29 The vision
17:01 St. Joseph telling of the vision to his disciples
18:31 The warfare intensifies but St. Joseph did not give in
19:56 Physical manifestation of the demons battling against St. Joseph
22:55 Final victory

Buy "My Elder Joseph the Hesychast" written by his disciple, Elder Ephraim of Arizona, here: https://stanthonysmonastery.org/products/my-elder-joseph-the-hesychast

NOTE: Francis was the name of St. Joseph before his monastic tonsure.
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From “My Elder Joseph the Hesychast”, p. 91-105:

St. Joseph was called to this battle not because in his youth we was promiscuous and rebellious; no, “he had never had any past experience with carnal sins and was completely chaste…”
"Francis struggled intensely because he was completely aware of what was happening. Besides, it was in his character never to give in to anything improper. He fasted strictly and kept vigil all night. He only partook of dry bread and water. When he would reach the limits of exhaustion, grace would strengthen him, and thus he would continue his fearsome struggle. The more time passed, the tougher the demons' warfare became—it was nearly incessant. But he, too, was full of rage against them. He was so courageous that he said to the demons,' 'Either I’ll devour you or you'll devour me.' This is why he never lost a single battle against the demons. With such dedication to fight till death, how could the grace of God not help him and raise him to lofty spiritual states?"

“For it is a law of God: whatever causes sensual pleasure is cured by pain.” -St. Joseph

It is very likely that contemporary monastics and struggling laymen will wonder why this young ascetic beat himself so mercilessly. Even though it sounds horrible, it is not a sign of mental instability, nor is it the only such instance in ascetical literature.** God has revealed through various miracles that He accepted this form of ascesis as a martyrdom. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers and The Ladder are full of similar ascetical struggles in which the body is not being punished but rather being subdued to the ruling nous. The aim of Orthodox asceticism is to kill the passions, not the body.

Through his indomitable determination, Father Joseph attained this lofty state, even though he had not yet reached the age of thirty-two. From his own experience, he was able to teach his spiritual children: “When a person struggles to keep his body pure and his nous chaste from filthy thoughts, his life and his prayer ascend like fragrant incense to the heavens. I have seen in practice what I am telling you. There is no sacrifice to God more fragrant than chastity of the body which is obtained with a bloody and dreadful struggle...."

**For example, see the lives of Saints Leontius, Epiphanius, Nephon, Martinius, and Benedict.

Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

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