August 3, 2026, “One day, St. Cosmas pondered on the words of the Lord Christ—when He, in the Garden of Gethsemane, asked His disciples if any of them had a sword, and when His disciples said to Him: Lord, behold, here are two swords. And He said to them, it is enough (Luke 22:38). Being unable to explain these words himself, St. Cosmas crossed over the wilderness to the distant Lavra of Pirga, where dwelled the illustrious Abba Theophilus, to inquire of him. With great difficulty, St. Cosmas succeeded in reaching his goal. Theophilus explained to him: “The two swords signify the two-fold order of a God-pleasing life: deeds and visions, or labor and awakening the mind to godly thoughts and prayer. Whoever has both of these is perfect.”
