"the Extraordinary Death of Monk Ephraim (Antony Attwood)
Updated: Jul 20, 2022
40 days today since the Sleeping of our brother Ephraim the Monk. A story that was missed by media regarding the death by lethal injection of Monk Ephraim (Antony Attwood)
(According to information that appears to have been released by Arizona's St. Anthony Monastery in USA) -
"...According to our Orthodox worship, our brother Ephraim the Monk, will be presented today, Sunday, July 17, for the third and last time before the awesome Throne of our Lord, where our Christ will decide whether Father Ephraim will be placed on the right or the left of our Lord until His Second Coming and His final judgment.
The tonsure of our brother Anthony to Ephraim Monk, from the brotherhood of Holy Monastery of St. Anthony of Arizona, was held on the eve of his execution, Tuesday, June 7, when on Mount Athos we celebrate the 3rd finding of the Holy Head of the Holy Forerunner, our Patron and Head of the Order of Monks.
When our brother Ephraim was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection, many reactions were expressed about the suffering our brother would go through until he died, as this particular poison takes about 1 hour to work.
Unfortunately, Father Ephraim was confined to a wheelchair for years due to a very serious neurodegenerative disease in his spine, and his stay tied to the stretcher for over an hour, until the poison took effect, would have been extremely painful.
However, our Orthodox faith does not know logic, as "Wherever God wills, nature of order prevails".
For the first time in the history of executions in Arizona, together with our brother Ephraim Monk, a hieromonk, the abbot of I.M. Saint Anthony, Father Paisios. Father Ephraim helped the executioners find his vein for the poison to enter, and as soon as he lay on the stretcher, Father Paisios placed his petrachel on Brother Ephraim's head, prayed fervently while the poison flowed through Father Ephraim's veins, and within infinitesimal minutes, Father Ephraim slept quite surprisingly, absolutely peacefully.
With incredible surprise, everyone present admitted that never in the history of executions in Arizona, they had seen a person leave life in such a quick and calm way. In the last 39 days, our brother Ephraim went through the customs process of his soul, like all baptized orthodox Christians, he worshiped our Christ on the 3rd and 9th day, but without knowing the verdict of the King of All.
Let us remember the words of the secret wish of the Cherub, when during the Divine Liturgy the Cherubim circle the Holy Altar: "You are alone, Lord our God, you rule over the heavens and the earth, the one sitting on the Cherubim Throne, the Lord of the Seraphim... the only Holy One and resting in the Saints...".
Let us join our prayers, so that with the wishes of Elder Ephraim of Arizona who so supported Antony, of our Elder Joseph the Hesychast and of the entire Holy Consort who rests at the right hand of our Lord, the soul of our slandered brother, Ephraim the Monk, to find the rest that he did not find in this present life, and to rest in the Light of Being Life, until the Kingdom of Heaven opens for all of us, forever and ever. Amen +".
