He was a remarkable example of obedience, purity, and asceticism. At the beginning of his monastic life, Anba Pambo instructed him that it was not fitting for a novice monk to gaze upon the faces of people. In response, Saint Anba Bishoy withdrew into a cave and remained there for three years without seeing the face of another person. He was also a man of extraordinary fasting, the likes of whom are rarely found today. He initially ate only once after sunset and gradually increased his ascetic discipline until he reached the point of eating only once a week. Saint Anba Bishoy persevered in asceticism and spiritual struggle to such an extent that he tied his hair to a rope hanging from the ceiling of his cave. If he fell asleep during prayer, the rope would pull his hair and awaken him. Through his deep spiritual life, Saint Anba Bishoy attained a very high level of holiness, enabling him to behold angels and saints with his own eyes. This spiritual state is known as theoria (divine contemplation). On one occasion, his monk disciples asked him if they could see the Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Anba Bishoy prayed earnestly, asking Christ to reveal Himself to them. The Lord replied that He would appear to them after sunset. As evening approached, the monks gathered eagerly, each hurrying along the path in anticipation of seeing Christ. The Lord appeared in the form of an elderly man who seemed unable to walk and asked one monk to help him. The monk declined, saying he was on his way to see Christ. Another monk was asked for assistance, but he also refused. Meanwhile, Saint Anba Bishoy was walking with the support of his staff. When he saw the elderly man struggling to walk, he lifted him onto his shoulders. As he carried him, the man's weight gradually increased until Anba Bishoy's feet sank into the sand. Suddenly, a marvelous light illuminated the entire desert, and the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the saint. Anba Bishoy fell to the ground in worship and said: “O You who carry heaven and earth, how can I carry You?” The Lord replied: “Blessed are you, Anba Bishoy. Because you carried My body, your body shall not see corruption.” Saint Anba Bishoy reposed in the Lord in 417 AD at the age of approximately 97 years, after a life of holiness and spiritual struggle. According to the promise of Christ, his body remains preserved and incorrupt to this day.

Around 1855, Pope Cyril IV opened an access point in the shrine containing the holy body of Saint Anba Bishoy and left a written document affirming that the saint’s body was found to be whole and incorrupt. The Lord Jesus Christ is said to have appeared to Saint Anba Bishoy on several occasions. One well-known account relates that while Anba Bishoy was in his cell, a visitor knocked at the door. The saint welcomed him warmly and, according to the custom of hospitality, began washing his feet. As he did so, he noticed the marks of the nails in the visitor’s feet and immediately recognized that the visitor was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Anba Bishoy fell down in worship before Him. Shortly afterward, the Lord disappeared from the cell, leaving behind a sweet fragrance of incense. May the blessings of the great Saint Anba Bishoy be with us all. Amen.