Schemamonk
Saint Euphemios (Lyubimchenko, 1795–1866), in the world Eustathius, was born in the Zenkiv district of the Poltava province. Since 1818, he has been listed among the novices of the Glinsk Monastery, where he worked for many years as a cell attendant to Saint Philaret (Danilevsky). In his old age, while imparting wise teachings to the young monks, Father Euphemios would conclude his speeches with a verbal 'seal': 'Thus taught us Elder Philaret.' In 1827, he was clothed in a cassock, and in 1832, he was tonsured into the mantle with the name Euphemios. From 1827 to 1857, he fulfilled the obedience of a bearer and was a 'living Typikon,' knowing the church order perfectly.
Saint Euphemios also undertook the inner struggle against passions. He said: 'The desires of our old man have no end... The best thing is to immediately block the way to this, cutting off the causes for receiving honors, replacing everything with a single pursuit of drawing closer to God.' He advised: 'When you walk through the church, be attentive, holding yourself in the same manner as subjects do in the presence of an earthly king.'
Before his death, the elder smiled brightly, and tears flowed from his eyes. One of the brothers asked: 'Father, why are you crying?! Are you afraid of dying?' — 'What should I be afraid of? To go to the Heavenly Father and be afraid! No, brother, by God's grace, I am not afraid; and what you see as my tears — these are tears of joy. For so many years my soul has longed for the Lord, and now the desired time is approaching: I will soon stand before Him, to Whom my whole life has aspired, and I will see Him; that is why the tears flow,' replied the ascetic.
