The Nomadic Peacemaker

When all others failed, today's saint brought peace to conflicted political region.  Maybe we need to pray to him for guidance in our country split by political issues.

St. Moses

Feast day: February 7
Born:  ??
Died: 389
Arabia

Saint Moses, also known as the "Apostle of the Saracens" was a 4th century hermit living at the edge of the Roman Empire on the border between Egypt and Syria.  There is little known about his time prior to his hermitage years.

He spent much of his time traveling and preaching in the desert wilderness and caring for the local nomadic tribes. He gained a large number of followers among the Monophysites, and especially among Arabs.

When the Romans imposed peace upon the Saracens, Queen Mavia, the Saracen ruler, promised peace with the Roman Empire in exchange for the appointment of Moses as bishop over her people.  The Emperor Valens accepted the terms of the truce, and Moses was appointed bishop, but had no fixed geographic diocese, instead traveling with these nomadic people and converting a good number of them.

Moses refused to be ordained by the Arian patriarchal see at Alexandria (considered invalid because of his Arian beliefs), instead choosing to be consecrated by orthodox bishops living in exile. He worked to keep peace between the various tribes and with the Romans.