Story
His New Life
The life of this saint reveals the abundant riches of God's grace, able to transform a heart of stone into a life of surpassing love. Peter the tax-collector was known for his intense love of money, his hardness of heart, and his lack of mercy, so much so that this cruelty became bound up with his name throughout the whole city (most likely Alexandria). One of the poor met him and kept insisting that he give him something.
Peter, vexed, tried to drive him off but did not succeed, and so he seized a piece of bread from a servant boy who had come to him carrying bread, and struck the poor man on the head with it by way of insult, not of mercy. That night he saw, as it were, the Last Day, and as it were a balance had appeared; and the company of demons, hideous of aspect, appeared bearing his sins and casting them in great abundance upon the left scale, while the angels of light, beautiful of aspect, stood before the right scale in perplexity, not knowing what to offer.
At last they barely found the piece of bread with which he had struck the head of the poor man, that they might place it in the scale.
Peter arose from his sleep exceedingly sorrowful over the life he had spent in works of darkness, in cruelty, and in the love of money, depriving himself of fellowship with the luminous angels through a life of faith working by love. Peter realized that his life upon the earth was nothing but a road leading either to share in the bitterness of the demons or in the eternal glories of the holy angels, and he set in his heart to live the remainder of his days for the sake of the eternal Kingdom.
His New Life:
Peter's heart was utterly changed; so that instead of his concern for money, he became concerned for the poor and the needy, supporting every one in want and showing kindness to all, distributing all his wealth, until he gave away his very garments as a gift of love. At last, in his passion for love, he sold himself as a slave to one of the wealthy Romans, that its price might be distributed among the poor.
To the Wilderness of St. Macarius:
Peter lived as a slave, yet his heart, enlarged with love, gathered the slaves, his fellow companions, to himself as in a tender fatherhood; and his master perceived that he was no ordinary slave, marvelling at his conduct and his life. Peter won many to the faith through this new life among the poor and the slaves, as one of them, sharing their toils and their need; and he likewise had his effect upon his master and all his household.
One of the wealthy men of his city came to visit his master, and was astonished to find this slave present, and made known to his master the man's story: how he had sold himself for the sake of the poor.
The slave felt that glory was pursuing him, and so he fled, hiding himself away to the Wilderness of St. Macarius in Scetis, where he became a monk, walking in a strong ascetic life. The monks loved him exceedingly, and they took him as their example in his love and his service to others, together with his devout ascetic striving.
We may say that when Peter's heart was changed by the divine grace, he walked by the Spirit wherever he was found: when he was a tax-collector, gathering the tribute, yet with kindness and love and self-control, without love for filthy gain; and when he became a slave, practicing the lowliest of earthly works and mingling with the slaves with an enlarged and humble heart; and when he became a monk in the wilderness. The heart enlarged with love grants a man success wherever he is found, whatever his work or his station may be!
In any case, St. Peter knew the hour of his departure, and so he summoned the fathers of the wilderness and disclosed to them his departure, and asked their prayers; then he bade them farewell, and continued in prayer until he departed to the Lord.
The Church commemorates him on the 25th of the month of Tobi.