Wisdom of the Desert

Desert Wisdom

2010-01-01T03:00:00.000-05:00

"We must direct our souls with discernment."
~~Amma Syncletica

This is the final Desert Wisdom blog as I have essentially exhausted my resources during the past three years.

Fortunately, books on the wisdom of the desert mothers and fathers abound. I imagine they would all find it wonderfully ironic as it was their goal to possess, like Jesus, as little as possible. Yet, there were still those in their own infinite wisdom that had enough foresight to collect the sayings of these men and women and pass them on.

And Thank God that they did so because over the centuries there have been multitudes who have benefited from the wisdom of our desert fathers and mothers.

In creating this blog, I have depended on half a dozen books or so and continue to add more to my "library."

The books I use include:

The Wisdom of the Desert
by Thomas Merton

Orthodox Prayer Life:
The Interior Way
by Matthew the Poor

The Desert Fathers:
Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
by Benedicta Ward

Desert Father:
A Journey in the Wilderness
with Saint Anthony
by James Cowan

The Forgotten Desert Mothers
by Laura Swan

The Desert Mothers:
Spiritual Practices from the Women of the Wilderness
by Mary C. Earle

Soulmaking
by Alan Jones

Laughing at Death

2009-12-31T03:00:00.000-05:00

They told the story of a hermit who was dying in Scetis. The brothers stood round his bed, clothed him, and began to weep. But he opened his eyes and began to laugh; this happened three times. So the brothers asked him, "Abba, why are you laughing when we are weeping?"

He told them, "I laughed the first time because you fear death; I laughed the second time because you are not ready for death; I laughed the third time because I am passing from labor to rest, and yet you weep." As he said this, he closed his eyes and died.

A Living Example

2009-12-30T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hyperichius said, "He who teaches others by his life and not by his speech is truly wise."

Be Obedient to the Grace of God

2009-12-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

A hermit said to a brother, "Do not measure yourself against your brother, saying that you are more serious or more chaste or more understanding than he is. But be obedient to the grace of God, in the spirit of poverty, and in love unfeigned. The efforts of a man swollen with vanity are futile. It is written, 'Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall' (I Corinthians 10:12); 'let your speech be seasoned with salt' (Colossians 4:6) and so you will be dependent on Christ."

Examine Your Conscience

2009-12-28T03:00:00.000-05:00

A hermit said to a brother, "When a proud or a vain thought enters your mind, examine your conscience to see if you are keeping God's commandments; ask yourself if you love your enemies; if you rejoice in your enemy's triumph, and if you are sad at his downfall; do you know yourself to be an unprofitable servant and a sinner beyond all others? But not even then must you think that you have corrected all your faults; to entertain such a thought as that would undo all the other good you have done."

~~Proud Cheetah by Wycliffe Ndwiga

Disparage Not Your Brother

2009-12-27T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hyperichius said, "It is better to eat meat and drink wine than to eat the flesh of the brothers by disparaging them."

Play the Fool

2009-12-26T03:00:00.000-05:00

A hermit said, "When you flee from the company of other people, or when you despise the world and worldlings, take care to do so as if it were you who was being idiotic."

Luke 14:11

2009-12-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

A hermit said, "He who is praised and honored above what he deserves suffers grievous loss. He who receives no honor at all among men, shall be glorified hereafter."

Lower Than Every Created Being

2009-12-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

A brother said to Sisois, "I look into my own mind and I see that it is recollected and intent upon God."

Sisois said to him, "It is nothing special that your mind should be with God. The great thing is to see yourself to be lower than every created being. Bodily toil will put that right, and lead you on the way to humility."

Speak Right With Your Heart

2009-12-23T03:00:00.000-05:00

Poemen said, "If a man appears silent in speech but is condemning other people in his heart, he is really talking incessantly. Another man may seem to talk all day, but he is keeping silence since he always speaks in a way that is right with his heart."

Practice What You Preach

2009-12-22T03:00:00.000-05:00

Poemen said, "Experience is good. By experience men are tested."

He also said, "If a man preaches but does not practice what he preaches, he is like a well of water where everyone can quench their thirst and wash off their dirt, but which cannot clean away the filth and dung that is around it."

~~Wishing Well by Dan A. Diaz

Lost Time

2009-12-21T03:00:00.000-05:00

A hermit said, "If you lose gold or silver, you can find something as good as you lost. But the man who loses time can never make up what he has lost."

~~Lost Time II by Dae-Yeon Kim

The King's Highway

2009-12-20T03:00:00.000-05:00

Joseph asked Poemen, "How should we fast?"

Poemen said, "I suggest that everyone should eat a little less than he wants, every day."

Joseph said to him, "When you were a young man, didn't you fast for two days on end?"

Poemen said, "I used to fast for three days on end, even for a week. But the great hermits have tested all these things, and they found it is good to eat something every day, but on some days a little less. They have shown us that this is the king's highway, for it is easy and light."

Protect Me From My Tongue

2009-12-19T03:00:00.000-05:00

Sisois once said with confidence, "For thirty years I have not prayed to God without sin. When I pray, I say, 'Lord Jesus Christ, protect me from my tongue.' Even now, it causes me to fall every day."

Arm Yourself Against Demons

2009-12-18T03:00:00.000-05:00

Amma Syncletica said, "We ought to be armed at all points against the demons. They come at us from outside and if the soul is weak we invite them in. Sometimes a ship is crushed by the battering of heavy seas; sometimes it is sunk because bilge water rises slowly within it. In the same way we are sometimes sunk because we have done evil deeds, and sometimes because our thoughts are evil. So we must both watch for the assaults of unclean spirits, and also cleanse the thoughts of our hearts."

~~Cross the Storm by Evgueny Solodky

Dear Prudence

2009-12-17T03:00:00.000-05:00

Some brothers once asked Silvanus, "What way of life did you follow to be endowed with such prudence?"

He answered, "I have never let any bitter thought remain in my heart."

~~Prudence by Shawn McNulty

Serve and Be Served

2009-12-16T03:00:00.000-05:00

Once some monks came to Scetis, and John the Short was with them. During supper, an eminent presbyter got up to give them each a little water to drink. No one accepted it except John the Short.

The others were surprised and said, "How is it that you, the least of all, dared to accept the ministry of a great old man?"

He replied, "When I get up to hand water round, I am glad if everyone takes it, because I have been able to do them a service and will have a reward. That's why I took it just now, to let the one who offered it have his reward; perhaps he would have been sad if no one accepted it."

They all admired his discretion.

~~Glass of Water with Coffee Pot by Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin, 1760

Close the Door

2009-12-15T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother said to Sisois, "I want to guard my heart."

Sisois replied, "How can we guard the heart if our tongue leaves the door of the fortress open?"

Salvation

2009-12-14T03:00:00.001-05:00

Some of the hermits used to say, "Whatever you hate for yourself, do not do it to someone else. If you hate being spoken evil of, do not speak evil of another. If you hate him who tries to make you despised, or wrongs you, or takes away what is yours, or anything like that, do not do such things to others. To keep this is enough for salvation."

Help Your Brother

2009-12-13T03:00:00.001-05:00

A hermit said, "I never wanted work to be useful to me while causing loss to my brother, for I have this hope that what helps my brother will bring fruit to me."

Double Charity

2009-12-12T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother said to a hermit, "If I see a monk about whom I have heard that he is guilty of a sin, I cannot make myself invite him into my cell. But if I see a good monk, I bring him in gladly."

The hermit said, "If you do good to a good brother it is nothing to him, but to the other give double charity, for he is sick."

Make No Display

2009-12-11T03:00:00.001-05:00

A hermit was fasting and not eating bread, and he went to visit another hermit. By chance, some other pilgrims also came to visit this hermit, and he made them a little vegetable soup.

When they sat down to eat, the fasting hermit took a single pea which he dipped in the soup and chewed it.

When they got up from the table, the hermit that was hosting them took the fasting hermit aside and said, "Brother, if you visit someone, don't make a display there of your way of life. If you want to keep your own rule, stay in your cell and never go out."

The brother accepted the advice, and thenceforth behaved like other people and ate what was put before him.

Making Progress

2009-12-10T03:00:00.001-05:00

A hermit said, "We do not make progress because we do not realize how much we can do. We lose interest in the work we have begun, and we want to be good without even trying.

Restrain your Anger

2009-12-09T03:00:00.001-05:00

One of the brothers asked Isidore, the priest of Scetis, "Why are the demons so afraid of you?"

He said, "Ever since I became a monk, I have been trying not to let anger rise as far as my mouth."

Bless the Beasts . . .

2009-12-08T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother asked Alonius, "What is humility?"

The hermit said, "To be lower than brute beasts and to know they are not condemned."

Control Your Hunger

2009-12-07T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother felt hungry at dawn, and struggled not to eat till nine o'clock. When nine o'clock came, he made himself wait till noon. At noon, he dipped his bread and sat down to eat, but then got up again, saying, "I will wait till three." At three o'clock he prayed, and saw the devil's work going out of him like smoke; and his hunger ceased.

Vessels of Passion

2009-12-06T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother said to Sisois, "Why do my passions not leave me?"

He said to him, "Because the vessels that fill those passions are within you. Empty them and the passions they cause will go away."

~~Vessels by Paige Russell

Cool as a Cucumber

2009-12-05T03:00:00.001-05:00

They said of one hermit that he sometimes longed to eat a cucumber. So he took one and hung it in front of him where he could see it. He was not overcome by his longing, and did not eat it, but tamed himself and repented that he had wanted it at all.

Put Your Thoughts Aside

2009-12-04T03:00:00.001-05:00

Poemen said, "If a thought about your bodily needs comes to you, and you put it aside; and then it comes again, and you put it aside, what will happen if it comes a third time? You will not notice it, and it will do you no harm."

~~Thoughts by Martine Rhyner

Take Heed in Calm Seas

2009-12-03T03:00:00.001-05:00

Syncletica said, "We have no security in this world. Paul said, 'Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall' (I Corinthians 10:12).

"We are sailing on uncharted seas, as the psalmist David said, 'Our life is like a sea.' Yet some seas have dangerous reefs, some are full of sharks, some seas are calm. It seems as if we are sailing in calm waters, while men of the world are sailing in rough weather. We are sailing in daylight, led by the sun of righteousness, while they are being driven along in the night of ignorance. Yet if often happens that worldly men, sailing in darkness and through storms, are so afraid of danger that they save the ship by calling upon God and by watchfulness, while we, in our calm waters, become careless, leave the proper course of righteousness, and are sunk."

Every Day, Every Hour

2009-12-02T03:00:00.001-05:00

Moses asked Silvanus, "Can a monk live every day as though it were the first day of his monastic life?"

Silvanus answered, "If you are truly committed to your way of life, you can live every day, every hour, as though it were the first day or hour of your monastic life."

Lend a Helping Hand

2009-12-01T03:00:00.001-05:00

Theodore of Pherme said, "If a friend of yours is tempted, give him a helping hand if you can and pull him back. But if he falls into heresy, and persists in spite of your efforts, go away quickly, cut off his friendship. For if you stay with him, you may be dragged with him into hell."

In Due Measure

2009-11-30T03:00:00.001-05:00

Evagrius said, "A wandering mind is strengthened by reading, and prayer. Passion is dampened down by hunger and work and solitude. Anger is repressed by psalmody and long-suffering and mercy. But all these should be at the proper times and in due measure. If they are not used at the wrong times and to excess, they are useful for a short time. But what is only useful for a short time, is harmful in the long run."

Serving Self

2009-11-29T03:00:00.001-05:00

Once at a feast day in Celia the brothers were eating their meal in church. But one of them said to the server, "I eat nothing cooked, only salted."

The serving monk called to another brother in front of the whole crowd, "This brother doesn't eat what is cooked, bring him the salt."

But one of the brothers stood up and said to him, "It would have been better for you to eat meat today in your cell than to have heard this said in front of many brothers."

Two Shillings

2009-11-28T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother asked a hermit, "Would you like me to keep two shillings for myself, in case I fall ill?"

The hermit, seeing that in his heart he wanted to keep them, said, "Yes."

The brother went into his cell, but he was worried, asking himself, "Did he tell me the truth or not?" He got up and went back to the hermit, bowed down and asked him, "For the Lord's sake tell me the truth, for I am worrying about these two shillings."

The hermit said to him, "I told you to keep them because I saw you intended to do so anyway. But it is not good to have more than the body needs. If you keep the two shillings, you will put your hope in them. If by chance they are lost, then God will no longer be interested in your needs. Let us cast all our care upon the Lord, for He cares for us."

An Ear of Wheat

2009-11-27T03:00:00.001-05:00

Isaac the presbyter of Celia said, "I know a brother who was harvesting and wanted to eat an ear of wheat. He said to the owner of the field, 'Will you let me eat one ear?'

When the owner heard it, he wondered, and said, 'The whole field is yours, abba, why do you ask me?'

That brother was as scrupulous as that."

Helping Hands

2009-11-26T03:00:00.001-05:00

When Chame was dying, he said to his sons, "Do not live with heretics. Do not take any notice of judges. Do not open your hands to get, but let them be stretched out to give."

Self-examen

2009-11-25T03:00:00.001-05:00

They used to say about Poemen that when he was ready to go out to the meeting for prayer, he first sat by himself for an hour in self-examination, and then went out.

~~Deep Silence by Joseph Eagle and EagleZen

Grow in the Lord

2009-11-24T03:00:00.001-05:00

Amma Syncletica said, "The same thing cannot at once be seed and a full-grown bush. So men with a worldly reputation cannot bear heavenly fruit."

Put On the Full Armor

2009-11-23T03:00:00.001-05:00

Hyperichius said, "Temptations come to us in all kinds of ways. We ought to put on the full armor, and then we shall seem to them to be expert soldiers when they attack us."

Trust in the Lord

2009-11-22T03:00:00.001-05:00

They said there was a working gardener who gave away all profit in alms, and kept for himself only enough to live on. Later on, Satan tempted him and said, "Store up a little money, as a provision to spend when you are old and infirm."

So he made a store of coins in a big pot. It happened that he fell ill, and his foot became gangrenous, and he spent all his coins on doctors, but grew no better. An experienced doctor told him, "Unless we amputate your foot, the gangrene will spread through your whole body." So they decided to amputate it.

But the night before the operation, the gardener came to his senses, and was sorry for what he had done, and groaned and wept saying, "Lord, remember my earlier good works when I worked in the garden and served the poor."

Then an angel of the Lord stood before him and said, "Where is your store of coins? Where has your trust in them gone to?

Then he understood and said, "I have sinned, Lord, forgive me, I will not do it again." Then the angel touched his foot, and it was healed at once. He got up at dawn and went to the fields to work. At the appointed time the surgeon came with his instruments to amputate the foot.

The people told him, "He went out at dawn to work in the fields." The doctor was astonished and went out to the field where he was working, and he saw him digging, and glorified God who had restored his health.

Serenity

2009-11-21T03:00:00.001-05:00

Sisois said, "Be despised; put your self-will behind your back; be free of worldly concerns, and you will have peace."

~~Serenity by Ann Self

The Sponge of the Monastery

2009-11-20T03:00:00.001-05:00

The holy bishop Basil told this story: In a certain monastery of nuns there was a girl who pretended she was mad and possessed by a devil. The others felt such contempt for her that they never ate with her, which pleased her very much.

She took herself to the kitchen and used to perform all the most menial tasks; she was, as the saying is, "the sponge of the monastery," but in fact she was fulfilling the Scriptures where it says, "If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise" (I Corinthians 3:18).

She wore a rag around her head, while all the others had their hair closely cropped and wore cowls, and she used to serve them dressed like that. Not one of the four hundred ever saw her chew in all the years of her life. She never sat down at table or ate a scrap of bread, but she wiped up with a sponge the crumbs from the tables and was satisfied with the scouring of pots.

She was never angry with anyone, nor did she grumble or chatter, either a little or much, although she was maltreated, insulted, cursed, and loathed.

Now an angel appeared to holy Piterion, the famous anchorite dwelling at Porphyrite and said to him, "Why do you think so much of yourself for being pious and dwelling in a place such as this? Do you want to see someone more pious than yourself, a woman? Go to the women's monastery at Tabennisi and there you will find one with a cloth on her head. She is better than you are. While being knocked about by many she has never let her attention turn from God. But you live here alone and let your attention wander about in cities."

So Piterion, who had never left his cell, asked those in charge to allow him to enter the monastery of women. They let him in, since he was well on in years and, moreover, had a great reputation. So he went in and insisted on seeing all of them. The woman he wanted to see did not appear.

Finally he said to them, "Bring them all to me, for the one I want to see is missing."

They said, "We have a sister in the kitchen who is touched in the head" (that is what they call the afflicted ones).

He told them, "Bring her to me. Let me see her."

They went to call her, but she did not answer, either because she had heard what was happening or because it had been revealed to her. They seized her forcibly and told her, "The holy Piterion wants to see you" (for he was famous).

When she came in he saw the rag on her head and, falling down at her feet, he said, "Bless me!"

She too fell down at his feet and said, "Bless me, my lord."

All the women were amazed at this and said, "Abba, do not let her insult you. She is touched."

Piterion then spoke to all the women, "You are the ones who are touched! This woman is an amma (which is what they call spiritual mothers) to both you and me and I pray that I may be counted as worthy as she on the Day of Judgment."

Hearing this, they fell at his feet, confessing various things, one saying how she had poured the leavings of her plate over her; another how she had beaten her with her fists; another how she had blistered her nose. So they confessed various and sundry outrages. After praying for them, he left.

After a few days she was unable to bear the praise and honor of the sisters, and all their apologizing was so burdensome to her that she left the monastery. Where she went and where she disappeared to, and how she died, nobody knows.

Deathbed Forgiveness

2009-11-19T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother who lived near a great hermit was said to enter his cell from time to time and steal the contents. Though the hermit saw him do so, he did not rebuke him, but struggled to produce more than usual, saying, "I believe that the brother is in need."

While he worked harder than usual he tightened his belt and ate less. When the hermit was on his deathbed, the brothers stood round him. He looked at the thief, and said, "Come here and touch me." He grasped his hands and kissed them, saying, "I thank these hands of yours, my brother; it is because of them that I go into the kingdom of heaven."

The thief was stricken with remorse and did penance, and he became a true monk, and followed the example of that great hermit.

Blame Yourself

2009-11-18T03:00:00.001-05:00

Theophilus of holy memory, the bishop of Alexandria, once went to the mount of Nitria, and a hermit of Nitria came to see him. The bishop said, "What have you discovered in your life, abba?"

The hermit answered, "To blame myself unceasingly."

The bishop said, "That is the only way to follow."

~~ Blame Game 3 by Donnyhood

A Shepherd of Sheep

2009-11-17T03:00:00.001-05:00

When Poemen was a young man, he once went to a hermit to ask him three questions. When he arrived at the hermit's cell he forgot one of his three questions, and went back home. He was just reaching out his hand for the key of his cell when he remembered the question which he had forgotten. He left the key lying there, and went back to the hermit.

The hermit said to him, "You have traveled fast to get here, brother."

Poemen explained, "When I was stretching out my hand for the key, I remembered the question; so I did not open my cell door, but immediately returned to you."

The distance between the cells was very great. The hermit said to him, "You live up to your name of "Poemen," which means shepherd of sheep; your name shall be famous throughout Egypt."

An Open Treasury . . .

2009-11-16T03:00:00.001-05:00

Syncletica said, "An open treasury is quickly spent; any virtue will be lost if it is published abroad and is known about everywhere. If you put wax in front of a fire it melts; and if you pour vain praises on the soul it goes soft and weak in seeking goodness."

Build a Strong Foundation

2009-11-15T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother said to a hermit, "If a monk fall to sin, he is punished like a person who has fallen from a higher state to a lower, and must work hard until he rises again. But he who comes from the world, is like a beginner advancing to a higher state."

The hermit replied, "A monk falling into temptation is like a ruined house. If he is a serious, sober person, he can rebuild this ruin. He will find the right materials for the building, and he will lay foundations, collect stone and sand, and everything else he needs, and so his building will grow rapidly higher. But the builder who did not dig foundations, and has none of the right materials, will go away just hoping that someday the house will be built.

"If the monk falls into temptation, and turns to the Lord, he has the best materials, that is, meditation on the law of God, psalmody, work with his hands, prayer, and silence, which are the foundations of his building. A newcomer will find himself low down on the ladder of religion until he has learnt all of these."

~~The Ruined House by Trey Ratcliff

God Cares for Us

2009-11-14T03:00:00.001-05:00

Someone brought a hermit who was a leper some money and said, "Take this to spend, for you are old and ill."

The hermit replied, "Are you going to take me away from Him who has fed me for sixty years? I have been ill all that time, and have needed nothing because God has fed me and given me what I need." And he would not accept the money.

~~Francis Cleans the Leper by Doug Williams

Lighten Your Burden

2009-11-13T03:00:00.001-05:00

Hyperichius said, "Keep praising God with hymns, and meditating continually, and so lighten the burden of the temptations that attack you. A traveler carrying a heavy burden stops from time to time to take deep breaths, and so makes the journey easier and the burden light."

Lay Siege to Your Soul's Enemies

2009-11-12T03:00:00.001-05:00

John the Short said, "If a king wants to take a city filled with his enemies, he first captures their food and water, and when they are starving he subdues them. So it is with gluttony. If a man is sincere about fasting and his hunger, the enemies that trouble his soul will grow weak."

~~Nazgul Siege by Mikko Kinnunen

The Hour of his Death

2009-11-11T03:00:00.001-05:00

They used to say of Pambo that in the hour of his death he said to the holy men standing round, "From the time that I came into this solitude, and built my cell and lived in it, I do not remember having eaten anything I have not worked for. I have not said anything that I regretted saying. But still I go to the Lord, as one who has not yet made a beginning in the service of God."

Purify Your Heart

2009-11-10T03:00:00.001-05:00

A brother asked Poemen about the words, "Do not render evil for evil" (I Thessalonians 5:15).

He said to him, "The passions work in four stages: first in the heart, then in the face, third in words, fourth in deeds -- and it is in deeds that it is essential not to render evil for evil. If you purify your heart, passion will not show in your expression, but if it does, take care not to speak about it; if you do speak, cut the conversation short in case you render evil for evil."

~~Pure Heart by Lisa Rough

Love One Another

2009-11-09T03:00:00.001-05:00

A hermit was asked, "How is it that some struggle in their religious life, but do not receive grace like our predecessors?"

He replied, "Because then love was the rule, and each one drew his neighbor upward. Now love is growing cold, and each of us draws his neighbor downward, and so we do not deserve grace."

Remain Patient

2009-11-08T03:00:00.001-05:00

One of the hermits said that he had heard holy men say that there are young men who show old men how to live and they told this story.

There was a drunken old hermit, who wove a mat a day, sold it in the next village, and drank as much as he could buy with the money. Then a young monk came to live with him, and he also wove a mat a day.

The old hermit took this mat as well, sold it, bought the wine with the price of both, and brought back to the monk only a little bread for the evening meal. This went on for three years and the brother said nothing.

At the end of three years the monk said to himself, "I have very little bread here and nothing else, I will go away." But then he had second thoughts, and said to himself, "Where can I go? I will stay here, and for God's sake continue with this communal life."

Immediately an angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said, "Don't go away, we shall come for you tomorrow."

That day the monk begged the old hermit, "Don't go out, today they will come to take me away."

At the the time when the old hermit usually went out to the village, he said to the monk, "They won't come today, my son, it's late already."

The monk used every argument to show that they would come and even while he was talking, he died in peace.

The old hermit wept, and said, "I'm filled with grief, my son; I have lived negligently for so many years, and you through patience have saved your soul in so short a time." Thereafter the old hermit became sober and serious.

~~Patience by Karina Gherbst

Nodding Off

2009-11-07T03:00:00.001-05:00

Cassian told a story of a hermit who was living in the desert. He asked God to grant that he should never fall asleep when the conversation was edifying but that if anyone spoke with back-biting or hate, he should nod off at once so that he would not hear poisonous words.

He said that the devil strives hard to make men speak idle words, and fights against letting anyone hear any spiritual teaching.

He gave the following example of this: Once when I was talking to some brothers for the good of their souls they became so drowsy that they could not even keep their eyelids open. I wanted to show them that this is the devil's work, so I started gossiping: and at once they sat up and began to enjoy what I was saying.

But I said, sadly, "We were talking of heaven just now, and your eyes were closing in slumber: but the moment the talk became frivolous, you all began to listen eagerly. I beg you then, dear brothers, since you know that this is the work of the devil, be watchful and beware of falling asleep when you are hearing about spiritual things."

Self-humiliation

2009-11-06T03:00:00.001-05:00

Once a magistrate came to see Simon and the clergy who went on ahead said to him, "Abba, get ready, for the judge has heard of you and is coming to be blessed by you."

So, Simon covered himself with sackcloth and took bread and cheese in his hand, and sat down in his doorway and began to eat it.

The magistrate arrived with his retinue. When they saw Simon they despised him and said, "Is this the hermit about whom we heard such great things?" They turned around and went straight home.

Faith

2009-11-05T03:00:00.002-05:00

Some Greeks once came to give alms in the city of Ostrancinus: and they asked the stewards of the church to show them who was in the most need. The stewards led them to a leper to whom they offered money.

But he did not want it, and said, "Look here, I have a few palm leaves to work, and I plait them, and so I get enough to eat."

Then the stewards took them to the house of a widow who lived with her daughters. When they knocked on the door, one of the daughters ran to open it although she was naked. Her mother had gone out to work as a laundress. They offered the daughter clothing and money.

But she refused to accept it, and said that her mother had told her, "Trust in God's will. Today I have found work to supply us with enough to live on."

When the mother came back, they asked her to accept alms but she refused and said, "I have my God to care for me. Do you want to take him away from me now?"

They realized her faith, and glorified God.

Face the Wind

2009-11-04T03:00:00.000-05:00

Amma Syncletica said, "Those in the world who commit crimes are thrown into prison against their will. For our sins, let us put ourselves under guard, and by willingly accepting it now we shall avoid punishment in the future.

"If you fast, you should beware of thinking that it is by weakening your body that you have fallen ill, for people who do not fast fall ill in the same way.

"If you have begun some good work, you should not be turned from it by the enemy's attempts to hinder you, indeed your endurance will overthrow the enemy.

"Sailors beginning a voyage set the sails and look for a favorable wind, and later they meet a contrary wind. Just because the wind has turned, they do not throw the cargo overboard or abandon ship; they wait a while and struggle against the storm until they can set a direct course again.

"When we run into headwinds, let us put up the cross for our sail, and we shall voyage through the world in safety."

Night Watch

2009-11-03T03:00:00.001-05:00

Theodore said, "The monk's body grows weak if he only eats a little bread." But someone else said, "It grows weaker still if he keeps watch at night."

Obey God's Word

2009-11-02T03:00:00.001-05:00

The brothers went to Felix, who had with him some secular visitors, and they asked him to give them a word. But he said nothing. When they went on asking, he said to them, "Do you want to hear a word?"

They replied, "Yes, abba."

So he said, "I have no word for you now. When an elder is asked to speak, and the brothers do what he tells them, God gives the elder something to say. But now there are brothers who ask for a word, but do not obey the word they hear and then God takes away His grace from the elder, and he has nothing to say, for He who gives it is not there."

When the brothers heard this, they groaned and said, "Pray for us, abba."

~~Message Sent Pray For Us by Michael Bacol

Murky Water

2009-11-01T03:00:00.001-05:00

This story was told: There were three friends, serious men, who became monks. One of them chose to make peace between men who were at odds, as it is written, "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9).

The second chose to visit the sick. The third chose to go away to be quiet in solitude.

Now the first, toiling among contentions, was not able to settle all quarrels and, overcome with weariness, he went to him who tended the sick, and found him failing in spirit and unable to carry out his purpose. So the two went away to see him who had withdrawn into the desert, and they told him their troubles. They asked him to tell them how he himself had fared.

He was silent for awhile, and then poured water into a vessel and said, "Look at the water," and it was murky. After a little while he said again, "See now, how clear the water has become."

As they looked into the water they saw their own faces, as in a mirror. Then he said to them, "So it is with anyone who lives in a crowd; because of the turbulence, he does not see his sins: but when he has been quiet, above al in solitude, then he recognizes his own faults."

God Within Us

2009-10-31T03:00:00.001-04:00

A hermit said, "We suffer temptation because we are careless. If we always remember that God dwells in us, we shall never bring into ourselves anything that is not his. The Lord Christ is in us and with us, and watches our life. Because we have Him within us and contemplate Him, we ought not to be idle; we should make ourselves holy as He is holy. If we stand upon a rock, the power of the wicked one will be broken. Do not be afraid of him, and he can do nothing against you. Pray with courage this psalm, 'They that trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion; they that dwell in Jerusalem shall stand fast for ever' (Psalm 125:1).

Always Look Upwards

2009-10-30T03:00:00.001-04:00

When Macarius was living in the outer desert he was the only one who lived as a solitary, but lower down there was another desert where several brothers lived. One day, he glanced down the road and saw Satan coming along looking like a man, who passed by Macarius' dwelling. He seemed to be wearing a cotton garment full of holes and a small flask hung at each hole. Macarius said to him, "Hey, mister, where are you off to?"

He said, "I'm going to stir up the memories of the monks."

Macarius said, "What are these small flasks for?"

He replied, "I'm taking food for the brethren to taste."

The hermit said, "So many kinds?"

He replied, "Yes, if a brother doesn't like one sort of food, I offer him another, and if he doesn't like the second any better, I offer him a third; and of all these varieties he'll like one at least."

With these words he went on; Macarius remained watching the road until he saw him coming back again. When he saw the devil, he said to him, "Good health to you."

The other replied, "How can I be in good health?"

The hermit asked him what he mean, and he replied, "Because they all opposed me, and no one received me."

Macarius said, "Ah, so you didn't find any friends down there?"

He replied, "Yes, I have one monk who is a friend down there. He at least obeys me and when he sees me he changes like the wind." The hermit asked him the name of this monk: "Theopemptus," he replied, and with these words he went away.

Then Macarius got up and went to the desert below his own. When they heard of it the brothers took branches of palm to go meet him. Each one got ready, thinking that it was to him the hermit was coming. But he asked which was the one called Theopemptus, and when he had found out, it was to his cell he went. Theopemptus received him with joy.

When he was alone with him Macarius asked him, "How are you getting on?"

Theopemptus replied, "Thanks to your prayers, all goes well."

The hermit asked him, "Don't your thoughts war against you?"

He replied, "Up to now, it's all right," for he was afraid to admit anything.

Macarius said to him, "Well, after so many years living as an ascetic, and being praised by all, though I am old, the spirit of fornication troubles me."

Theopemptus said, "As a matter of fact, abba, it is the same for me."

Macarius went on admitting that other thoughts still warred against him, until he had brought him to admit them about himself. Then Macarius said, "How long do you fast?"

He replied, "Till the ninth hour."

"Practice fasting till a little later," Macarius said. "Meditate on the Gospel and the other Scriptures; if a bad thought comes to you, don't look at it but always look upwards, and the Lord will come at once to your help." When he had given the brother this rule, Macarius returned to his solitude

He was watching the road once more when he saw the devil, and said to him, "Where are you going this time?"

The devil replied, "To stir up the memories of the brothers," and went on his way.

When he came back the saint asked him, "How are the brothers?"

He told him that it had gone badly and Macarius asked him why. He replied, "They are all obdurate, and the worst is the one friend I had who used to obey me. I don't know what has changed him, but he doesn't obey me anymore; he's become the most stubborn of them all. So I have decided not to go down there again or at least not for a very long time."

When he had said this he went away and Macarius returned to his cell adoring and thanking God the Savior.

~~Saint Macarius

The Blood of the Brother

2009-10-29T03:00:00.001-04:00

They said that a hermit in Scetis who was ill wanted to eat a little fresh bread. One of the experienced monks heard of it: and he took his cloak, put stale bread into it, went to Egypt, changed the stale bread for fresh, and brought the fresh bread back to the sick hermit.

When the brothers saw the fresh bread, they were astonished. The hermit did not want to eat it and said, "It is the blood of the brother."

The others begged him to eat it, saying, "For God's sake eat it, so that his sacrifice is not in vain."

So he ate it.

Good Conduct

2009-10-28T03:00:00.001-04:00

A hermit, who had an experienced disciple, once turned him out in a fit of irritation. The disciple sat down outside to wait and the hermit found him there when he opened the door. So he did penance to him, saying, "You are my abba now, because your humility and patience have overcome my weakness. Come inside, now you are the old abba, and I am the young disciple; my age must give way to your conduct."

Stamp on Self

2009-10-27T03:00:00.001-04:00

Moses said to brother Zacharias, "Tell me what to do."

At those words Zacharias threw himself at his feet, saying, "Why ask me, abba?"

The hermit said, "I tell you, my son Zacharias, I saw the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and so I cannot avoid asking you."

Then Zacharias took his cowl from his head, and put it beneath his feet and stamped on it, and said, "Unless a man stamps upon self like that, he cannot be a monk."

~~Descent of the Holy Spirit by Christopher Smith

Sing to the Lord!

2009-10-26T03:00:00.001-04:00

Isidore, the priest in Scetis said, "When I was young and stayed in my cell, I set no limit to the number of psalms which I said in the service of God. Night and day alike were spent in psalmody."

A Lean or Prosperous Soul?

2009-10-25T03:00:00.001-04:00

Daniel said, "If the body is strong, the soul weakens. If the body weakens, the soul is strong."

He also said, "If the body is prosperous, the soul grows lean; if the body is lean, the soul grows prosperous."

More Costly Than Gold

2009-10-24T03:00:00.001-04:00

A great man came from a distance to Scetis carrying gold, and he asked the presbyter of the desert to distribute it among the brothers.

But the presbyter said to him, "The brothers do not need it."

But he was very pressing, and would not give way, and put a basket of money on the church porch. So the presbyter said, "Whoever is in need may take money from here."

No one touched it, some did not even look at it. The presbyter said, "God has accepted your offering to him. Go away and give it to the poor."

He went away much edified.

Seek Patience

2009-10-23T03:00:00.001-04:00

Once the disciple of a great hermit was struggling with temptation. When the hermit saw him struggling, he said, "Shall I ask the Lord to release you from your trouble?"

But he said, "Abba, I see that although it is a painful struggle I am profiting from having to carry this burden. But ask God in your prayers, that he will give me enough patience to endure it."

Then his abba said to him, "Now I know that you are far advanced, my son, and beyond me."

Can You Bear The Torment?

2009-10-22T03:00:00.001-04:00

Once Zeno was walking in Palestine; and when he had finished his work, he sat down to eat near a cucumber plant. His thoughts tried to persuade him, saying, "Pick one of those cucumbers for yourself, and eat it. What does it matter?"

He replied to his temptation, "Thieves go down to torment. Test yourself then to see whether you can bear the torment."

So he stood in the sun for five days, without drinking, and he was dried up by the heat. His thoughts, as it were, spoke to him saying, "We can't bear such torment."

So he said to himself, "If you can't bear torment, do not steal in order to eat."

Three Parts

2009-10-21T03:00:00.001-04:00

Poemen said, "Poverty, suffering and wise discernment are the three parts of a hermit's life. It is written that there were these three, Noah, Job and Daniel. Noah is the type of those who own nothing, Job of those who are suffering, Daniel of those who judge wisely. Where there are these three qualities, there God dwells."

~~Job I by Oldrich Kulhanek

Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself

2009-10-20T03:00:00.001-04:00

It was said that a monk who made baskets was putting handles on them, when he heard another monk saying nearby, "What shall I do? The trader is coming soon and I haven't got any handles to put on my baskets."

So he took off the handles he had put on his own baskets, and took them to the nearby monk, and said, "I don't need these; take them and put them on your baskets." He helped the brother to finish his baskets, but left his own unfinished.

Trust in God's Grace

2009-10-19T03:00:00.001-04:00

There was a story that some philosophers once came to test the monks. One of the monks came by dressed in a fine robe. The philosophers said to him, "Come here, you." But he was indignant, and insulted them.

Then another monk came by, a good person, a Libyan by race. They said to him, "Come here, you wicked old monk." He came to them at once, and they began to hit him, and he turned the other cheek to them.

Then the philosophers got up and did homage to him, saying, "Here is a monk, indeed." They made him sit down among them and asked him, "What do you do in this desert other than we do? You fast: and we fast also. You chastise your bodies and so do we. Whatever you do, we do the same."

The monk replied, "We trust in God's grace, and keep a watch on our thoughts."

They said, "That is what we cannot do." They were edified, and let him go.

Turn The Other Cheek

2009-10-18T03:00:00.001-04:00

Daniel said that in Babylon there was a nobleman's daughter, who was possessed by a devil. Her father asked a monk for help. The monk said to him, "No one can cure your daughter except some hermits I know: and if you go to them, they will refuse to do it from motives of humility. Let us do it this way: when they come to the city bringing their produce for sale, tell them that you want to buy what they have. When they come into the house to receive the money, we will ask them to pray, and I believe that your daughter will be cured."

So they went into the street, and they found a disciple of a hermit who was sitting there trying to sell his baskets. They took him back with them to the house, as if to give him money for his wares. When the monk came into the house, the girl who was troubled with the demon went up to him and slapped him. He followed the Lord's commandment and turned the other cheek.

The demon was forced out, and began to cry: "Violence! The commandment of Jesus Christ is driving me out;" the girl was healed at that moment.

When they came back to the hermit, they told him what had happened, and he glorified God saying, "The pride of devils must fall before humble obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ.

Blessed Are The Meek

2009-10-17T03:00:00.001-04:00

A brother from Scetis was going to harvest: and he went to one of the great hermits and said, "Tell me, abba, what am I to do, while I am harvesting?"

The hermit said, "If I tell you, you will do as I say?"

The brother answered, "Yes, I will obey you."

He said, "If you do what I say, you will give up your harvesting: and come here, and I will tell you what to do." So the brother abandoned his harvesting, and came to the hermit who said, "Go into your cell and stay there fifty days without a break. Eat bread and salt once a day. At the end of that time I will tell you what to do next."

He did so, and came back to the hermit. The hermit realized he was in earnest and told him how he ought to live in his cell. The brother went into his cell, and for three days and nights, he lay prone upon the ground in penitence before God.

Then the thought came into his mind, "You are very good, you are a great man," but he took control of his thoughts, and in humility called his sins to mind, saying, "What about all the sins I have committed?"

If the thought rose in his mind that he had neglected the commandments of God, he said to himself, "I will offer God a little service, and I believe he will have mercy upon me."

So he conquered the demons that sent him wicked thoughts: and they appeared before him in a visible form, and said, "You are making us angry."

He said to them, "Why?"

They said, "If we praise you, you are quick to be humble; if we humble you, you rise up on high."

Man Does Not Live By Bread Alone

2009-10-16T03:00:00.001-04:00

A hermit lived a common life with another brother, who was a man with a merciful heart. Once, in a time of famine, people came to his door to take part in a love-feast, and he gave bread to everyone who came.

When his brother saw this, he said, "Give me my share of the bread, and do what you like with your share." So, he divided the bread into two, and went on giving away his own share as usual.

Crowds flocked to the hermit, hearing that he gave to all comers. God, seeing what he did, blessed that bread. But the brother who had taken his share, gave none away, and when he had eaten all his bread he said to the other hermit, "I've only got a bit of bread left, abba; let me come back and live with you."

The hermit said to him, "Certainly, whatever you like." So they began to live together again and to have everything in common. Again, they had plenty of food, and again the needy kept coming to receive a love-feast.

One day the brother happened to go in and he noticed that there was no bread left. A poor man came, asking for alms. So the hermit said to the brother, "Give him some bread."

He said, "There isn't any left, abba."

The hermit said, "Go and have a look for some."

The brother went in and saw the bin full of loaves. He was afraid at the sight, and took some and gave them to the poor man. He recognized the faith and goodness of the hermit, and glorified God.

Lord Have Mercy On Me, A Sinner!

2009-10-15T03:00:00.001-04:00

It was said that a hermit was working earnestly in his cell, wrapped up in his mat. He went to visit Ammon, who saw him using his mat like this, and said to him, "That is not a good idea."

The hermit said, "Three thoughts trouble me. The first is that I ought to go and live somewhere else in the desert; the second is that I should go out and find a foreign country where no one knows me; the third is that I should shut myself in my cell, see no one, and eat every other day."

Ammon said to him, "None of these three would be any use to you. Stay in your cell, eat a little every day, always keep in your heart the words of the publican in the Gospel, and you can be saved (Luke 18:13)."

~~The Pharisee and the Publican by Christian Dare

Speak Simply

2009-10-14T03:00:00.001-04:00

Ammon (of the place called Raithu) brought this question to Sisois: "When I read Scripture, I am tempted to make elaborate commentaries and prepare myself to answer questions on it."

He replied, "You don't need to do that. It is better to speak simply, with a good conscience and a pure mind."

~~Photo by Dean Koenig

Let Self-Discipline Test Your Soul

2009-10-13T03:00:00.001-04:00

Syncletica said, "When the devil does not use the goad of poverty to tempt us, he uses wealth for the same purpose. When he cannot win by scorn and mockery, he tries praise and flattery. If he cannot win by giving health, he tries illness. If he cannot win by comfort, he tries to ruin the soul by vexations that lead us to act against our monastic vows.

"He inflicts severe sicknesses on people he wants to tempt and so makes them weak, and thereby shakes the love they feel towards God. But although the body is shattered and running a high temperature and thirsting unbearably, yet you, who endure all this, are a sinner; you should therefore remember the punishments of the next world, the everlasting fire, the torments of judgment.

"Then you will not fail in the sufferings of this present time, indeed you should rejoice because God has visited you. Keep saying the famous text: 'The Lord hath chastened and corrected me: but he hath not given me over unto death' (Psalm 118:18).

"Iron is cleaned of rust by fire. If you are righteous and suffer, you grow to a higher sanctity. Gold is tested by fire. When a messenger from Satan is given to you to be a thorn in your flesh, lift up your heart, from fever and cold, remember the text of Scripture, 'We went through fire and water,' and 'thou broughtest us out into a place of rest' (Psalm 66:12).

"If you have overcome suffering, you may expect rest, provided you are following what is good. Cry aloud the prophet's words, 'I am poor and destitute and in misery' (Psalm 66:29).

"Threefold suffering like this shall make you perfect. He said also, 'Thou hast set me at liberty when I was in trouble' (Psalm 4:1).

"So let this kind of self-discipline test our souls, for our enemy is always in sight."

A Twofold Problem

2009-10-12T03:00:00.001-04:00

Someone asked a hermit to accept money for his future needs but he refused, because the produce of his labor was enough for him. When the giver persisted, and begged him to take it for the needs of the poor, he replied, "If I did that my disgrace would be twofold. I do not need it, yet I would have accepted it: and when I gave it to others, I would suffer from vanity."

Sniffing Temptation

2009-10-11T03:00:00.001-04:00

On the spirit of temptation, a hermit said, "You should be like a man walking along the street past an inn, and sniffing the smell of meat frying or roasting. Anyone who likes goes in and eats. People who do not want it, pass by and only sniff the smell.

"So you ought to put the smell away from you; get up and pray, 'Lord, Son of God, help me.' Do this against all temptations. We cannot make temptations vanish, but we can struggle against them."

At once a light appeared in his heart.

~~An Old Inn Kitchen, 1922, by Frederick William Elwell (1870-1958)

Hopelessly Devoted

2009-10-10T03:00:00.001-04:00

They said of Helladius that he lived twenty years in his cell, and did not once raise his eyes to look at the roof.

The Faith of Daniel

2009-10-09T03:00:00.001-04:00

A brother asked Poemen, "How ought we to live?"

Poemen replied, "We have seen the example of Daniel. They accused him of nothing except that he served his God."

~~Daniel and the Lions' Den by Peter Paul Rubens

A Martyr's Crown

2009-10-08T03:00:00.001-04:00

One day when the brothers were sitting near him, Macarius said to them, "Look, the barbarians are coming to Scetis today; get up and flee."

They said to him, "Abba, won't you flee too?"

He said to them, "I've been waiting for many years for this day when the word of Christ will be fulfilled, 'They who take the sword shall perish by the sword' (Matthew 26:52)."

They said to him, "We will not flee either, we will die with you."

He replied, "That's nothing to do with me; let each one decide for himself if he will stay or flee."

There were seven brothers there and he said to them, "Look, the barbarians are nearly at the door," and they came in and slew them. But one of them fled and hid under a pile of rope and he saw crowns coming and crowning each of them.

Patience

2009-10-07T03:00:00.001-04:00

It is said that a hermit had a little boy living with him. Seeing him doing something that was not fitting, he said, "Don't do that," but the child did not obey him. Seeing that he was disobedient, the hermit washed his hands of his upbringing, and let him do as he liked.

For three days the boy kept the door of the room which had food in it shut and let the hermit go without anything to eat. The hermit did not say, "Where are you?" or "What are you doing out there?"

A neighbor of the hermit noticed that the boy was late in bringing food so he made a little stew, and passed it to the hermit through a hole in the wall of the cell. and asked him to eat. He said to the hermit, "Why is that disciple of yours so long away?"

The hermit said, "When he has leisure, he will come back."

~~Photo by Victoria Logue

Humility

2009-10-06T03:00:00.001-04:00

Serapion said, "I have afflicted my body far more than my son Zacharias, but I cannot equal his humility or his silence."

103 Prayers

2009-10-05T03:00:00.001-04:00

The brothers told this story: We once visited some hermits, and after the usual prayer we exchanged greetings and sat down. After we had talked with them, we got ready to go, and asked once again for prayers to be said.

But one of the hermits said to us, "What, haven't you prayed already?"

We said, "Yes, abba, when we came in,we prayed, and since then we have been talking."

He said, "I may be wrong, brothers; but one of you, while he was sitting and talking with you, offered a hundred and three prayers."

With these words he prayed, and sent us away.

Patience on Both Sides

2009-10-04T03:00:00.001-04:00

There was a hermit in Scetis who lived in a satisfactory way, but he was not good at remembering what he heard. So he went to John the Short to ask him about his forgetfulness. He listened to John, went back to his cell and forgot what he had been told. He came a second time and asked him the same question, listened, went back, and forgot what he had heard the moment he reached his cell. Many times he went backwards and forwards, but could never remember.

He happened to meet John and said, "Do you know, abba, I've forgotten all you told me? I didn't want to disturb you, so I didn't come again."

John said to him, "Go and light a lamp," and he lit it. John said, "Bring more lamps and light them from the first," and he did so. John said to him, "Was the first lamp harmed, because you used it to light the others?"

He said, "No."

"In the same way," John replied, "I would not be harmed. If all the monks of Scetis should come to me, it would not keep me from God's love. So come to me whenever you want, and don't hesitate."

So, by patience on both sides, God cured the forgetfulness of the hermit. This was the work of the hermits of Scetis, to strengthen those who were attacked; their experience in conflict with themselves meant that they were able to help others along the way.

Bad Reputation

2009-10-03T03:00:00.001-04:00

Three monks came to Achillas, and one of them had a bad reputation. The first monk said, "Abba. make me a fishing net."

He said, "I won't."

The second said to him, "Will you give us a memento of yourself to keep in our community?"

He answered, "I don't have time."

Then the third, the one who had the bad reputation, said to him, "Make me a fishing-net, and so I shall have a blessing from your hands, abba."

At once he answered, "I will do that."

But the first two, whose requests he had refused, said privately to him, "Why did you refuse our requests and consent to his?"

Achillas answered, "I could tell you that I would not do it because I had no time, and you would not be vexed. But if I did not do it for this monk, he would say, 'The hermit has heard my reputation and for that reason has refused to make me a net.' So immediately I set to work with the string, to soothe his soul and prevent him from being sad."

Where There is Work There is Rest

2009-10-02T03:00:00.002-04:00

Poemen said this: Isidore, the presbyter in Scetis, once spoke to a group of monks and said, "My brothers, isn't work the reason we are here? But now I see that no work is done here. So, I will take my cloak and go where there is work and so I shall find rest."

Stand and be Strong

2009-10-01T03:00:00.001-04:00

A hermit said about temptation: "Do you want to be saved? Go, and discipline yourself, 'Seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you' (Matthew 7:7).

In the world there are boxers who are hit hard and yet stand firm and receive crowns. Sometimes one is set upon by two at once, and their blows give him strength so that he overcomes them. Have you not seen what strength exercise brings? So, stand and be strong and the Lord will defeat your enemy for you."

All the World's a Stage

2009-09-30T03:00:00.001-04:00

Athanasius of holy memory asked Pambo to come down from the desert to Alexandria. When Pambo arrived, he saw a woman that was an actress, and he wept.

The bystanders asked him why he wept.

He said, "Two things grieved me. The first was her condemnation; the second, that I take less trouble pleasing God than she takes about pleasing the worst of mankind."

The Solitary Life

2009-09-29T03:00:00.001-04:00

Matrona said, "Many solitaries living in the desert have been lost because they lived like people in the world. It is better to live in a crowd and want to live a solitary life than to live in solitude and be longing all the time for company.

Three Works of the Soul

2009-09-28T03:00:00.001-04:00

Poemen said, "To be on guard, to meditate within, to judge with discernment: these are the three works of the soul."

~~Neshema/Soul by Jeffrey Schrier

A Multitude of Angels

2009-09-27T03:00:00.001-04:00

It happened that Moses, who lived in Petra, was struggling with the temptation to fornication. Unable stay any longer in the cell, he went and told Isidore about it. He advised him to return to his cell. But he refused, saying, "Abba, I cannot."

Then Isidore took Moses out onto the terrace and said to him, "Look towards the west."

He looked and saw hordes of demons standing about and making a noise before launching an attack.

Then Isidore said to him, "Look towards the east."

He turned and saw an innumerable multitude of holy angels shining with glory. Isidore said, "See, these are sent by the Lord to the saints to bring them help, while those in the west fight against them. Those who are with us are more in number than they are against us" (cf. Kings 6:16).

So Moses gave thanks to God, plucked up courage and returned to his cell.

For God's Sake

2009-09-26T03:00:00.001-04:00

Paphnutius is said to have seldom drunk wine but once on a journey he came upon a meeting place of robbers while they were drinking. The chief of the robber band recognized him and knew that he would no drink wine, but he saw that he was tired out.

So, he filled a cup with wine, held a naked sword in his other hand, and said, "If you don't drink, I'll kill you."

Paphnutius knew that the robber chieftain was trying to obey the commandment of God: and in his desire to help him, he took the cup and drank.

Then the robber chief did penance before him, and said, "I'm sorry, abba, that I grieved you."

The hermit said to him, "I believe that because of this cup my God will have mercy upon you in this world and the next."

The robber chieftain replied, "I believe in God and from now on I'll harm no one."

The hermit won over the whole band of robbers, because for God's sake he let himself fall into their power.

Bearing Temptation

2009-09-25T03:00:00.002-04:00

Some brothers came to a holy hermit who lived in the desert and outside the hermitage they found a boy tending the sheep and using uncouth words.

After they had told the hermits their thoughts and profited from his reply, they said, "Abba, why do you allow those boys to be here, and why don't you order them to stop hurling abuse at each other?"

He said, "Indeed, my brothers, there are days when I want to order them to stop it, but I hold myself back, saying, if I can't put up with this little thing, how shall I put up with serious temptation, if God ever lets me be so tempted? So, I say nothing to them, and try to get into the habit of bearing whatever happens."

~~Young shepherds with their flock by Robert Eberle.

Devotion

2009-09-24T03:00:00.001-04:00

Once Epiphanius the bishop from Cyprus sent a message to Hilarion, and asked him, "Come, let me see you before I die."

When they had met and greeted each other, part of a chicken was set before them. The bishop took it and gave it to Hilarion. The hermit said to him, "No, thank you, abba. From the time I took the habit, I have not eaten anything that has been killed."

Epiphanius said to him, "From the time I took the habit, I have let no one go to sleep who still had something against me, and I have never gone to sleep with an enemy in the world."

Hilarion said to him, "I beg your pardon. Your devotion is greater than mine."

~~Devotion II by Poon Tai To