Mister Sandman

In Scetis a brother was once found guilty. They assembled the brothers, and sent a message to Moses telling him to come. But he would not come. Then the presbyter sent again, saying, "Come, for the gathering of monks is waiting for you."

Moses got up and went . He took with him an old basket, which he filled with sand and carried on his back. They went to meet him and said, "What does this mean, abba?"

He said, "My sins run out behind me and I do not see them and I have come here today to judge another."

They listened to him and said no more to the brother who had sinned but forgave him."

~~From the oil-painting, The Sandman, by Maxfield Parrish, owned by Michael M. Van Beuren.

Whitewashed Tomb

Archbishop John had a disciple named Eulogius. Eulogius was a presbyter and he used to fast for two days at a time, and sometimes ate nothing but bread and salt for a whole week, so he had a great reputation.

He went to see Joseph at Panephysis because he believed he would find more demanding discipline under him. Joseph welcomed him, and of his charity made ready what he had for them to eat. But the disciples of Eulogius said, "The presbyter only eats bread and salt."

Joseph began to eat without comment. The visitors spent three days in silence, and they did not even hear the sound of psalms or prayers, for the disciples of Joseph were saying the office in private.

Finally, Eulogius and his disciples went away, not edified. But, by the providence of God, a mist came over the plain and they wandered in circles and by mistake they came back to Joseph's cell. Before they knocked on the door, they heard the singing of psalms going on inside and they waited a long time outside listening.

Then they knocked on the door, and Joseph welcomed them again. Eulogius was thirsty and his disciples picked up a jug of water and gave it to him to drink. But the jug contained salt water mixed with fresh water and he could not drink it. When Eulogius had thought about this he began to ask Joseph to show him his way of life, saying, "How is it, abba, that at first you didn't sing any psalms but began after we had gone away? And why was the water salt when I tried to drink it?"

Joseph replied, "My disciple is away at work and I made a mistake and put salt in the water jug."

But Eulogius went on asking him, wanting to know the truth. So Joseph told him the truth, "That little cup is for the wine that we use in charity when we have guests. This is for the water that the brethren drink every day."

With these words, he taught him to have discretion, and cleansed him from merely human motivation. So Eulogius became like other people, and in future ate what was put before him. He learnt to be severe only in secret, and said to Joseph, "Indeed your work is a work of love."

Fortitude

A hermit who was anxious went to Theodore of Pherme and told him all about it.

Theodore said to him, "Humble yourself, put yourself in subjection, go live with others."

So the hermit went to a mountain, and there lived with a community. Later, he returned to Theodore and said, "Not even when I lived with other men did I find rest."

Theodore replied, "If you're not at rest as a hermit, nor when you're in a community, why did you want to be a monk? Wasn't it in order to suffer? Tell me, how many years have you been a monk?"

He said, "Eight."

Theodore said, "Believe me, I've been a monk for seventy years, and I've not been able to get a single day's peace. Do you expect to have peace after only eight years?"

Let Us Go Hence

They told this story about Agatho. He and his disciples spent a long time building his cell. When they finished it he lived in it, but in the first week he saw a vision which seemed harmful to him. So he said to his disciples what the Lord said to his apostles, "Rise, let us go hence" (John 14:31).

But the disciples were exasperated and said, "If you meant the whole time to move from here, why did we have to work so hard and spend so long in building you a cell? People will begin to be shocked by us and say: 'Look they are moving again, they are restless and never settle.'"

When Agatho saw that they were afraid of what people would say, he said, "Although some may be shocked, there are others who will be edified and say, 'Blessed are they, for they have moved their abode for God's sake, and left all their property freely.' Whoever wants to come with me, let him come; I am going anyway."

They bowed down on the ground before him, and begged to be allowed to go with him.

Bruised Reed

There once was a brother who was very eager to seek goodness. Being very disturbed by the demon of lust, he came to a hermit and told him about his thoughts. The hermit was inexperienced and when he heard all this, he was shocked, and said he was a wicked brother, unworthy of his monk's habit because he had thoughts like that.

When the brother heard this, he despaired, left his cell and started on his way back to the world. But, by God's providence, Apollo met him. Seeing he was so upset and sad, he said to him, "Son, why are you so unhappy?"

The brother was very embarrassed, and at first said nothing. But when Apollo pressed him to say what was happening to him, he admitted everything and said, "It is because lustful thoughts trouble me. I confessed them to that hermit, and he says I now have no hope of salvation. So I have despaired, and am on my way back to the world."

When Apollo heard this, he went on asking questions like a wise doctor, and gave him this counsel, "Do not be cast down, son, nor despair of yourself. Even at my age and with my experience and with my experience of the spiritual life, I am still troubled with thoughts like yours. Do not fail now; this trouble cannot be cured with our efforts, but only by God's mercy. Do as I say and go back to your cell."

The brother did so. Then Apollo went to the cell of the hermit who had made the brother despair. He stood outside the cell, and prayed to the Lord with tears, saying "Lord, you permit men to be tempted for their good; transfer the war that brother is suffering to this hermit: let him learn by experience in his old age what many years have not taught him, and so let him find out how to sympathize with people undergoing this kind of temptation."

As soon as he ended his prayer, he saw a man standing by the cell firing arrows at the hermit. As though he had been wounded, the hermit began to totter and lurch like a drunken man. When he could bear it no longer, he came out of his cell, and set out on the same road by which the young man had started to return to the world.

Apollo understood what had happened, and went to meet him. He came up to him and said, "Where are you going? Why are you so upset?"

When the hermit saw that the holy Apollo understood what had happened, he was ashamed and said nothing.

Apollo said to him, "Go back to your cell and see in others your own weakness and keep your own heart in order. For either you were ignorant of the devil in spite of your age, or you were contemptuous, and did not deserve to gain strength by struggling with the devil as all other men must. But struggle is not the right word, when you could not stand up to his attack for one day. This has happened to you because of the young monk. He came to you because he was being attacked by the common enemy of us all. You ought to have given him words of consolation to help him against the devil's attack but instead you drove him to despair. You did not remember the wise man's saying, which orders us to deliver the men who are drawn towards death, and not to cease to redeem men ready to be killed. You did not remember our Savior's parable, 'You should not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax' (Matthew 12:20). No one can endure the enemy's clever attacks, nor quench, nor control the leaping fire natural to the body, unless God's grace preserves us in our weakness. In all our prayers we should ask for His mercy to save us, so that he may turn aside this scourge which is aimed even at you. For he makes a man to grieve, then lifts him up to salvation he strikes, and his hand heals; he humbles and exalts; he gives death and then life; he leads to hell and brings back from hell (I Samuel 2:6).

So Apollo prayed again, and at once the hermit was set free from his inner war. Apollo urged him to ask God to give him a wise heart, in order to know how best to speak.

~~Watercolor, Reed Reflections, by Jean Accola

Sharing

Daniel said of Aresenius, "All the years he lived near us, we gave him the minimum amount of food to last each year, and every time we went to visit him, he shared it with us."

~~photo by Frank Logue

Judgment Day

Elias said, "I fear three things: the first, the time before my soul leaves my body; the second, the time before I meet God face to face; the third, the time before he pronounces his sentence upon me."

~~Painting of Christ at Judgment Day from the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.