Inner Light Productions

ABBA POEMEN - Of What Does the 'Spiritual Search' Consist?

2012-05-30T01:00:00.001-05:00

Today's selection is from Abba Poemen:

BEGIN: A brother from Abba Poemen's neighborhood left to go to another country one day. There he met an anchorite. The latter was very charitable and many came to see him. The brother told him about Abba Poemen. When he heard of his virtue, the anchorite wanted to see him. Some times afterwards when the brother had returned to Egypt the anchorite went there to see the brother who had formerly paid him a visit. He had told him where he lived.

When he saw him, the brother was astonished and very pleased. The anchorite said to him, "Please, will you be so kind as to take me to Abba Poemen?" So he brought him to the old man and presented him, saying, "This is a great man, full of charity, who is held in high estimation in his district. I have spoken to him about you, and he has come because he wants to see you." So Abba Poemen received him with joy. They greeted one another and sat down.

The visitor began to speak of the Scriptures, of spiritual and of heavenly things. But Abba Poemen turned his face away and answered nothing. Seeing that he did not speak to him, the other went away deeply grieved and said to the brother who had brought him, "I have made this long journey in vain. For I have come to see the old man, and he does not wish to speak to me."

Then the brother went inside to Abba Poemen and said to him, "Abba, this great man who has so great a reputation in his own country has come here because of you. Why did you not speak to him?" The old man said, "He is great and speaks of heavenly things and I am lowly and speak of earthly things. If he had spoken of the passions of the soul, I should have replied, but he speaks to me of spiritual things and I know nothing about that."

Then the brother came outside and said to the visitor, "The old man does not readily speak of the Scriptures, but if anyone consults him about the passions of the soul, he replies." Filled with compunction, the visitor returned to the old man and said to him, "What should I do, Abba, for the passions of the soul master me?"

The old man turned towards him and replied joyfully, "This time, you come as you should. Now open your mouth concerning this and I will fill it with good things." Greatly edified, the other said to him, "Truly, this is the right way!"

He returned to his own country giving thanks to God that he had been counted worthy to meet so great a saint. END

from "The Desert Christian," by Benedicta Ward, (New York: MacMillan, 1975), p. 167

ST. THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE - War With Passions, Part IV

2012-05-27T01:00:00.001-05:00

Today we will continue with the writings of a more recent "Desert Father," namely St. Theophan the Recluse, a Russian father of the 19th century who lived in the frozen deserts of the Russian north. Although he is a modern saint in chronological terms, he is spiritually at one with the ancient Desert Fathers of Egypt and Palestine. The first week we began this series with ìWar With Passions,î and followed that with "Know Yourself." Much of St. Theophan’s teachings come to us in the form of letters he wrote to lay persons so his advice is very practical and down-to-earth for those who are trying to grow spiritually. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from St. Theophan.

BEGIN: -- Once you go into a monastery you have to face solitude. Life in a monastery is hard for anyone who would like to live there in company with many others, as he would in society. In a monastery you must know only one person -ñthe abbot, or else your father confessor and staretz (literally, an “elder”: a monk or occasionally a layperson distinguished for his saintliness, long experience in the spiritual life, and special gift for guiding the soul of others.) Towards the others your attitude should be as though they were not present. Then everything will go well; otherwise the commotion is worse than at a ball in St. Petersburg.

-- This friend, this lady of whom you write to me, does she think that in renouncing the tumult of the world she has already done all that is necessary? Does she not realize that the world can still be with us in the heart, so long as we are simply living as we please, solely to gratify ourselves?

-- You know, of course, that your whole purpose at the moment is to change yourself inwardly. And so, corresponding to these inward changes and obeying the impulse that comes from them, external things must be changed as well. My advice to you in your present position is this. Begin retreating into solitude at your own home, and dedicate these hours of solitude to praying above all for one thing: “Make known to me, O Lord, the way wherein I should walk” (Psalms 143:8). Pray thus not merely in words and thought, but also from your heart. For this time of solitude, set aside certain hours every day, which is the better way; or else certain days of the week. And then observe this time of solitude properly, seeking above all for enlightenment, and to be shown the right way by God. To this add the practice of fasting, which affects the flesh: it will be a good aid to prayer. And during this time try, by way of experiment, to make acts of inward renunciation ñ now of one thing, now another ñ in order to become indifferent to everything; and retreat into seclusion in such a way that nothing can draw you back. The aim is to bring your soul to a state in which it longs to escape from its present way of life as a prisoner seeks to break loose from his fetters.

-- You should devote your moments of solitude exclusively to working for God ñ to prayer and the thought of God. These practices, if followed even reasonably aright, will not allow you to grow bored. For they bring spiritual consolation such as nothing else on earth can give.

-- You say you would like to become a recluse. It is too soon for this; and there is no need. After all, you live alone, and your visitors are few and far between. Going to church does not interrupt your solitude but intensifies it, and gives you the strength to pass your time in prayer at home as well. From time to time you could perhaps stay indoors for a day or two, endeavoring to be with God all the time. But in your case this already happens of itself, so there is no need to make plans about becoming a recluse. When your prayer has gained such stability that it keeps you always face to face with God in your heart, you will have seclusion without being a recluse. For what does it really mean to be a recluse? It means that your mind, enclosed in the heart, stands before God in reverence and feels no desire to leave the heart or to occupy itself with anything else. Seek this kind of seclusion and do not worry about the others. Even behind closed doors one can wander about the world, or let the whole world invade one’s room.

-- To be vexed and annoyed if someone interrupts your solitude is very wrong. This comes of thinking too highly of yourself; it is as if you said, “Do not DARE to hinder ME!” Here the enemy triumphs within you. Make it a rule not to give in to this feeling of annoyance. Exasperation and anger are permissible only when directed against our own evil thoughts and feelings.

-- It is good to withdraw from distractions under the protection of four walls, but it is even better to withdraw into solitude within oneself. The first without the second is nothing, whereas the last is of the utmost value even without the first.

It is an excellent thing to go to church, but if you can accustom yourself to pray at home as if in church, such prayer at home is equally valuable.

Just as a man sees another face to face, try thus to stand before the Lord, so that your soul is face to face with him. This is something so natural that there should have been no need to mention it especially, for by its very nature the soul should strive always toward God. And the Lord is always near. There is no need to arrange an introduction between them for they are old acquaintances.

-- You thirst for a definite seclusion. It would be better to wait. External seclusion will come of itself once inner seclusion is established. God will arrange about that. Yet do not forget that you can be alone amid the noise of the world; and equally you can be surrounded by the hubbub of the world whilst withdrawn in your cell. You will have something better than external seclusion if you retreat in this way within yourself, thus making it impossible for any external turmoil to distract you. Pray that you may be granted this.

From "The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology," (London: Faber & Faber, 1966), pp. 250 - 256

ANONYMOUS DESERT FATHERS - How Do We Pray?

2012-05-23T01:00:00.001-05:00

Today's selection is from anonymous fathers of the desert. Two selections are offered this week, both on the subject of prayer:

BEGIN: The brothers said, "What kind of prayer is that which is not acceptable before God?" The old man said, "The prayer for the destruction of enemies. When we ask that evil things may come upon those who do harm to us, and for bodily health, and abundance of possessions, and fertility in respect of children, these requests are not acceptable before God. If God beareth with us, who are sinners and who offend Him, how much more is it right that we should bear each with the other? It is, then, not meet that we should ask for the things which concern the body, for the wisdom of God provideth everything necessary." END

And this thought on what IS acceptable to God in prayer:

BEGIN: The brothers said, "In what way ought we to pray before God?" The old man said, "For the repentance of sinners, the finding of the lost, the drawing near of those who are far off, friendliness toward those who do us harm, love towards those who persecute us, and sorrowful care for those who provoke God to wrath. And if a man doeth these things truly and with a penitent mind, the sinners will often gain life, and the living soul will be redeemed.

Now the prayer which our lord delivered to us as to the needs of the body, is one which applieth to the whole community, and it was not uttered for the sake of those who are strangers to the world, and with whom the pleasures of the body are held in contempt. He in whose life the kingdom of God and His righteousness are found lacks nothing, even when he asks not." END

from "The Paradise of the Holy Fathers," vol. II, translated by E. A. Wallis Budge, (Seattle: St. Nectarios Press, 1984), p. 332-333.

ST. THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE - War With Passions, Part III

2012-05-20T01:00:00.002-05:00

Today we will continue with the writings of a more recent "Desert Father," namely St. Theophan the Recluse, a Russian father of the 19th century who lived in the frozen deserts of the Russian north. Although he is a modern saint in chronological terms, he is spiritually at one with the ancient Desert Fathers of Egypt and Palestine. In Part III of our series, we will look today at “Inner and External Work.” Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from St. Theophan.

BEGIN: (from “Paradise of the Fathers”) A brother asked Abba Agathon: “Tell me, Abba, which is greater, physical work or guarding what lies within?” The Abba replied: “Man is like a tree; physical work is the leaves and guarding what lies within is the fruit. Now it says in the Gospel, ‘Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire’ (Matthew 3:10): clearly, then, all our care should be about the fruit, that is, about guarding the mind. But we also need the protection and adornment of leaves, that is, physical work.”

-- The chief enemy of life in God is a profusion of worldly cares. This profusion of cares impels a man into an endless round of secular activities. Every day, from morning till night, it drives him from one job to another, not giving him a moment’s rest, leaving him no time to turn to God and to remain for a while uplifted in prayer to Him.

This profusion of cares has no place among monks. Those who understand this enter a monastery simply in order to free themselves from this torture of cares. And they are freed. When the multitude of cares subsides, the mind and heart are left completely free and there is nothing to hinder them from remaining in God and taking their joy in Him. Those who practise the monastic life in an intelligent way, quickly gain
success in this and become firmly established in their purpose. All that remains thereafter is to maintain this treasure of freedom from cares; and such people do in fact manage to maintain it. Every monk or nun has a task to carry out in the course of the twenty-four hours. Since these tasks are a matter of routine, they do not demand any special attention; and so the hands can be at work while the mind converses with God and thus feeds the heart. This norm for the inner order of things was long ago recommended by St. Anthony the Great. So you see that even monks have an active life, similar to the active life of laymen. Only their activities are not accompanied by the multitude of cares which gnaw at the minds of laymen. It is this freedom from anxiety, resulting from the ordered sequence of the monastic life, that enables them to hold fast to their aim ñ in other words, to remain constantly with God and in God.

-- Do not overlook the fact that health does not depend on food alone, but above all on inner peace. Life in God, cutting us off from worldly turmoil, brings peace to the heart and, through this, keeps the body also in good health.

Activities are not the main thing in life. The most important thing is to have the heart directed and attuned to God.

-- There are two ways to become one with God: the active way and the contemplative way. The first is for Christians who live in the world, the second for those who have abandoned all worldly things. But in practice neither way can exist in total isolation from the other. Those who live in the world must also keep to the contemplative way in some measure. As I told you before, you should accustom yourself to remember the Lord always and to walk always before His face. That is what is meant by the contemplative way.

The question arises: how can we hold the Lord in our attention while busy with various activities? This is how it can be done. Whatever your occupation, great or small, reflect that it is the omnipresent Lord Himself who orders you to perform it and who watches to see how you are carrying it out. If you keep this thought constantly in mind you will fulfil attentively all the duties assigned to you and at the same time you will remember the Lord. In this lies the whole secret of Christian conduct for one in your position, if you are to succeed in your chief aim. Please think it over carefully and adjust yourself to this practice. When you have done this your thoughts will cease to wander hither and thither.

Why is it that things are not going well with you just now? I think it is because you wish to remember the Lord, forgetting worldly affairs. But worldly affairs intrude into your consciousness and push out the remembrance of the Lord. What you should do is just the reverse: you should busy yourself with worldly affairs, but think of them as a commission from the Lord, as something done in His presence. As things are now, you fail both on the spiritual and on the material level. But if you act as I have explained, things will go well in both spheres.

-- Learn to perform everything you do in such a way that it warms the heart instead of cooling it. Whether reading or praying, working or talking with others, you should hold fast to this one aim ñ not to let your heart grow cool. Keep your inner stove always hot by reciting a short prayer, and watch over your feelings in case they dissipate this warmth. External impressions are very rarely in harmony with inner work.

-- Each man, then, must train himself, and instill into himself the truths contained in the words of Christ, so that they enter and dwell within him. With this purpose in view he should read them and reflect on them, and commit them to memory; he should learn to be in inward sympathy with them, feeling a deep love for them, and then he should put them into practice. This last is the whole aim of self-education. So long as this is lacking we cannot say of a man that he has taught himself, even if he knows the words of Christ by heart and is good at reasoning. It is precisely for their lack of this that St. Paul reproached the Jews in his Epistle to the Romans: “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?” (Romans 2:21). If a man preaches Christ but does not himself live in Him, then the word of Christ has not entered him.

It is clear that any kind of education by others only brings fruit when combined with a man’s own teaching of himself. Each must make himself realize the sense of what he is taught, so that after hearing or reading something he persuades himself not only to think exactly like that, but also to feel and to act so. For the word of Christ enters a man to dwell in him, only if he succeeds in persuading himself to believe and to live according to it.

A man is indeed unwise if he reads diligently the words of God but fails to ponder over them, not making himself feel their meaning and not practising them in actual life. For then the word of God flows through him like water in a gutter, without entering him or leaving a trace. We can know all the Gospels and Epistles by heart and yet not have the word of Christ dwelling within, because we have not studied them in the right way. Thus a man acts foolishly if he feeds only his mind with the word of Christ, but does not bother to bring his heart and his life into correspondence with it. And so it stays in him like sand poured into his head and memory, which lies there dead instead of living. The word of Christ lives only when it passes into feeling and life; but in such a man this does not happen, and so we cannot say that the word of Christ dwells in him. END

From "The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology," (London: Faber & Faber, 1966), pp. 231 - 247

ANONYMOUS DESERT FATHERS - Studying and Practicing Spiritual Wisdom

2012-05-16T01:00:00.001-05:00

This week's selection is from an anonymous father of the desert. Forgive me for its brevity, but it is very strong and speaks well to all of us today.

BEGIN: An old man said, "The prophets wrote books, then came our Fathers who put them into practice. Those who came after them learnt them by heart. Then came the present generation, who have written them out and put them into their window seats without using them." END

And from the life of another father,

BEGIN: The old man said, "Spiritual work is essential; it is for this we have come to the desert. It is very hard to teach with the mouth that which one does not practice in the body." END

both selections are from "The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers," by Sr. Benedicta Ward, (Oxford: SLG Press, 1986), p. 31 and p. 33

ST. THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE - War With Passions, Part II

2012-05-13T01:00:00.002-05:00

Today we will continue with the writings of a more recent "Desert Father," namely St. Theophan the Recluse, a Russian father of the 19th century who lived in the frozen deserts of the Russian north. Although he is a modern saint in chronological terms, he is spiritually at one with the ancient Desert Fathers of Egypt and Palestine. Last week we began this series with ìWar With Passions.î In Part II of our series, we will look today at ìKnow Yourself.î Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are from St. Theophan.

BEGIN: -- A soul untried by sorrows is good for nothing.

-- There is but one road to the kingdom of God; a cross, voluntary or involuntary.

-- Until the soul is established with the mind in the heart, it does not see itself, nor is it properly aware of itself.

-- True self-knowledge is to see one’s own defects and weaknesses so clearly that they fill our whole view. And mark this ñ the more you see yourself at fault and deserving of every censure, the more you will advance.

-- A sense of our own righteousness does us great harm. Keep firmly in mind the point that the moment this feeling arises, however feebly, it is a sure sign that our efforts have gone wrong. The greater your conviction that you are a sinner, the more certain it is that you are traveling on the right path. But this feeling of sinfulness should spring from the depths of the soul in a natural way, instead of being suggested from without by our own reflections, or by some remark from another person.

There are many good feelings, but the feeling of worthlessness is the most fundamental; and when it is absent everything else is of no use. Commit this carefully to your memory.

-- (The Nun Magdalina) Why do we criticize others? Because we do not try to know ourselves. Whoever is busy trying to know himself has no time to notice the faults of others. Judge yourself and you will stop judging others. Regard every man as better than you are, for without this thought a man is far from God, even though he performs miracles.

-- Examine yourself to see whether you have within you a strong sense of your own importance, or, negatively, whether you have failed to realize that you are nothing. This feeling of self-importance is deeply hidden, but it controls the whole of our life. Its first demand is that everything should be as we wish it, and as soon as this is not so we complain to God and are annoyed with people.

The high value we set on ourselves, in consequence of this feeling of importance, not only upsets our relationship with other men but also our attitude to God. Self-importance is as wily as the devil and cleverly conceals itself behind humble words, settling itself firmly in the heart so that we swing between self-depreciation and self-praise.

-- It must be understood that a man struggling towards perfection is not himself aware of the progress which he makes on his path. He toils with the sweat of his brow, but (so far as he can see) his labor bears no fruit. This is because grace works secretly. The eye of human vision does not discern the good which he is doing. The way to perfection is through the realization that we are blind, poor, and naked. This sense of nakedness is closely linked with contrition of the spirit, when in unceasing repentance we pour out before God our grief and sorrow at our impurity. Penitent feelings are an essential element of true spiritual progress, and whoever evades them is deviating from the right way. Repentance is the starting point and foundation stone of our new life in Christ; and it must be present not only at the beginning but throughout our growth in this life, increasing as we advance. On reaching spiritual maturity man becomes acutely conscious of his sinfulness and corruption, and his sense of contrition and repentance grows ever more profound. Tears are the measure of progress, and unceasing tears are a sign of coming purification.

-- Do not let the eye of the mind turn away from the heart; and when anything comes forth from there, at once catch it and examine it. If it is good, let it be; if it is not good, it must be killed at once. In this way, learn to know yourself. If some thought emerges more often than others, it signifies a passion stronger than the rest. This means that you must combat it with greater energy. Yet do not place any reliance on yourself and do not expect to achieve anything by your own efforts. All means of healing and all remedies are sent by the Lord. So give yourself up to Him ñ- and this at all times. Strive and go on striving; but expect all good to come only from the Lord.

-- Look to yourself, and have more concern with the heart. To discriminate between movements of the heart, read and reflect on the writings of Sts. John of the Ladder, Isaac of Syria, Barsanouphios and John, also of Diadochos, Philotheos, Abba Isaias, Evagrios, Cassian, and Neilos in the “Philokalia”; and apply what they say to yourself. When you read, do not just leave impressed on your mind a general idea of the author’s argument, but always turn what he says into a personal rule to be applied to yourself. When you do this, the general idea you have formed always undergoes some shades of change.

From "The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology," (London: Faber & Faber, 1966), pp. 222 - 231

Teampall Bheanain - A Celtic Monastic Outpost on the Western Edge of Ireland

2012-05-12T04:20:00.002-05:00

At the southeastern tip of Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands, stands the tiny Church of St. Benignus, or "Teampall Bhenain," as it is known in Irish, the everyday language to this day of this westernmost outpost of the Republic of Ireland. St. Benignus was a disciple of St. Patrick and his successor as the Bishop of Armagh. Unlike virtually every other church of the early Celtic period, this church is oriented in a north-south direction, but its sole window does look east. The church is tiny, intimate even, with a floor space of roughly seven by ten feet. Extremely solid in its construction, the walls are easily 18 to 24 inches thick with many of the stones weighing hundreds of pounds. The only door is barely shoulder wide and most people have to duck when entering. It is not known if St. Benignus himself founded this monastery, but it was clearly built during the early years of the Celtic Church and is one of the oldest in the Aran Islands.

As the probable church of a hermit and perhaps a few disciples, it is unmatched in its beauty and austerity.

Situated on a high, rocky plateau near the end of the island, the temple offers commanding views of the bay in front, the distant shores of Connemara, and the Atlantic expanse behind. As the highest point on this part of the island, the winds are merciless and the storms that frequent this area throughout the year can be terrifying. The surface of the plateau is striated rock, typical of the Aran islands and The Burren on Ireland's west coast. Deep fissures rend the limestone, making walking difficult as there are deep trenches between the rocks, loose rocks that can shift underfoot, and sharp points that can easily cut the feet and hands. Soil up here is rare as the wind is constantly tearing any loose soil out and tossing it downwind. No water is to be found here, either, other than small pools that may catch the frequent rains. In short, this area is desert, almost devoid of life, unable to sustain crops or animals, with no water close by.

Just steps away from the church's door are the remains of a clochan, the small "beehive" cell that is typical of the monastic abodes in this part of Ireland. Even smaller than the church, it could house only one hermit. Nearby are the ruins of other structures, perhaps indicating this may have been a small "skete" in which a few hermits may have lived in proximity to one another. The church's interior, however, could scarcely have accommodated more than five or six men at once.

In a straight line from the church, going down the hillside, are two other ruins. The base of a round tower can still be seen, indicated that a full tower once stood watch over this holy place. A little past it, is the lower part, perhaps a couple of meters tall, of a well-carved high cross that probably marked the easternmost edge of the monastery's grounds. Further down, at the base of the hill, is an old well that may have served as the monastery's water supply. In the tradition of the Desert Fathers of Egypt, it would have been quite "normal" for the monks to choose a water supply some distance away so that they would have to labor to get their water and would thus not waste it by over-indulging themselves with baths, excessive cleanliness, or drinking too much.

Sitting on one of the countless rocks near the church, I reflected on the life these early hermits must have led in this desolate outpost. There are many other areas on Inishmor where the monks could have settled that would have enabled a much gentler life with good soil and abundant water, as well as greater protection from the elements. Yet, the founder-hermit chose a place that forced hardship on them. Inishmore now -and then - is devoid of trees and turf. Fuel for fires has to be brought from the mainland so the nights were very cold in the little stone huts where the monks sheltered. During the days, the sun shines relentlessly with no trees in sight to offer shade. From the temple mount, though, the monk would certainly feel close to God. The sky seems close, the only sounds to be heard even today are the sounds of nature - birds, perhaps a few cattle or other livestock in the vicinity, the sound of the waves below, and the wind - an endless wind that blows night and day, without ceasing.

Walking south away from the church, perhaps a half mile distant over sharp rocks that require very carefully stepping, is the other side of the island. From the edge, the cliff drops at a 90 degree angle, perhaps a hundred feet or more. There is a small cove, an especially beautiful cove, with crystal-clear waters and waves that pound the circular cove's cliff faces leaving behind a glowing mass of white and green mosses and other plant matter that make the dark limestone cliffs come alive in a symphony of light and color as the sun's rays play with the ocean spray and the vegetation. Beyond the cove, the Atlantic Ocean reaches out to infinity where, as the islanders used to say, "the next parish is Boston."

As a place of contemplation, it is spectacular; one can easily imagine the monk who would pass some of his time here regularly in silent contemplation of the Creator, his thoughts lost in the wonder of Creation, his heart and soul aching for oneness with the God he chose to follow and worship in this splendid isolation.

There is no other place on earth quite like Teampall Bheanain. While Ireland's coastal islands are dotted with the holy remnants of Celtic monasticism, the Aran Islands with their monastic riches are especially unique in the history of Christian monasticism. Standing here, one can feel the spirituality of the Egyptian Desert as it continues to course through this spiritual vein. Teampall Bheanain is just one of the many holy places still found today in the three islands that make up the Aran chain, but it is surely the most special and most redolent of the ancient monasticism of the Desert Fathers that inspired generations of Irish hermits and holy men and women to find their spiritual deserts on the edge of the world as they knew it at that time. To visit it today is not just to visit a place of archaeological or historical interest, but to reach back in time and feel in some small way that rich Celtic spirituality that was transplanted here from the dry sands of Egypt.

To see a larger version of this photo of Teampall Bheanain, go to our website at: http://www.michaelmcclellan.com/photo_9533778.html and while you're there, be sure to look at the other photos of Celtic monastic sites!

ABBA SYLVANUS - The Virtue of Obedience

2012-05-09T01:00:00.001-05:00

Today's selection is from the life of Abba Sylvanus.

BEGIN: They used to say that Abba Sylvanus had in Scete a disciple whose name was Mark, and that he possessed to a great degree the faculty of obedience; he was a scribe, and the old man loved him greatly for his obedience. Now Sylvanus had eleven other disciples, and they were disturbed because they saw that the old man loved Mark more than them, and when the old men who were in Scete heard of this they were also troubled about it.

One day when they came to him to reprove him about this, Sylvanus took them, and went forth, and passing by the cells of the brethren, he knocked at the door of each cell, and said, "O brother, come forth, for I have need of thee." And he passed by all their cells, and not one of the obeyed him quickly.

But when they went to the cell of Mark, he knocked at the door and said, "Brother Mark," and as soon as Mark heard the voice of the old man, he jumped up straightway and came out and Sylvanus sent him off on some business.

Then Sylvanus said to the old men, "My fathers, where are the other brethren?" And they went into Mark's cell, and looked at the quire of the book which he was writing, and they saw that he had begun to write one side of the Greek letter "omega" (o) and that as soon as he heard the voice of his master, he ran out and did not stay to complete the other side of the letter. Now when the old men perceived these things, they answered and said unto Sylvanus, "Verily, old man, we also love the brother whom thou lovest, for God also loveth him." END

from "Paradise of the Fathers," vol. II, p. 53, translated by E. A. Wallis Budge, (Seattle: St. Nectarios Press, 1984)

ST. THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE - War With Passions, Part I

2012-05-06T01:00:00.010-05:00

For the next several weeks, we are going to look at the writings of a more recent "Desert Father," namely St. Theophan the Recluse, a Russian father of the 19th century who lived in the frozen deserts of the Russian north. St. Theophan served in the Russian Spiritual Mission in Palestine and the Near East from 1847 - 1854; during that time, he mastered Greek and studied the ancient Desert Fathers. Shortly after his return to Russia, he was ordained bishop, but resigned that post after seven years to assume a life of prayer and seclusion in a small monastery where he remained until his death 28 years later. St. Theophan took a well-stocked library on the Desert Fathers with him when he went into seclusion. During his almost three decades in seclusion, St. Theophan produced a substantial body of writings on the spiritual life, all of them deeply steeped in the traditions and teachings of the ancient Desert Fathers of Egypt and Palestine.

We will begin this series on the "War With Passions" which is broken down into seven parts: 1) war with passions; 2) know yourself; 3) work, inner and external; 4) solitude; 5) times of desolation; 6) illusion; 7) humility and love. We will begin todaywith Part I. All the quotations are from St. Theophan unless otherwise noted.

BEGIN: Remember the wise teaching of St. John of the Ladder. He describes the way of our ascension to God in the form of a ladder with four steps. Some people, he says, tame their passions; others sing, that is, pray with their lips; the third practice inner prayers; finally the fourth rise to seeing visions. Those who want to ascend these four steps cannot begin from the top, but must start from the bottom; they must step onto the first rung and so ascend to the second, then to the third, and finally to the fourth. By this ladder everyone can ascend to heaven. First you must work on taming and reducing passions; then practice psalmody -- in other words, attain the habit of oral prayer; after this, practice inner prayer; and so at last reach the step from which it is possible to ascend to visions. The first is the work of the novice; the second one is the work of those who are progressing; the third, of those who have progressed to the end; and the fourth is reserved for those who have achieved perfection.

-- There is only one way to begin: and that is by taming passions. These cannot be brought under control in the soul except by guarding the heart and by attention. Those, therefore, who pass through all these stages in due order, each in its own time, can, when the heart is cleansed from passions, devote themselves entirely and wholly to psalmody, and to fighting against thoughts; and they can look up towards heaven with their physical eyes or contemplate it with the spiritual eyes of the soul, praying aright in purity and truth.

-- (St. Makarios of Egypt): The most important work that a spiritual wrestler can do, is to enter within the heart, there to fight Satan; to hate and repel the thoughts that he inspires and to wage war upon him.

-- If our spirit should sever itself from God, then the power of self-determination given to man by God will be also taken away from us. Then a man can no longer master either the inclinations of the soul, or the needs of the body, or outside contacts. Then he will be torn asunder by the desires of his soul and body and by the vanity of exterior life, although all these things on the superficial level seem to contribute to his own pleasure and happiness. Compare these two states of life and you will see that in the first man lives wholly within himself before God, and that in the second man is wholly outside himself, forgetting God. This second state of life is made much worse by the entering in of passions which take root in the ego and penetrate all the soul and body, and give an evil direction to all that is there, a direction that is not constructive but destructive, turning a man away from the path of the Spirit and the fear of God, setting him against his conscience. In this way the man becomes still more superficial than before.

-- Giving yourself in prayerful surrender to God and His grace, call out each of the things that incite you to sin and try to turn your heart away from them, directing it towards their opposite. In this way they will be uprooted from the heart and their violence will subside. In this task give free scope to your power of discernment and lead your heart in its wake.

This struggle against the forces of evil is absolutely essential if we are to break our own will. It is necessary to go on working on ourselves in this way until, instead of self-pity, there is born in us mercilessness and ruthlessness towards ourselves, a desire to suffer, to torture ourselves, to tire out our soul and body. This must be continued until, instead of trying to please men, we form a feeling of repulsion against all bad habits and connections -- until we form a hostile and fierce resistance against them, at the same time submitting ourselves to all the wrongs and disparagements which men inflict upon us. It is necessary to go on working until our appetite exclusively for things material, sensory, and visible disappears completely, and is replaced by a feeling of disgust for such things; and instead we begin to thirst and to search only for what is spiritual, pure, and divine. Instead of earthliness -- the limitation of life and happiness solely to this earth -- the heart comes to be filled with a sense of being but a pilgrim on earth, whose whole longing is for his heavenly home.

-- After the initial awakening by grace, the first step belongs to man's free will. Exercising this free will, he journeys into himself in three ways. First, his will inclines towards good and chooses it. Secondly, it removes obstacles: in order to disrupt the ties which bind him to sin, it banishes from his heart self-pity, the desire to please men, the inclination towards things sensory and earthy, and in their stead it stirs up mercilessness to himself, absence of desire for things of the senses, acceptance of every kind of disgrace. It makes him feel that his true home lies in the world to come, whereas here he is but a wanderer and an exile. Thirdly, free will is inspired to start at once on the right path, permitting no self-indulgence, and making man hold himself constantly on the alert.

In this way everything calms down in the soul. Incited by grace, the man is freed from all shackles, and with complete readiness says to himself: I will rise up and go forth.

From this moment another movement starts in the soul -- movement towards God. Having mastered himself by understanding the motives of all his inclinations, thus regaining inner freedom, he must now sacrifice the whole of himself to God. Yet only half of the work so far has been achieved.

-- From the moment when your heart starts to be kindled with divine warmth your inner transformation will properly begin. This slight flame will in time consume and melt everything within you, it will begin and continue to spiritualize your being to the full. Indeed, until this flame starts to burn, there will be no spiritualization, in spite of all your strivings to achieve it. Thus the engendering of its first flicker is all that matters at this moment, and to this end be sure to direct all your efforts.

But while you must realize that this kindling cannot take place in you while the passions are still strong and vigorous, even though they may not in fact be indulged. Passions are the dampness in the fuel of your being, and damp wood does not burn. There is nothing else to be done except to bring in dry wood from outside and light this, allowing the flames from it to dry out the damp wood, until this in its turn is dry enough to begin slowly to catch alight. And so little by little the burning of the dry wood will disperse the dampness and will spread, until all the wood is enveloped in flames.

All the powers of the soul and activities of the body are the fuel of our being, but so long as man does not pay heed to himself these are all saturated and rendered ineffective by the soggy dampness of his passions. Until the passions are driven out, they obstinately resist spiritual fire. Passions penetrate into both the soul and the body, and overpower even man's spirit itself, his consciousness and freedom; and in this manner they come to dominate him entirely. As they are in league with devils, through them the devils also dominate man, although he falsely imagines that he is his own master.

Delivered by the grace of God, the spirit is the first to tear itself out of these fetters. Filled with the fear of God and under the influence of grace, the spirit breaks every bond with passion, and repenting of the past, firmly resolves henceforward to please God alone in everything, to live only for Him, to walk according to His commandments. With the help of the grace of God, the spirit is able to stand firm in this resolution, banishing passions from the soul and body, and spiritualizing all within itself.

And now in you too, the spirit has been liberated from the bonds which held it. You are standing on the side of God, consciously and by deliberate choice. Your desire is to belong to God and to please him alone, and this is the mainstay of your spiritual activity. But while your spirit has been re-established in its rightful freedom, the soul and body are still under the sway of passions and suffer violence from them. You have now to arm yourself against your passions and to conquer them. Drive them out of your soul and body. This struggle against the passions is unavoidable, for they will not willingly yield up their
illegal possession of your being.

Recollection of God is the life of the spirit. It fires your zeal to please God, and makes unshakeable your decision to belong to Him. It is, I repeat, the mainstay of the spiritual life; and it is, I will add, the base for your campaign against every passion that invades the heart. END

From "The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology," (London: Faber & Faber, 1966), pp. 200 - 206

ABBA CRONIUS - Fleeing Glory and the Praises of Men

2012-05-02T01:00:00.000-05:00

Today's selection is from the life of Abba Cronius who was born about 285 AD. Although he lived in a monastery at first, he left it to live with St. Anthony the Great in the Red Sea Desert of Egypt where he acted as St. Anthony's interpreter. Later, he moved to Nitria (near present-day Alexandria) where he was ordained priest. He had many disciples and died around 386 AD.

BEGIN: Abba Cronius said that Abba Joseph of Pelusia told him the following story, "When I was living in Sinai, there was a brother who was good, ascetic and handsome. He came to church for the Synaxis (the liturgical office said by monks in common, usually on Saturday or Sunday) dressed in an old robe darned all over. Once when I saw him coming to the Synaxis, I said to him, 'Brother, do you not see the brothers, looking like angels for the Synaxis in church? How can you always come here in that garb?' He said to me, 'Forgive me, abba, but I have nothing else.' So I took him in to my cell and gave him a tunic and whatever else he needed. After that he wore them like the other brethren and was like an angel to look at.

Now once it was necessary for the Fathers to send ten brethren to the emperor about something or other and he was chosen as one of the group to go. When he heard this, he made a prostration before his Father saying, 'In the Lord's name, excuse me, for I am the slave of a great man down there and if he recognizes me, he will deprive me of my habit and force me to serve him again.' The brothers were convinced and left him behind. But later, they learned from someone who had known him well when he was in the world that he had been head of the administration and that he had spoken as he did as a ruse, so that no one should know this or bother him about it. So great, amongst the Fathers, was their concern to flee from glory and the peace of this world!" END

from "The Desert Christian," by Sr. Benedicta Ward, (New York: Macmillan, 1975), p. 116

ST. JOHN CASSIAN and ABBA MOSES -The Ascetic Life Part II

2012-04-29T01:00:00.000-05:00

Today we will continue with our reading from St. John Cassian's "Conferences." As you will remember from last week, St. John Cassian and his travelling companion, the monk Germanus, were visiting Abba Moses in Scetis. The subject of their conversation? The goal of the ascetic life. Let’s listen in as Abba Moses continues his explanation:

BEGIN: “To cling always to God and to the things of God, this must be our major effort, this must be the road that the heart follows unswervingly. Any diversion, however impressive, must be regarded as secondary, low-grade, and certainly dangerous. Martha and Mary provide a most beautiful scriptural paradigm of this outlook and of this mode of activity. In looking after the Lord and His disciples Martha did a very holy service. Mary, however, was intent on the spiritual teaching of Jesus and she stayed by His feet, which she kissed and anointed with the oil of her good faith. And she got more credit from the Lord because she had chosen the better part, one which could not be taken away from her. For while Martha was working hard, responsibly and fully intent on her job, she realized that she could not do all the work herself and she demanded the help of her sister from the Lord. ‘Does it not bother you that my sister leaves me to do the work alone?’ she said. ‘Tell her to come and help me’ (Luke 10:40). Certainly she summons Mary to a task that is not inconsequential but is a praiseworthy service. Yet what does she hear from the Lord? ‘Martha, Martha, you are full of worry and are upset over many things where actually it should be over a few or even one thing. Mary has chosen the good part and it will not be taken away from her’ (Luke 10:41-42).

“You will note that the Lord establishes as the prime good contemplation, that is the gaze turned in the direction of the things of God. Hence we say that the other virtues, however useful and good we may say they are, must nevertheless be put on a secondary level, since they are all practiced for the sake of this one. ‘You are full of worry and are upset over many things when actually it should be over a few or even one.’ In saying this the Lord locates the primary good not in activity, however praiseworthy, however abundantly fruitful, but in the truly simple and unified contemplation of Himself. He says that not much is needed for perfect blessedness. He means here that type of contemplation which is primarily concerned with the example of a few saints. Contemplating these, someone still on the upward road comes at last to that which is unique, namely the sight of God Himself, which comes with God’s help. Having passed beyond the activities and the ministry of holy men he will live solely on the beauty and the knowledge of God. ‘Mary therefore chose the good part and it will not be taken away from her.’ But one must look carefully at this. In saying ‘Mary chose the good part,’ He was saying nothing about Martha and in no way was He giving the appearance of criticizing her. Still, by praising the one He was saying that the other one was a step below her. Again, by saying ‘it will not be taken away from her’ He was showing that Martha’s role could be taken away from her, since the service of the body can only last as long as the human being is there, whereas the zeal of Mary can never end.”

We were deeply stirred by this. “So then,” we said, “the toil of fasting, the constant scriptural reading, the works of mercy, justice, piety, and humanity will be taken away from us and will not remain as we remain? And this when the Lord Himself promised the reward of heaven to the people who do these things? ‘Come you blessed of my Father,’ He said, ‘Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me to drink’ (Matthew 25:34-35). And all the rest. These things which bring the people who do them into the kingdom of heaven, how can they be taken away?”

Moses: “I did not say that the reward of a good deed must be taken away, for the same Lord said, ‘Whoever will give even a glass of cold water to one of these little ones because he is one of my disciples, Amen I tell you, he will not lose his reward’ (Matthew 10:42). But what I do say is that an activity which takes place as a result of the needs of the body, the onslaught of the flesh, or the inequality of this world must come to an end. The dedication to scriptural reading or the infliction of fasts only serve the useful purpose of purifying the heart and punishing the flesh in this present life as long as it is the case that ëthe flesh indulgent itself against the spirit’ (Galatians 5:17). These activities are sometimes lifted from those who, wearied out by too much hard work, by sickness or by old age, are unable to practice them continuously. All the more reason, therefore, for these to cease in the next life when “this corruption” will take on “incorruptibility” (I Corinthians 15:53), when this body which is now animal will rise as “spirit” (I Corinthians 15:44), when flesh will no longer indulge in conflict with the spirit. The blessed apostle spoke clearly about all this when he said that “the exercising of the body has a limited value, whereas piety” and no doubt he means love, “is useful for everything, holding as it does the promise of life both now and in the future” (I Timothy 4:8). What is said here about limited value is clearly right, since this is something which cannot be done for all time nor can it by itself bring us to the summit of perfection. The notion of limit can also indicate either the brevity of time, for bodily exercise is not something to last throughout the present and the future life, or else it refers to the minimal value of such exercise. The demands made on the body are actually only the beginning of the road to progress. They do not induce that perfect love which has within it the promise of life now and in the future. And so we consider the practice of such works to be necessary only because without them it is not possible to reach the high peaks of love.

“As for those works of piety and charity of which you speak, these are necessary in this present life for as long as inequality prevails. Their workings here would not be required where it not for the superabundant numbers of the poor, the needy, and the sick. These are there because of the iniquity of men who have held for their own private use what the common Creator has made available to all. As long as this inequity rages in the world, these good works will be necessary and valuable to anyone practicing them and they shall yield the reward of an everlasting inheritance to the man of good heart and concerned will.

“But all of this will cease in the time to come when equality shall reign, when there shall no longer be the injustice on account of which these good works must be undertaken, when from the multiplicity of what is done here and now everyone shall pass over to the love of God and to the contemplation of things divine. Men seized of the urge to have a knowledge of God and to be pure in mind devote all their gathered energies to this one task. While they still live in the corruption of the flesh they give themselves to that service in which they will persevere when that corruption has been laid aside. And already they come in sight of what the Lord and Savior held out when He said, ‘Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God’ (Matthew 5:8).” END

from St. John Cassian’s “Conferences,” (New York: Paulist Press, 1985), pp. 42 - 45.

ANONYMOUS DESERT FATHER - Prayer and Meditation

2012-04-25T01:00:00.001-05:00

Today's selection is from an anonymous father of the Egyptian desert:

BEGIN: A brother asked one of the Fathers, "What shall I do? My thoughts are always turned to lust without allowing me an hour's respite, and my soul is tormented by it." He said to him, "Every time the demons suggest these thoughts to you, do not argue with them. For the activity of demons always is to suggest, and suggestions are not sins, for they cannot compel; but it rests with you to welcome them, or not to welcome them. Do you know what the Midianites did? They adorned their daughters and presented them to the Israelites. They did not compel anyone, but those who consented, sinned with them, while the others were enraged and put them to death. It is the same with thoughts."

The brother answered the old man, "What shall I do, then, for I am weak and passion overcomes me?" He said to him, "Watch your thoughts, and every time they begin to say something to you, do not answer them but rise and pray; kneel down, saying, 'Son of God, have mercy on me.'"

Then the brother said to him, "Look, Abba, I meditate, and there is no compunction in my heart because I do not understand the meaning of the words." The other said to him, "Be content to meditate. Indeed, I have learned that Abba Poemen and many other Fathers uttered the following saying, 'The magician does not understand the meaning of the words which he pronounces, but the wild animal who hears it understands, submits, and bows to it. So it is with us also; even if we do not understand the meaning of the words we are saying, when the demons hear them, they take fright and go away.'" END

from "The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers," by Benedicta Ward, (Oxford: SLG Press, 1986), pp. 16-17

ST. JOHN CASSIAN and ABBA MOSES - The Ascetic Life Part I

2012-04-22T01:00:00.003-05:00

Now that Orthodox Lent is finished, let us look to the road ahead and ask ourselves, “What is the point of the ascetic life? What is the point of fasting and vigils and prayer and deprivation? Why should the Christian endure these things?”

St. John Cassian and his travelling companion, Germanus, asked such a question in “Conferences.” Abbot Moses in Scetis answered his questions in the following way:

BEGIN: [St. John Cassian asked] “So tell me then what is the end and the objective which inspires you to endure all these trials so gladly?” Since he [Abbot Moses] really wanted to know our answer to this question we replied that we had taken on all this for the sake of the kingdom of God.

“A good answer insofar as it concerns your goal,” he said, “But now what should be our aim, what direction should we take which, if closely followed, will bring us to our objective? This, above all, is something of which you ought to be aware.”

We admitted, in all honesty, that we did not know. “As I have remarked already, every art and discipline is preceded by some objective,” he said, “The spirit points in a certain direction. There is an unwavering purpose in the mind. If this is not held on to with all eagerness and dedication there can be no coming to the longed-for fruits of the goal. The farmer, as I remarked, has the goal of living peacefully in sure abundance thanks to good rich harvests, and in order to reach that end he sets himself to clearing the brambles and the useless grasses from his land. He knows well that he will not enjoy that restful ease toward which he is striving unless somehow his work and his aspirations themselves become a sort of foretaste of what he hopes to actually enjoy one day.

“The merchant does not put aside his urge to amass goods, for it is through these that he can grow wealthy on the proceeds. It would be useless for him to have a wish for profit if he did not follow the road heading there.

“And there are those who have a wish for the honors of this world. They take on this job or follow that career, depending on the honor they want, and they do so in order to arrive at their wished-for plan by way of the right path along which hope leads them.

“In the same fashion the objective of our life is the kingdom of God, but we should carefully ask what we should aim for. If we do not look very carefully into this we will wear ourselves out in useless strivings. For those who travel without a marked road there is the toil of the journey ñ and no arrival at a destination.”

Seeing our amazement at all this, the old man resumed: ìAs we have said, the aim of our profession is the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. But our point of reference, our objective, is a clean heart, without which it is impossible for anyone to reach our target. If we keep to this point of reference we will proceed with all assurance, as though along a carefully drawn line. If our minds wander a little form this we can come back to it again and keep our eye on it, using it as a standard by which to give ourselves sure guidance. This standard will draw all our efforts toward the one point and will serve as a warning to us if our minds waver even a little from the proposed route.”

. . . “Everything we do, our every objective, must be undertaken for the sake of this purity of heart. This is why we take on loneliness, fasting, vigils, work, nakedness. For this we must practice the reading of the Scripture, together with all the other virtuous activities, and we do so to trap and to hold our hearts free of the harm of every dangerous passion and in order to rise step by step to the high point of love.

“It may be that some good and necessary task prevents us from achieving fully all that we set out to do. Let us not on this account give way to sadness or anger or indignation, since it was precisely to repel these that we would have done what in fact we were compelled to omit. What we gain from fasting does not compensate for what we lose through anger. Our profit from scriptural reading in no way equals the damage we cause ourselves by showing contempt for a brother. We must practice fasting, vigils, withdrawal, and the meditation of Scripture as activities which are subordinate to our main objective, purity of heart, that is to say, love, and we must never disturb this principal virtue for the sake of those others. If this virtue remains whole and unharmed within us, nothing can injure us, not even if we are forced to omit any of these other subordinate virtues. Nor will it be of any use to have practiced all these latter if there is missing in us that principal objective for the sake of which all else is undertaken.

“A worker takes the trouble to get hold of the instruments that he requires. He does so not simply to have them and not use them. Nor is there any profit for him in merely possessing the instruments. What he wants is, with their help, to produce the crafted objective for which these are the efficient means.

“In the same way, fasting, vigils, scriptural meditation, nakedness, and total deprivation do not constitute perfection but are the means to perfection. They are not themselves the end point of a discipline, but an end is attained through them. To practice them will therefore be useless if someone instead of regarding these as means to an end is satisfied to regard them as the highest good. One would possess the instruments of a profession without knowing the end where the hoped-for fruit is to be found.

“And so anything which can trouble the purity and the peace of our heart must be avoided as something very dangerous, regardless of how useful and necessary it might actually seem to be. With this for a rule we will be able to avoid the lack of concentration which comes as the mind follows highways and byways and we will be able to go with an assured sense of direction toward our longed-for goal.” END

from St. John Cassian's “Conferences,” (New York: Paulist Press, 1985), pp. 38-40, 41-42.

ANONYMOUS DESERT FATHER - Is Solitude Good for the Spirit?

2012-04-18T01:00:00.001-05:00

This selection is from an anonymous father of the Egyptian desert:

BEGIN TEXT: A certain man said that there were once three men who loved labors, and they were monks. The first one chose to go about and see where there was strife, which he turned into peace; the second chose to go about and visit the sick; but the third departed to the desert that he might dwell in quietness. Finally the first man, who had chosen to still the contentions of men, was unable to make every man to be at peace with his neighbor, and his spirit was sad. He went to the man who had chosen to visit the sick; he found him in affliction because he was not able to fulfill the law which he had laid down for himself.

Then the two of them went to the monk in the desert, and seeing each other they rejoiced, and the two men related to the third the tribulations which had befallen them in the world. They entreated him to tell them how he had lived in the desert. He was silent, but after a little he said unto them, "Come, let each of us go and fill a vessel of water." After they had filled the vessel, he said unto them, "Pour out some of the water into a basin, and look down to the bottom through it," and they did so. He then said unto them, "What do you see?" And they said, "We see nothing." After the water in the basin had ceased to move, he said to them a second time, "Look into the water," and they looked, and he said unto them, "What do you see?" They said unto him, "We see our own faces distinctly."

He said unto them, "Thus is it with the man who dwelleth with men, for by reason of the disturbance caused by the affairs of the world he cannot see his sins; but if he live in the peace and quietness of the desert he is able to see God clearly." END TEXT.

from "The Paradise of the Holy Fathers," trans. by E. A. Wallis Budge, (Seattle: St. Nectarios Press, 1984)

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM - The Paschal Sermon

2012-04-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

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Today is Orthodox Easter, or “Pascha” as it is known within the Church; to all of our readers, Inner Light Productions wishes you the very best in this Paschal season. It is our hope and prayer that the Light of our Lord will fill your heart and soul as you continue forward in your study of the Desert Fathers and Mothers and seek to apply their teachings to your life.

Our text today comes not from a Desert Father, but from St. John Chrysostom who was born in Antioch in 347. It is the text of his Paschal Sermon which is read in every Orthodox Church during the Paschal Liturgy. Although most Eastern Orthodox Christians are well familiar with this text, those of other Christian traditions may not be, so we want to share it with you today. It is truly one of those “classic” texts that cannot be read enough! The Joy of the Resurrection which St. John Chrysostom feels shines through in every word of this joyous text; we are pleased to share it with you here.

BEGIN: Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

If any man is a devout lover of God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man is a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of the Lord. If any has labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any has wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any has come at the third hour, let him have no misgivings; because he will in no wise be deprived thereof. If any has delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any has tarried even until the eleventh hour let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; He give rest to him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as to him who has wrought from the first hour. And he shows mercy on the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he giveth, and upon the other he bestoweth gifts. And he accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering.

Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast you all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go away hungry. All of you, enjoy the feast of faith: receive all the riches of loving-kindness. Let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shone forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He who was held prisoner of it, has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, he has made Hell captive. He angered it when it tasted of his flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was angered, when it encountered You in the lower regions. It was angered for it was abolished. It was angered, for it was mocked. It was angered, for it was slain. It was angered for it was overthrown. It was angered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen. O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the Angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

Trans. by Isabel F. Hapgood, from “The Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox,” ed. By Johanna Manly, (Menlo Park, California: Monastery Books, 1990), p. 11

ANONYMOUS DESERT FATHER - Satan's Worst Enemy

2012-04-11T01:00:00.000-05:00

This week's selection is from the life of an unknown father of the desert who lived near Thebes (present-day Luxor) in Upper Egypt. Many of the sayings of the early desert fathers are unattributed as they were often passed down orally before being committed to writing.

BEGIN: One of the old men of the Thebaid used to tell the following story: "I was the son of a pagan priest. When I was small I would sit and watch my father who often went to sacrifice to the idol. Once, going in behind him in secret, I saw Satan and all his army standing beside him; and behold one of the chief devils came to bow before him. Satan said, 'Where have you come from?' He answered, 'I was in a certain place and made much blood flow, and I have come to tell you about it.' Satan asked, 'How long did it take you to do this?' He replied, 'Thirty days.' Then Satan commanded him to be flogged, saying, 'In so long a time have you done only that?'

And behold, another demon came to bow before him. Satan asked him, 'And you, where have you come from?' The demon replied, 'I was on the sea, and I made the waves rise, and small craft foundered, and I have killed many people, and I have come to inform you of it.' He said to him, 'How long did it take you to do this?' and the demon said, 'Twenty days.' Satan commanded that he also should be flogged, saying, 'That is because in such a long time you have only done this.'

Now, a third demon came to bow before him. he asked, 'And where have you come from?' The demon replied, 'There was a marriage in a certain village, and I stirred up a riot, and I have made much blood flow, killing the4 bride and bridegroom, and I have come to inform you.' He asked him, 'How long have you taken to do this?' and he replied, 'Ten days.' Satan commanded that he also should be flogged because he had taken too long.

After this, another demon came to bow before him. He asked, 'And where have you come from?' He said, 'I was in the desert forty years fighting against a monk, and this night I made him fall into fornication.' When he heard this, Satan arose, embraced him, and put the crown he was wearing on his head and made him sit on his throne, saying, 'You have been able to do a very great deed!'

The old man said, 'Seeing this, I said to myself, "Truly it is a great contest, this contest of the monks," and with God assisting me for my salvation, I went away and became a monk.'"

from "The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers," by Benedicta Ward, (Oxford: SLG Press, 1986)

ABBA NILUS and ABBA NISTERUS - Prayer and the Virtues

2012-04-08T01:00:00.001-05:00

Today we will look at the teachings of Abba Nilus and Abba Nisterus. Unfortunately, there is no biographical information on either of these Desert Fathers available, beyond the fact that they lived in the Egyptian desert. First, a few thoughts from Abba Nilus on prayer, and then some teachings from Abba Nisterus on several of the spiritual virtues:

BEGIN: Abba Nilus said, "Everything you do in revenge against a brother who has harmed you will come back to your mind at the time of prayer."

"Prayer is the seed of gentleness and the absence of anger."

"Prayer is a remedy against grief and depression."

"Go, sell all that belongs to you and give it to the poor and taking up the cross, deny yourself; in this way you will be able to pray without distraction."

"Whatever you have endured out of love of wisdom will bear fruit for you at the time of prayer."

"If you want to pray properly, do not let yourself be upset or you will run in vain."

"Do not be always wanting everything to turn out as you think it should, but rather as God pleases; then you will be undisturbed and thankful in your prayer." END

Abba Nisterus on the spiritual virtues:

BEGIN: Abba Nisterus the Great was walking in the desert with a brother. They saw a dragon and they ran away. The brother said to him, "Were you frightened too, Father?" The old man said to him, "I am not afraid, my child, but it is better for me to flee, so as not to have to flee from the spirit of vainglory."

A brother questioned an old man saying, "What good work should I do so that I may live?" The old man said, "God knows what is good. I have heard it said that one of the Fathers asked Abba Nisterus the Great, the friend of Abba Anthony, and said to him, "What good work is there that I could do?" He said to him, "Are not all actions equal? Scripture says that Abraham was hospitable and God was with him. David was humble, and God was with him. Elias loved interior peace and God was with him. So, do whatever you see your soul desires according to God and guard your heart."

Abba Joseph said to Abba Nisterus, "What should I do about my tongue, for I cannot control it?" The old man said to him, "When you speak, do you find peace?" He replied, "No." The old man said, "If you do not find peace, why do you speak? Be silent and when a conversation takes place, it is better to listen than to speak."

A brother saw Abba Nisterus wearing two tunics and he questioned him saying, "If a poor man came to ask you for a tunic, which would you give him?" He replied, "The better one." And if someone else asked you for one, what would you give him?" The old man said, "Half of the other one." The brother said, "And if someone else asked for one, what would you give him?" He said, "I should cut the rest, give him half, and gird myself with whatever was left." So, the brother said, "And if someone came and asked you for that, what would you do?" The old man said, "I would give him the rest and go and sit down somewhere, until God sent me something to cover myself with, for I would not ask anyone for anything."

Abba Nisterus said that a monk ought to ask himself every night and every morning, "What have we done that is as God will and what have we left undone of that which he does not will?" "He must do this throughout his whole life. This is how Abba Arsenius used to live. Every day strive to come before God without sin. Pray to God in his presence, for he really is present. Do not impose rules on yourself; do not judge anyone.

Swearing, making false oaths, lying, getting angry, insulting people, laughing, all that is alien to monks, and he who is esteemed or exalted above that which he deserves suffers great harm."

They said of Abba Nisterus when he lived at Rhaithou that for three weeks of the year he would weave baskets, making six each week." END

From Sr. Benedicta Ward, "The Sayings of the Desert Fathers," (Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 1975), pp. 153-155

ST. SISOES - Repentance

2012-04-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

This selection is from the life of St. Sisoes who lived in Scetis. After the death of St. Anthony, Abba Sisoes left Scetis saying that it had become too popular and went instead to St. Anthony's mountain where he settled for 72 years.

BEGIN: When Abba Sisoes was about to die, and the fathers were sitting with him, they saw that his face was shining like the sun. He said unto them, "Behold, Abba Anthony has come." After a little while he said again, "Behold, the company of prophets has come," and his face shone twice as bright. Suddenly, he became as one speaking with someone else, and the fathers sitting there asked him, "Show us with whom you are speaking, father."

Immediately, Abba Sisoes said to them, "Behold, the angels came to take me away and I asked them to leave me so that I might tarry here a little longer and repent." And the old men said unto him, "You have no need to repent, father." And Abba Sisoes said to the fathers, "I do not know in my soul if I have rightly begun to repent," and they all realized that the old man was perfect.

Then, suddenly, his face beamed like the sun and all who sat there were afraid and he said to them, "Look! Look! Behold, the Lord has come and he says, 'Bring unto me the chosen vessel which is in the desert,'" and he at once delivered up his spirit and became like lightning and the whole place was filled with a sweet fragrance. END

from "The Paradise of the Holy Fathers, vol II," translated by E. A. Wallis Budge, (Seattle, Washington: St. Nectarios Press, 1984)

ST. PACHOMIUS - "Place" as a Factor in Salvation

2012-04-01T01:00:00.001-05:00

Readers of our blog are scattered around the world. People come for a variety of reasons, but the most obvious reason is to learn more about the teachings of the ancient Desert Fathers and Mothers, those holy men and women who forsook earthly life for a life of hardship and struggle so they could focus their entire beings on God and seek to become one with God. Although many of these men and women lived in monasteries, many of them did not. From the beginning of their spiritual struggles, they were truly alone in the world with no spiritual guides; if they were lucky, they had their Bible and perhaps a couple of writings from earlier saints. Usually they did not have even this.

In many ways, we are like those holy men and women of the Early Church. In today’s world, people who seek the spiritual life are often alone in their quest with no spiritual guides except books or other writings they may have been blessed to collect. We often wonder how we can find salvation where we are. St. Pachomius addressed this issue and assures us that, indeed, one’s “place” does not determine one’s salvation.

St. Pachomius lived from 292 to 346, but his relatively brief life had a profound impact on the development of monasticism. Although Pachomius was a contemporary of St. Anthony the Great, the two apparently never met. A pagan boy born in the present-day Egyptian city of Esneh, he was drafted into the army to fight in a war at the age of twenty. In a camp for conscripts near Luxor, Pachomius was visited one night by local Christians who came to the camp to give food and water to the conscripts since life in the camps was very miserable. After a fruitful conversation with one of the visitors, Pachomius prayed to God that He would deliver him from his plight, he would dedicate his life to serving Him. Within a few months, the war was over and Pachomius returned to Luxor where he was baptised. It was in this region of Upper Egypt that Pachomius was to establish the idea of cenobitic monasticism, a sort of “half way point” between living in the world and being a recluse. Over the ensuing years, thousands of men and women would embrace the monastic life in communities scattered up and down the Nile Valley.

Let us look then at the letters of Pachomius to his disciples and ponder on his teachings of the importance of “place” in the spiritual life.

BEGIN: Become guileless and be like the guileless sheep whose wool is sheared off without their saying a word. Do not go from one place to another saying, “I will find God here or there.” God has said, “I fill the earth, I fill the heavens” (Jeremiah 23:24). And again, “If you cross over water, I am with you” (Isaiah 43:2); and again, “The waves will not swallow you up” (Isaiah 43:2). My son, be aware that God is within you, so that you may dwell in his law and commandments. Behold, the thief was on the cross, and he entered Paradise; but behold Judas was among the Apostles and he betrayed his Lord. Behold, Rahab was in prostitution, and she was numbered among the saints; but behold, Eve was in Paradise, and she was deceived. Behold, Job was on the dung heap, and he was compared with his Lord; but behold, Adam was in Paradise, and he fell away from the commandment.

Behold, the angels were in heaven, and they were hurled into the abyss; but behold Elijah and Enoch who were raised into the kingdom of heaven. “In every place, then, seek out God; at every moment seek out his strength” (Psalms 105:4). Seek Him out like Abraham, who obeyed God, who called Him “my friend.” Seek Him out like Joseph, who did battle against impurity, so that he was made ruler over his enemies. Seek him out like Moses, who followed his Lord, and He made him lawgiver and let him come to know His likeness. Daniel sought Him out, and He taught him great mysteries; He saved him from the lion’s gullet. The three saints sought Him out, and found Him in the fiery furnace. Job took refuge with Him and He cured him of his sores. Susanna sought Him out, and He saved her from the hands of the wicked. Judith sought Him out, and found Him in the tent of Holofernes. All these sought Him out and he delivered them; and he delivered others also. END

from “Pachomian Koinonia vol III,” trans. by Fr. Armand Veilleux, a monk of Mistassini, (Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, no. 47, 1982), pp. 23-24

ST. MACARIUS THE GREAT - Seek Not the Praises of Men

2012-03-28T01:00:00.002-05:00

This selection is from St. Macarius the Great, born around 300 A.D. A former camel driver and trader, he was one of the earliest pioneers of "Scetis," an area in the Egyptian desert near Alexandria that is renowned for the richness of its ascetic life. St. Macarius lived before monasteries were established and as with many monks of his time was a wanderer, not living in any particular place for very long. He visited St. Anthony the Great in the Red Sea Desert at least twice. St. Macarius died around 390 A.D.

BEGIN: A brother came to see Abba Macarius the Egyptian, and said to him, "Abba, give me a word, that I may be saved." So the old man said, "Go to the cemetery and abuse the dead." The brother went there, abused them and threw stones at them; then he returned and told the old man about it. The latter said to him, "Didn't they say anything to you?" He replied, "No."

The old man said, "Go back tomorrow and praise them." So the brother went away and praised them, calling them, "Apostles, saints, and righteous men." He returned to the old man and said to him, "Did they not answer you?" The brother said, "No."

The old man said to him, "You know how you insulted them and they did not reply, and how you praised them and they did not speak; so you too, if you wish to be saved, must do the same and become a dead man. Like the dead, take no account of either the scorn of men or their praises, and you can be saved." END

from "The Desert Christian," by Sr. Benedicta Ward, (New York: MacMillan, 1975), p. 132

ST. JOHN CASSIAN - The Need for Spiritual Fathers

2012-03-25T01:00:00.010-05:00

Our weekly blog will often quote the Desert Fathers as they were recorded by St. John Cassian in his wonderful books “Institutes” and “Conferences.” On the Orthodox Church calendar, Cassian is commemorated on February 29 or March 1 (depending on whether it is a leap year).

BEGIN: Our Holy Father, John Cassian, was born in Rome of eminent parents. In his youth he studied the secular disciplines, especially philosophy and astronomy. After that, he gave himself entirely to the study of Holy Scripture. He moved from the good to the better, and, desiring higher and higher steps to perfection, Cassian left Rome for the East, to learn more and attain this greater perfection. He went to Bethlehem, then lingered in Egypt, at Nitria, among outstanding spiritual athletes from whom he learned to exercise himself in all the virtues. In Constantinople, he became a pupil of St. John Chrysostom and was ordained by him to the diaconate. He finally returned to the West and settled near Marseilles, there founding two monasteries, one for monks and one for nuns. At the request of the monks, Cassian wrote many books, among which the ones on the lovers of the spiritual life are especially helpful: “Eight books on the struggle against the eight chief passions” (The Institutes). His book against the Nestorian heresy (On the Incarnation of the Lord), which he wrote at the request of Archdeacon (later Pope) Leo, is very important. He served the Lord faithfully and enriched many by his wisdom, then entered into eternal rest in 435. St. Cassian’s relics are preserved to this day in Marseilles. END

St. John Cassian’s book, “Conferences,” was written with the intention of providing spiritual instruction to monks. One of the over-riding themes found in this volume is the need for spiritual guidance and instruction, if not from actual spiritual directors, then at least from the writings of holy men and women. One especially heart-breaking example of self-reliance is described by St. Cassian in the following story:

BEGIN: A recent example of the kind that I promised you will show the force of that description proclaimed of old by the blessed Anthony and by the other fathers. Think of what you recently saw happening before your very eyes. Remember the old man Hero who was cast down from the heights to the lowest depths because of a diabolical illusion. I remember how he remained fifty years in this desert, keeping to the rigors of abstinence with a severity that was outstanding, loving the secrecy of the solitary life with a fervor marvelously greater than that of any one else dwelling here. After such toil how and why could he have been fooled by the deceiver? How could he have gone down into so great a ruin that all of us here in the desert were stricken with pain and grief? Surely the reason for it was that he had too little of the virtue of discernment and that he preferred to be guided by his own ideas rather than to bow to the advice and conferences of his brethren and to the rules laid down by our predecessors. He practiced fasting so rigorously and so relentlessly, he was so given to the loneliness and secrecy of his cell, that even the special respect due to the Easter day could not persuade him to join the brethren in their meal. He was the only one who could not come together with all his brethren assembled in church for the feast, and the reason for this was that by taking the tiniest share of the vegetables he might give the impression of having relaxed from what he had chosen to do.

This presumptuousness led to his being fooled. He showed the utmost veneration for the angel of Satan, welcoming him as if he were actually an angel of light. Yielding totally to his bondage he threw himself headlong into a well, whose depths no eye could penetrate. He did so trusting completely in the assurance of the angel who had guaranteed that on account of the merit of his virtues and of his works he could never come to any harm. To experience his undoubted freedom from danger the deluded man threw himself in the darkness of night into this well. He would know at first hand the great merit of his own virtue when he emerged unscathed. He was pulled out half-dead by his brothers, who had to struggle very hard at it. He would die two days later. Worse, he was to cling firmly to his illusion, and the very experience of dying could not persuade him that he had been the sport of devilish skill. Those who pitied him his leaving had the greatest difficulty in obtaining the agreement of abbot Paphnutius that for the sake of the merit won by his very hard work and by the many years endured by him in the desert he should not be classed among the suicides and hence, be deemed unworthy of the remembrance and prayers offered for the dead. END

St. John Cassian’s life is taken from “The Prologue From Ochrid,” by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, (Birmingham, England: Lazarica Press, 1985), vol. I, p. 223.

St. John's teaching is taken from “Conferences,” (New York: Paulist Press, 1985), pp. 64-65.

ST. ARSENIUS - Doing What is Right in the Sight of God

2012-03-21T01:00:00.001-05:00

This week's selection is from Arsenius, born in Rome around 360. He left Rome for Egypt at the age of 34 where he settled in Scetis under the guidance of St. John the Dwarf. After living for many years in the desert in solitude, silence, and deep asceticism, St. Arsenius returned to his Lord in 449:

BEGIN: Abba David said, "Abba Arsenius told us the following, as though it referred to someone else, but in fact it referred to himself. An old man was sitting in his cell and a voice came to him which said, 'Come, and I will show you the works of men.' He got up and followed. The voice led him to a certain place and showed him an Ethiopian cutting wood and making a great pile. He struggled to carry it but in vain. Instead of taking some off, he cut more wood which he added to the pile. He did this for a long time.

Going on a little further, the old man was shown a man standing on the shore of a lake drawing up water and pouring it into a broken receptacle, so that the water ran back into the lake. The voice said to the old man, 'Come and I will show you something else.' He saw a temple and two men on horseback, opposite one another, carrying a piece of wood crosswise. They wanted to go in through the door but could not because they held their piece of wood crosswise. Neither of them would draw back before the other, so as to carry the wood straight; so they remained outside the door. The voice said to the old man, 'These men carry the yoke of righteousness with pride, and do not humble themselves so as to correct themselves and walk in the humble way of Christ. So they remain outside the Kingdom of God. The man cutting the wood is he who lives in many sins and instead of repenting he adds more faults to his sins. He who draws the water is he who does good deeds, but mixing bad ones with them, he spoils even his good works. So, everyone must be watchful of his actions, lest he labor in vain." END

from "The Desert Christian," by Benedicta Ward, (New York; Macmillan, 1975), p. 15-16

POPE SHENOUDA III - A Short History of Coptic Monasticism

2012-03-20T05:04:00.000-05:00

Transcript of a Speech of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III,

Patriarch of Alexandria and the See of St. Mark

Delivered at the Opening of the Exhibit by photographer Michael McClellan, "A Still, Small Voice: Sixteen Centuries of Egyptian Monasticism," at the Washington National Cathedral, March 15, 1992.

I want to tell you now about Coptic monasticism. Egypt is considered the motherland of monasticism. The first monk in the whole world was St. Anthony, a Copt from Upper Egypt. He was born in the year 251 and departed in the year 356; he lived 105 years. During this period he established monasticism and all the leaders of monasticism in the whole world were his disciples or the disciples of his disciples.

Also, the first abbot in the world who established monasteries was St. Bakhum (Pachomius), also a Copt from Upper Egypt. He lived in the fourth century and at the end of the third century. When we say that St. Anthony was born in the year 251, that he became a monk when he was about twenty years old or less, and then spent the first thirty years in complete solitude, that means monasticism began in Egypt at the end of the third century or the beginning of the fourth century -- more than sixteen centuries.

Monasticism began in Egypt as a life of complete solitude, a life of solitude and contemplation. No one of our monks in the fourth century or the fifth century served the church in the world. They wanted to forget the whole world and to be forgotten by the world and to have only our Lord God in their thinking, in their emotions, to fill all their hearts and all their lives.

So, when monasticism began it did not begin in monasteries, it began in caves scattered through the mountains, and holes in the ground, and some dwelling places. But afterwards, they began to build monasteries. Monasteries were built in the midst of the fourth century, or perhaps some years before. The monasteries of Upper Egypt, of St. Bakhum, had many monks living in them, living together a life called in the Greek language, "kenobium," which means "life together." And that was a characteristic of the monasteries of Upper Egypt of St. Bakhum and St. Shenouda.

But in Wadi Natrun, the monasteries had a special characteristic. The monasteries were built in the most ancient places and had churches and the refectory. The monks used to go to the church once every week on Saturday evening to have a kind of spiritual teaching by the elders, with any question or problem being said by the monks -- who were called brothers at that time -- with the answers being given by the elders. They used to celebrate the Holy Communion on Sunday morning and then eat together in the refectory; then each monk would leave the monastery to live his own life of solitude until the next week. That means they used to gather together only once, one day every week, and live the rest of their lives in complete solitude. Why? They wanted to purify their minds from anything of worldly thinking, not to think of the world any longer, not to have news from the world, not to have letters from the world, not to read newspapers, even not to receive visitors.

But at last, this light of monasticism could not be hidden. Many people came from abroad to hear a word of benefit from those monks and these monks, the Coptic monks, the Egyptian monks, did not write about themselves, but the visitors who came wrote about them. One of the most famous was the Lausiac History by Palladius. It was called Lausiac History because it was written to a certain noble man named Lausius. This Lausiac History was translated into the English language with the title of "Paradise of the Fathers." This "Paradise of the Fathers" was known in the Arabic language as "Bustan al-Ruhaban." Another famous work was that of Rufinus about the desert fathers; another was by John Cassian who published two books, one called the "Institutes" and the other called "Conferences." In his book, "Institutes," he had twelve chapters, the first four about the history of Coptic monasticism, the life of monks and their way of life, and the other eight chapters about spiritual warfares which may attack monks; for example, pride, vainglory, anger, and so on.

He said the traveler who passed from Alexandria to Luxor had, on all the journey, the sound of hymns in his ears from Alexandria to Luxor. That means all along the River Nile; but he was speaking about the western desert. In the eastern desert of the Nile Valley, we have two famous monasteries, the Monastery of St. Anthony and the Monastery of St. Paul the Hermit. Those hermits were also called, in monastic life, anchorites. Anchorites. In the Arabic language, they were called "as-Sawah." They always used to live in caves very far from any monastery. When we read the story by St. Paphnutius who wrote for us the history or life of Abba Nofer, it was a trip of nearly thirty days in what was called the "inner wilderness." They lived in a place quite unknown to anybody.

For example, St. Paul the hermit lived about eighty years in monasticism and did not see the face of any human being. Many other hermits -- for example St. Caras -- lived about 60 years in monasticism without seeing the face of any human being. They forgot all about the world, they had nothing in their memory about the world or its news. Their senses could not collect any worldly matter, they had only God and His Love in their memory, in their mind, in their hearts, and in their emotions. They could fulfill the biblical verse which was written in Deuteronomy 6, and also was said by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 21, "to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all they soul, and with all thy power." How can a person give the whole of his mind to the Lord God? How? How to give the whole of your heart? We may love God through loving human beings, but those hermits, those anchorites, had only God in their minds. They could not think about any other matter.

Now, for example, when we speak to youth classes, we say to youth that bad thoughts are thoughts of any kind of sin; but for these monks, bad thoughts were thoughts of any matter besides God. For this reason, they were called "earthly angels," or "angelic human beings." They lived as angels on the earth, but as you know from biblical studies, we have two kinds of angels. (The first kind is) angels who live all their time praising God: for example, the seraphim. Those angels of the seraphim are mentioned only in Isaiah 6; they always were singing "agios, agios" or "holy, holy, holy" praising the Lord. But we have another kind of angel which was mentioned in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 14. They are ministering spirits sent to those who are called for salvation. We can call the pastors of the church, the ministers of the church, angels sent to the world to serve the world of salvation; for example, the pastors of the seven churches in Asia were also called angels -- the angel of Ephesus, the angel of Smyrna, the angel of Pergamos, and so on. But, the angels who devoted all their time praising the Lord as the seraphim were the symbol of holy life put in front of those monks.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria was chosen to be the 20th Pope of the See of St. Mark in the year 328 or 329, while he was only a deacon. At that time St. Anthony was living and was his spiritual father. But St. Anthony was not chosen to be the pope or patriarch; instead, they chose the deacon Athanasius. Through the flourishing era of monasticism of the fourth century, the fifth century, and the first half of the sixth century, they did not choose these monks to be bishops or patriarchs because those monks preferred to have a life of solitude, a life of prayer, a life of contemplation. They preferred to live with God, not with human beings. They preferred to be remembered only by God, not by human beings. Why? Because sometimes if they permitted visits they could lose their life of solitude and prayer, their prayers would be interrupted, and their meditation of God would be interrupted.

A story that was mentioned in the "Paradise of the Fathers" was that a certain monk was walking in the wilderness and two angels came beside him. He did not look to the right or to the left, but said, "I do not want even angels interrupting my meditation of God," remembering what was in the Epistle to the Romans, chapter 8 (verses 38 and 39).

At last, the Church was in need of those people and then bishops were taken from among monks of the deserts and then patriarchs and then the great need of the Church was for some of them to work as priests, as pastors. Then the life of complete solitude became a minority in our monasteries. . . . Remember two verses in the Bible; I do not know how you comment on these verses. The verse in St. Luke's gospel, chapter 18, verse 1 ("And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint."), and also another verse, "Pray without ceasing," in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 17. Pray without ceasing, without interruption. How can we fulfill these verses?

We have to fulfill the symbol of Mary, not the symbol of Martha. The symbol of Martha is working for the service of God Himself; but for Mary, it is to be only looking at God, contemplation, prayer, to be at His own feet, listening to His words, and contemplating His words. So at least we should have a small number of these monks representing that life of the past and to be a blessing for the world and to bless the world. When our Lord God wanted to burn Sodom . . . He said even if I find only ten pure persons in the city, I will not burn the city. To have these persons only existing. He did not say if ten persons pray for this city -- only that if there are only ten persons I will not burn the city. Those monks were a kind of blessing to the world representing pure life, the purest life in the whole world, resembling persons who don't love anything in the world -- even themselves -- but only God to be kept in mind.

Now in Egypt we are trying to let monastic life return to many deserted monasteries. We had hundreds of monasteries in the past. We are now working in the White Monastery of St. Shenouda, in the Red Monastery in front of this white one, and in about four monasteries in the mountain of Akhmim, trying to send monks to this area to let monastic life return. . . . If you come (to visit our monasteries), you will be deeply welcomed and you will see something about the ancient monastic life and the expansion of monasticism today. I myself, in only the single monastery of Anba Bishoi, ordained about 150 monks, new monks. For this reason, we had to build many new cells in the monasteries to receive those new novices who want to prepare themselves for monasticism. Also, in every monastery now we have a retreat house for those youth who want to come to the monastery to spend some days of spiritual experience under spiritual guidance. Some of them like monastic life and become monks.

We have great work in Sunday schools. In Sunday schools we prepare the children from the very beginning of their lives to live a spiritual life, to live in the Lord, some of these children join the seminary, some become Sunday school teachers, and some of those Sunday school teachers join the seminary. And when they graduate from the university and the seminary and Sunday school, they go to the monasteries to become monks -- some of them -- and some of them become parish priests. So, through the revival of Sunday schools we prepare a great number of persons to be monks. To live a spiritual life for their own benefit is all right; if the church needs some of them to serve, that is all right.

We don't oblige any monk to lead a certain life. For he who wants to live in the monastery as part of the congregation, that is all right. If he wants to lead a life of solitude inside the monastery, that is all right. If he wants a cell of solitude outside the monastery or on the near hills, that will be all right. He who wants to live in a cave will have the permission to live in a cave. We have all kinds of monasticism.

I thank you for listening; I am sorry to use your time in such a long address.

The Death of Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria and the See of St. Mark

2012-03-19T09:20:00.000-05:00

Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria and the See of St. Mark, the Coptic Pope of Egypt, has fallen asleep in the Lord. I was blessed to have His Holiness open my photo exhibit on Coptic monasteries at the Washington National Cathedral in 1991. He also wrote a chapter for my book, "Monasticism in Egypt: Images and Words of the Desert Fathers," and was a true shepherd of his flock in the traditions of the ancient Desert Fathers.

Now that a new pope will be selected, it may be of interest to our readers to see how the Coptic Church selects its spiritual leader. Here is an article from Wikipedia that outlines the procedure:

The candidates for the Apostolic Throne of Alexandria must be at least 40 years old, and a lay person, a monk, a Hieromonk (Monk Priest or Monk Archpriest), or even a general bishop (not shepherding a diocese), as has been recently the practice (although it is against the definition of the candidates of the Canon Laws). The election is done when a draw is made by a blindfolded child selected from the congregation of a folded paper that has written on it the name of the candidate. This draw is made out of the three runner finalist candidates who are elected from several candidates through several elections made by the members of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Church and the General Lay Council of the Church, rather than being elected by other clergymen.

This ceremony is done at the end of a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, presided by the Locum tenens of the Throne, along with the entire body of the Holy Synod and in the presence of all members of the General Lay Council of the Church and in front of all the congregation. The last time this was seen was in 1971 after the departure of Pope Cyril VI, where Bishop Shenouda, general bishop and administrator of the Bishopric of Christian Education, became Pope Shenouda III.

In accordance with the old Coptic church tradition, for nineteen centuries it was essential that the Pope should not have been a Bishop beforehand. However, Pope Cyril VI was the only Monk in the 20th century to be chosen as the Coptic Pope without being a Bishop/Metropolitan before becoming the Pope. Before him, there was three Bishops/Metropolitans who became Popes: John XIX (1928–1942), Macarius III (1942–1944) and Pope Yousab II. After him, Pope Shenouda III was a Bishop before becoming a Pope.

May His Holiness rest in the arms of the saints and his Lord Jesus Christ!

ST. MARY OF EGYPT - An Example of Repentance for Today

2012-03-18T01:00:00.053-05:00

Now that we are in the season of fasting (Great Lent), our thoughts are turned toward repentance and one of the best examples of repentance for us is that of St. Mary of Egypt. In the usual versions of St. Mary's life, she is a repentant prostitute who spends most of her life in the desert, living alone in repentance. There is another, lesser known, version of her life, though, which is also worth reading and was commonly known among the ancient Desert Fathers. We will give both those versions, both instructive, which do not necessarily contradict each other. First, the more commonly-known version:

BEGIN: In her youth, Mary chose to live a dissolute life in Alexandria until, one day, drawn by curiosity, she joined some pilgrims going by ship to Jerusalem. On the way she seduced many of her companions, and continued to live in this way in Jerusalem. On the day appointed for the veneration of the Holy Cross (September 14), Mary went with the others to the door of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where the relic of the True Cross was to be displayed. She went forward to enter the church with the other pilgrims, but on the threshold an invisible force seemed to prevent her from entering. At once sudden contrition filled her heart and she began to weep, praying to Mary the Mother of God to help her. Next morning she found she could enter the church and venerate the cross. At once she left the city and crossed over Jordan, taking only a little bread which she had bought with some coins a pilgrim had given her. In the desert she lived for forty seven years until a priest, Zossima, found her by accident, heard her story, gave her communion and eventually returned in time to bury her, a lion helping him to dig her grave. END

In the second version of her life, St. Mary did not immediately leave Jerusalem after consecrating herself to God, but instead stayed on at the Holy Sepulchre as a nun where she again fell into sin:

BEGIN: An anchorite told this story to the brothers: "When I was living in the desert on the slopes of Arnona, one day a weakness of soul came upon me and my thoughts said to me, "Go for a walk in the desert." I came to a dried up stream; it was an advanced hour in the evening and by the light of the moon I fixed my eyes on a distant object and I saw that it was sitting on a rock. Then I reflected that even if it was indeed a lion, I ought not to be afraid but to entrust myself to the grace of Christ. So I approached the rock, and by the side of it there was a narrow opening. At once the being I had seen afar off hid itself in this cave. When I reached the top of the rock, I found there a basket full of bread and a jar of water which showed me that it must be a human being. I called to him, 'Servant of God, be so kind as to come out so that I may be blessed by you.' He was silent but when I had renewed my appeal several times, he answered me thus: "Excuse me, father, but I cannot come out." When I asked why, he said, "You must know that I am a woman and that I am naked." At these words I rolled up the cloak that I was carrying, and threw it into the opening in the rock, saying to her, ìHere, cover yourself and come out" and she did so. When she had come out, we offered a prayer to God and we sat down. Then I asked her, "My mother, of your kindness, tell me what has happened to you. How long have you been here? Why did you undertake this journey? And how did you find this cave?"

She began to tell me about herself thus: "Once I was a consecrated virgin living in the Holy Sepulchre. One of the monks who had his cell at the gate got to know me. I used to meet him so often that it reached the point where we fell into sin. I would go to his house and he would come to mine. One day as I was was going to his cell as usual I heard him weeping before God and making his confession to Him. I knocked on the door, but he, because of hwat he had done with me, did not open it to me at all. He went on weeping and confessing. Seeing this, I said to myself, 'He is repenting of his sins but I do not repent of mine. He is lamenting his faults; shall I not also afflict myself?' Re-entering my cell alone, I dressed myself poorly and filled this basket with loaves and this jar with water, and then I went into the Holy Sepulchre. There I prayed asking that the great God, the wonderful, who came to save those who were lost and to raise up those that are fallen, He who hears all those who address themselves to Him in truth, that He would show mercy towards me, a sinful woman, and if He should find the repentance and transformation of my soul acceptable, that He would bless these loaves and this water so that they would last me to the end of my life, so that no necessity of the flesh or needs of hunger should give me a pretext for interrupting perpetual praise. After that I went into Holy Golgotha where I offered the same prayer and touching the top of the Holy Stone, there I invoked the holy Name of God. Then having reached Jericho and crossed over Jordan, I journeyed the length of the Dead Sea, for at that time the water was not very high. I crossed the mountains and wandered in the desert and I had the good fortune to find this dried up stream. When I climbed this rock, I found this cave here and when I went into it its narrowness pleased me greatly, for it made me think that the good God had offered it to me as a place of refuge. I have been here thirty years without having seen anyone except yourself at this hour. The basket of loaves and the jar of water have sufficed for my needs until now without failing me. After a time my clothes wore out but my hair had grown and I was covered with it in such a way that neither heat nor cold made me suffer by the grace of Christ."

After these words she invited me to take some of the loaves, for she sensed that I was very hungry. We ate and drank equally. Once, I looked into the basket and saw that the loaves remained as they had been and also the water had not diminished and I praised God. I wanted to leave her my old robe but she would not have it. She said, ìYou will bring me new clothing,î which pleased me very much and I begged her to wait for me just there. We offered a prayer to God and I went away, marking all the way my path for my return. I went back to the church of the nearby village and old the priest about the matter. He told the faithful that certain of the saints were living naked and that those who had too many clothes should offer them to them. The friends of Christ gave many clothes diligently and I took what was necessary and went off joyously in the hope of seeing again this spiritual mother. But I could not find the cave again although I wore myself out seeking it. And when at last by chance I saw it, the woman inspired by God was no longer to be found there; her absence affected me deeply. Some days later some anchorites came to visit me, and they told this story:

"When we came to the edge of the sea, we saw by night in the desert an anchorite whose hair covered him; when we begged him to bless us, he fled quickly, entering a little cave which we found nearby. We wanted to go in but he implored us, saying, 'Oh servants of Christ, do not disturb me! Lo,
on top of the rock is a basket of loaves and a jar of water; please be good enough to serve yourselves.' He offered a prayer for us to God, and when we reached the top we found things as he had said. We sat down and although we ate, the bread did not diminish, and although we drank of the water in the jar it remained the same. For the rest of the night we were silent. At dawn we got up to be blessed by the anchorite and we found him asleep in the Lord. Also, we discovered that he was a woman who had been naked and who had covered herself with her hair. We received a blessing from her body and rolled a stone to the entry, to the cave. Then, having offered a prayer to God, we came away."

Then I understood that he spoke of the holy mother, the former consecrated virgin, and I told them what I had learned from her. Together we glorified God to whom be glory to ages of ages. Amen. END

from Sr. Benedicta Ward, "Harlots of the Desert,"(Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 1987), pp. 27, 29 - 32.