This blog is an online resource for meditations during Lent. The theme comes from the Desert Tradition, and sayings from the Desert Fathers and Mothers will be posted daily for reflection.
“[One of the Fathers] questioned Amma Theodora saying, ‘At the resurrection of the dead, how shall we rise?’ She said, ‘As pledge, example, and as prototype we have him who died for us and is risen, Christ our God.’” (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Theta.10)
An old man was asked, ‘How can I find God?’ He said, ‘In fasting, in watching, in labors, in devotion, and, above all, in discernment. I tell you, many have injured their bodies without discernment and have gone away from us having achieved nothing. Our mouths smell bad through fasting, we know the Scriptures by heart, we recite all the Psalms of David, but we have not that which God seeks: charity and humility (The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers 90).’
On of the old men said, ‘In the beginning , when we came together, we spoke to the good of souls, we advanced and ascended to heaven; now when we come together we fall into slander, and we drag one another to hell (The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers 106).’
Tonight Begins the Paschal Triduum; the most important liturgies of the entire year.
Wednesday of Holy Week (Tenebrae at 7 pm at Church)
An 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 (The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers. 108).’
Tuesday of Holy Week (Morning Prayer at 9:30 am at Church)
An old man said, ‘The monk’s cell is like the furnace of Babylon where the three children found the Son of God (Dan. 3), and it is like the pillar of cloud where God spoke to Moses (Exodus 13:21-22; Ps. 99:7) (The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers 74).’
Monday of Holy Week (Morning Prayer at 9:30 am at Church)
A great old man had become clairvoyant, and he affirmed with great vigor, ‘The power that I have seen at the moment of baptism, I have also seen at the clothing of a monk when a habit is put on him (The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers 234).’
The crowds gathered at the gate, awaiting the arrival of a
king. It may seem odd that a king would ride on a donkey’s colt however, it was
the way of kings to ride to battle on horses, but when they returned to
Jerusalem in peace, they rode upon a donkey. And this is where we find Jesus,
being welcomed as a king and riding upon a donkey’s colt. But it isn’t just
kings who are carried upon donkeys, but sacrifices, as well. Jesus comes to the city in peaceful mien, his whole purpose
to herald an age of peace. All the while, the powerful machine of the Roman
Empire maintains Pax Romana, the peace of Rome, with military force. The irony
is all too clear for the pilgrims who had gathered to greet this humble king.
His entrance into the city is overwhelmingly significant,
both in its signs, and its meanings. Jesus is greeted as the very line of
David, the Tribe of Judah, reclaiming the throne of Israel. For the people who
believe, the coming of Jesus is the promise of liberation; the coming of a new
era.
I’m not certain that the crowd of pilgrims who stand waiting for Jesus are the
same people who shout “crucify him.” But if they are, they represent for us the
weakness of spiritual vision; a kind of short-sightedness that eventually
blinds hearts.
Certainly there is a period of time between his entrance and
trial (which we do not read about today) in which their hearts may have been
turned against Jesus. Whether through capriciousness, or short-sightedness, we
cannot know for certain what caused such vehemence against Jesus. However, we
can pretty easily guess at some of their reasoning.
After all, it isn’t hard to miss that a king and messiah would become a
sacrifice for all of Creation. Likewise, most revolutions are defeated after
the death of their leader. It also isn’t hard to miss the presence of a kingdom
which “is and is not yet” at the same time. If anything, Palm Sunday/Passion
Sunday makes our own short-sightedness so much more evident, especially since
we move so quickly from a triumphal entry, to a brutal execution.
What remains, however, is the promise that this is only the
beginning. Today is the beginning of Holy Week, the precursor to a new season
of new life, and the memorial of our redemption. So how do keep from missing
the significance of today? How do we train our spiritual eyes so that we will
not miss the presence of the Kingdom of God in the midst of the Kingdom of
Earth? It starts with our “Hosannas.” But more than that, it is our ability to
see beyond every moment of everyday, and recognize that the foundations of
God’s Kingdom are laid in our hearts. Because this is promise to those who
Christ redeems. When we realize this, we need not look very far to see the
triumph of Jesus’ humility and the Messiah in the King.
This is a video called "The Manchester Passion." It is a retelling of the Passion Story in a modern context, using music from the Manchester England area. It's, if nothing else, thought provocative. Enjoy!
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Euphemia and Maria, were two sisters who became anchorites of Turkey. As Euphemia lay dying, she spoke these words to her sister, Maria.
“My daughter, take comfort in Christ and guard yourself in purity...I am entrusting you to the child of our blessed lady Mary, and to the Holy One herself, that by her prayers you may be guarded, and become a temple of the dwelling of the Holy Spirit of God (Swan, 93).”
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Here is an excerpt from a time when Abba Antony was living among the catacombs (tombs) before taking his hermitage at Mt. Colzim.
“He was carried therefore by the man, and as he was wont, when the door was shut he was within alone. And he could not stand up on account of the blows, but he prayed as he lay. And after he had prayed, he said with a shout, Here am I, Antony; I flee not from your stripes, for even if you inflict more nothing shall separate me Romans 8:35 from the love of Christ. And then he sang, 'though a camp be set against me, my heart shall not be afraid. ' These were the thoughts and words of this ascetic. But the enemy, who hates good, marveling that after the blows he dared to return, called together his hounds and burst forth, 'You see,' said he, 'that neither by the spirit of lust nor by blows did we stay the man, but that he braves us, let us attack him in another fashion.' But changes of form for evil are easy for the devil, so in the night they made such a din that the whole of that place seemed to be shaken by an earthquake, and the demons as if breaking the four walls of the dwelling seemed to enter through them, coming in the likeness of beasts and creeping things. And the place was on a sudden filled with the forms of lions, bears, leopards, bulls, serpents, asps, scorpions, and wolves, and each of them was moving according to his nature. The lion was roaring, wishing to attack, the bull seeming to toss with its horns, the serpent writhing but unable to approach, and the wolf as it rushed on was restrained; altogether the noises of the apparitions, with their angry ragings, were dreadful. But Antony, stricken and goaded by them, felt bodily pains severer still. He lay watching, however, with unshaken soul, groaning from bodily anguish; but his mind was clear, and as in mockery he said, 'If there had been any power in you, it would have sufficed had one of you come, but since the Lord has made you weak, you attempt to terrify me by numbers: and a proof of your weakness is that you take the shapes of brute beasts.' And again with boldness he said, 'If you are able, and have received power against me, delay not to attack; but if you are unable, why trouble me in vain? For faith in our Lord is a seal and a wall of safety to us.' So after many attempts they gnashed their teeth upon him, because they were mocking themselves rather than him (The Life of St. Antony, St. Athanasius P.9).”
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Some monks of Scetis came one day to visit Amma Sarah. She offered them a small basket of fruit. They left the good fruit and ate the bad. So she said to them, ‘You are true monks of Scetis (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Sigma. 8).’
Wednesday After Lent 5 (Eucharist 9:30 am/Stations; Benediction; Meditation 7 pm) Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
The brothers praised a monk before Abba Anthony. When the monk came to see him, Anthony wanted to know how he would bear insults; and seeing that he could not bear them at all, he said to him, “You are like a village magnificently decorated on the outside, but destroyed from within by robbers (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Alpha.15).”
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Amma Syncletica said, “Those who have endured the labors and dangers of the sea and then amass material riches, even when they consider what they have gained much desire to gain yet more and they consider what they have at present as nothing and reach out for what they have not got. We, who have nothing of that which we desire, wish to acquire everything through the fear of God (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Sigma.10).”
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Abba Isaiah said, “A beginner who goes from one monastery to another is like an animal who jumps this way and that, for fear of the halter (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Eta.3).”
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Amma Syncletica said, “It is not good to get angry, but if this should happen, the Apostle does not allow you a whole day for this passion, for he says: ‘Let not the sun go down (Eph. 4:25).’ Will you wait till all your time is ended? Why hate the man who has grieved you? It is not he who has done the wrong, but the devil. Hate the sickness but not the sick person (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Sigma.13).”
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Abba Anthony said, “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, ‘You are mad, you are not like us.’ (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Alpha.25).”
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Amma Syncletica said, “It is dangerous for anyone to teach who has not first been trained in the “practical” life. For if someone who owns a ruined house receives guests there, he does them harm because of the dilapidation of his dwelling. It is the same in the case of someone who has not first built an interior dwelling; he causes loss to those who come. By words one may convert them to salvation, but by evil behavior, on injures them (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Sigma.12).”
Wednesday After Lent 4 (Eucharist 9:30 am/Stations; Benediction; Meditation 7 pm) Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
One day Abba Anthony received a letter from the Emperor Constantius asking him to come to Constantinople and he wondered whether he ought to go. So, he said to Abba Paul, his disciple, “Ought I to go?” He replied, “If you go, you will be called Anthony, but if you stay here, you will be called Abba Anthony (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Alpha.31).”
Tonight we discuss planning our funerals. Come figure out the readings and hymns for your funeral service.
Start by reading Psalm 51 reflectively. After a period of silence, read over the quote for the day. Consider within yourself what it might mean…
Amma Sarah said, “If I prayed to God that all men should approve of my conduct, I should find myself a penitent at the door of each one, but I shall rather pray that my heart may be pure towards all (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Sigma.5).”
