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Over the past few days, this series on the wisdom of the Desert Fathers has been focusing a lot on how to live a good and holy life. We had Abba Sisoes talking about shame and fear and their relationship to sin, Abba Poemen bemoaning the lack of truly perceptive monks in the Desert, and … Continue reading The Ways of Wisdom: A Reflection on Psalm 51 and Joseph of Panephysis 2

In yesterday’s post, our old friend Abba Poemen commented on how much more common it was in the Desert for monks to achieve ascetic mastery than it was genuine perception. In today’s saying, he talks about three tools that just might get us to that place of true excellence: Abba Poemen said: ‘Vigilance, self-awareness, and … Continue reading Three Guides for the Soul: A Reflection on Abba Poemen 35

A few years ago, I, like many Christians, was shocked and disappointed when it came out that Jean Vanier, the founder of the l’Arche communities and a great hero to many of us, had been found to have psychologically and sexually abused at least six women. It was yet another reminder that even those who … Continue reading On Perception: A Reflection on Abba Poemen 106

Towards the start of this series, we looked at a couple sayings that talked about the importance of starting small in our sacred practices, and training up to more extreme disciplines. Today we’ll look at a necessary corollary of this teaching: that the stronger we become in the life of faith, whether in terms of … Continue reading Spiritual Heavyweights: A Reflection on Amma Syncletica 14

One of the great joys of reading ancient wisdom texts, like the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, is how they can surprise us. Today I’d like to look at one such surprising Saying, from Abba Sisoes, on what he considers to be two pathways to sin. So let’s give it a closer look and see … Continue reading Shame, Fear, and Sin: A Reflection on Abba Sisoes 41