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

Author:Benedicta Ward
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Spirituality, Religion, Classics, Catholicism, Christianity
ISBN: 9780141907000
Publisher: Penguin Books Limited
Published: 2003-03-27T04:00:00+00:00

11

SOBER LIVING

1. A brother asked Arsenius to give him advice. He said to him, ‘As far as possible, try hard to make your inner progress as God would have it, and by this overcome the passions of the body.’ He also said, ‘If we seek God, he will appear to us; if we grasp Him, He will stay with us.’

2. Agatho said, ‘A monk ought not to let his conscience accuse him of anything.’ When Agatho was on his death-bed, he lay for three days with his eyes open, without moving. The brothers nudged him, saying, ‘Abba, where are you?’ He said, ‘I am standing before the judgement of God.’ They said to him, ‘Are you afraid?’ He said, ‘I worked as hard as I could to keep the commandments of God but I am only human, and I do not know if my works will be pleasing in God’s sight.’ The brothers said to him, ‘Don’t you trust in your works? They were in accordance with God’s will.’ He said, ‘I can’t rely on that when I come before God, for the judgement of God is not the judgement of men.’ When they still tried to make him talk, he said to them, ‘Please don’t talk to me, I’m busy.’ At these words, he breathed forth his soul with joy. They saw him welcoming death as one greets a dear friend. In every thing Agatho was vigilant, and he used to say, ‘No one can achieve any of the virtues without taking care.’

3. They said of Ammoi that when he went to church, he did not let his disciple walk beside him, but made him follow a long way behind. If the disciple came near to ask him something, he gave him a brief answer and sent him back at once, saying, ‘I’m afraid that while we are talking for the soul’s good, some irrelevant words will be spoken; that is why I don’t let you walk by my side.’

4. At first Ammoi said to Aesius, ‘What do you think of me?’ He said, ‘You are like an angel, abba.’ Later on he said, ‘Now what do you think of me?’ He replied, ‘You are like Satan, for even if you speak a good word, it is like a sword to me.’

5. Allois said, ‘Until you can say in your heart, “Only I and God are in the world,” you will not be at peace.’

6. He also said, ‘If you really want to, by the evening of one day you can reach a measure of godliness.’

7. When he was dying, Bessarion said, ‘A monk ought to be like the Cherubim and Seraphim, all eye.’

8. Daniel and Ammoi once went on a journey together. Ammoi said, ‘Do you think we might rest for a while in a cell, abba?’ Daniel said to him, ‘Who can separate us from God? God is in the cell, he is also outside in the world.’

9. Evagrius said, ‘It is a great thing to pray without distraction.

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