Be Still

This Lent I have been exploring the lives and faith of the Desert Fathers and Mothers – Christian mystics who went to live in solitude or small communities in the Egyptian and Syrian deserts in the 4^th and 5^th centuries. There in a life of prayer and stillness they drew closer to God. It was a harsh life  - they lived simply, fasting and eking out a living doing tasks like weaving baskets and giving what little they had to the poor. It is amazing that we know so much about them – because of collected Tales and Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Apophthegmata Patrum) gathered by monks who wrote down their oral tradition.

As a result, the Desert Fathers and Mothers are remembered for their wise, direct and sometimes humorous sayings. Over 1,600 years later they can still speak to us.

A young monk went to an elder monk and asked, “How many years will it take for me to become holy?” The old monk replied, “Ten years.” The young monk asked, “But what if I work really, really hard?” Said the old monk, “Twenty years.” *

These early monks took the radical decision to step away from the busy life of Egyptian cities and retreat to a place where there was no hiding from themselves or God. It is unlikely that we could move to a cell in the desert and devote our lives to prayer and fasting (and for many of us – unlikely that we could want to!).  However, I wonder where in our lives of responsibility and distraction we find our inner cell, where we can be fully ourselves and encounter God.

Be still and know that I am God

Psalm 42:10

* As told by Melannie Svoboda SND: https://melanniesvobodasnd.org/the-desert-fathers-and-mothers/