# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dating God: Intimacy, Prayer, and Franciscan Spirituality

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fr. Dan brings the Franciscan tradition to life by imagining our faith journeys in terms of "dating" as a dynamic, creative, and renewing spiritual thread for twenty-first century Christians.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This page contains history and articles regarding Franciscan life and spirituality.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - On a recent Saturday, members of the local Franciscan Earth Corps stocked shelves and cleaned storage rooms at a food pantry. In early March, the group will screen "Triple Divide," a documentary about hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Later this spring, they'll put up bluebird boxes at a retreat center.

And once a month, they'll gather to talk about Franciscan spirituality.

The Syracuse group is among 10 Franciscan Earth Corps chapters started last year. At least six more groups are organizing as part of a push by the Franciscan Action Network, a social justice group that aims to transform the world in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.

The national, ecumenical program encourages young adults, aged 18 to 35, to connect social and environmental justice activities with Franciscan teachings that stress the interconnectedness of creation.

"Without religion and spirituality, all you're doing is reordering everything on the outside and not affecting anyone on the inside,'' said Rhett Engelking, who directs the corps through the Washington, D.C.-based Franciscan network.

Jess Saville, a doctoral candidate at Syracuse's State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, understands the connection.

As she stacked cans of food, she described how her research on phytoremediation -- using plants to restore contaminated soil -- reflects a core Franciscan understanding of the interconnectedness of nature.

"We're dependent on the plants to clean up nature," she said.

Franciscan Earth Corps stresses prayer, service and creation stewardship. Those elements echo the philosophy of the 13th-century saint who said: "We are all creatures of one family." Projects emphasize care for the Earth and the Franciscan ideals of simplicity and sustainability.

Also guiding the corps is St. Francis' poem, "Canticle of the Sun," which describes Sister Moon and Brother Wind, "and every kind of weather through which you give sustenance to your creatures."

St. Francis, named by Pope John Paul II as patron saint of ecology, is the model corps groups look to as they try to rebuild the brokenness of the church and the world. It's the message Francis is said to have received from Jesus in 1205 while praying at the run-down Church of San Damiano near Assisi, Italy.

Kelly Moltzen, a registered dietician who belongs to the Bronx chapter, is concerned about the food system's effect on the environment.

"Livestock production creates 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions,'' she said. "Eating more fruits and vegetables that are naturally made will make us healthier and the environment more healthy."

Her chapter recently built a greenhouse and screened "A Place at the Table," a documentary about hunger. The group is considering creating a church garden or food-share program to supply fresh produce.

Moltzen works to improve nutrition and access to healthful food for a poor community susceptible to obesity and diabetes.

"I'd like to get more of the churches involved in getting healthy food," she said. "That's the 'repair the house' concept."

Franciscan spirituality stresses the sacred web of life, said Franciscan Sr. Caryn Crook, a trained biologist who works with the Syracuse chapter.

"We learn so much about our Creator by being in creation and through studying an ecosystem," she said. "Everything works together to create one -- mutuality, cooperation, sacrifice. We can emulate this relationship."

Engelking, the corps project manager, hopes to move the conversation "beyond the bird bath" image of St. Francis.

"We see Francis as more than this quaint and harmless icon of being nice to animals," he said. "He's someone who wants to live in right relationship with creation.''

Pope Francis, the saint's namesake, has recently appealed for the protection of the environment and the care for the weakest members of society.

Franciscan spirituality, Engelking said, requires a shift from egocentrism to eco-centrism.

"Instead of thinking about me and my needs, I am looking outwards to my relationship with the world,'' he said.

In addition to the Syracuse chapter, Franciscan Earth Corps chapters exist in Albany, N.Y.; Long Island, N.Y.; Silver Spring, Md.; Tampa, Fla.; Milwaukee; Charlottesville, Va.; and Little Rock, Ark.

Fr. Sam Fuller, a Capuchin Franciscan ministering in a parish in Middletown, Conn., is helping launch a chapter in the greater Hartford, Conn., area. He and other Franciscans put together an Earth Day march addressing climate change; a similar event is planned for April 27. The Hartford chapter will present "Melting Ice, Mending Creation: A Catholic Approach to Climate Change," a program created by the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, next month.

"It's not so much debating the science or the politics," Fuller said. "The wisdom of the Earth is so much deeper than the politics. St. Francis calls us deeper to discover God's love in oneself and in creation."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Young adults look to emulate St. Francis' bond with nature

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - On a recent Saturday, members of the local Franciscan Earth Corps stocked shelves and cleaned storage rooms at a food pantry. In early March, the group will screen "Triple Divide," a documentary about hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Later this spring, they'll put up bluebird boxes at a retreat center.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Happy Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Patron of the Order of Carmelites! The Sacred Scriptures speak of the beauty of Mount Carmel in Palestine where the Prophet Elijah defended the faith

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Day in the Life of a Benedictine Monk

Our day begins at 3:10 a.m. with the wake-up bell. After a small cup of coffee, the brothers quietly make their way to the chapel for Vigils, the longest office of the day. Over the course of an hour, we chant fourteen Psalms and listen to two long readings, one from the Scriptures and a second from the Church Fathers. We join the angels, who never sleep, in watching for the coming of Jesus Christ in glory to save those who eagerly are waiting for Him.

This communal prayer is followed by a period of private prayer called lectio divina. This is a traditional prayerful meditation on God's Word, particular the Holy Scriptures. At 6:00 a.m., we return to the chapel for the office of 'Lauds', our morning praise of God. This is followed directly by the celebration of Holy Mass, with traditional Gregorian chant. We sing most of the offices in English and most of the Mass in Latin.

After Mass, there is a short period for personal matters and breakfast. We also prepare breakfast for our B&B guests at this time. At 8:15 a.m., we gather in the Chapter Room, where the Prior reads from the Rule of Saint Benedict and gives a short commentary applying its sixth-century text to our contemporary situation. We then have a few moments to discuss together our work for the day.

Strengthening the Spirit

After Chapter, we have classes each day, on liturgy, Scripture, the Tradition, moral and spiritual theology, the vows, and other topics important to deepening our monastic life. At 9:30 a.m., we return to the chapel for the office of Terce. When this concludes, we begin the main work period of the day.

Monastic work is preferably humble and manual, though it also includes intellectual work of study and the preparation of classes, homilies and conferences. Our work in hospitality means that cooking and cleaning occupy a good portion of the brothers' mornings. We also have a large garden. We do not employ any outside help for the daily work of cooking or keeping the cloister clean and in good repair.

At 12:45 p.m. the work period ends and we gather for the midday office of Sext. This is followed by the main meal of the day, in silence, with table reading. The reading is typically something of interest in the monastic life, but we also enjoy books on history and biography. The main meal is served by one or two of the brothers. The servers and reader take their meal after everyone else finishes. The community does the dishes, and then we have about an hour for a siesta or other personal matters.

At 2:30 p.m., we pray the office of None. This is followed by shorter classes, either chant or languages (Latin, Greek or French). The rest of the afternoon is usually used for exercise, practicing musical instruments or reading.

Vespers is a solemn office each day, beginning at 5:15 p.m. with a short procession. On Sundays and major feasts, we also use incense and vestments to mark the solemnity of the office. It is a particularly beautiful time of day in our church, with the setting sun streaming through the golden Magnificat window in the choir loft. Vespers is followed by a light optional meal called 'collation'. After the meal, brothers have some time of their own again, though three night a week we have recreation, and one of those nights, the Prior also gives a longer spiritual conference. Compline follows at 7:15 p.m., ending with the great antiphon to Our Lady, either the Salve Regina (during Ordinary Time) or another antiphon varying by season.

Ideally, the monks return to their cells and prepare to retire for the night. Often, there is some reading to be done in preparation for the next day's classes, and this quiet time of night is also ideal for personal prayer.

Sundays follow a slightly different schedule. We try to refrain from manual labor and to keep a greater silence. The liturgies are a bit longer and more solemn. At Mass, we normally have about 40 guests and we sing more polyphony. In the evening we have a recreational meal-the one meal of the week where we visit with one another.

Creating a Community of Faith and Support

What is it all like? It can be a bit overwhelming at first if someone is not used to a strict schedule like ours. Even after many years, it can take real effort to get out of bed and sing joyfully. Like everyone else, brothers go through periods where they are excited about prayer and times when they are not. But no matter how we feel, we go to the Divine Office! This is a wonderful privilege and really helps the monk to get 'outside of himself' and to learn to turn over his own desires and feelings to God.

The other hidden part of this is community. We see the same brothers much of the time, every day. It is so very important to learn humility, to learn how to treat brothers in a way that is supportive and encouraging and not picky, irritable and so on. This is demanding work and it is the small detail of monastic life that people in the world do not see. We have brothers from all kinds of backgrounds and even from different cultures and it is easy to take or give offense. Quite a bit of the 'work' we do involves the practice of loving the brothers. If we really give ourselves over to this, if we don't insist on distracting ourselves with 'more important' things, then God can really mold us into saints.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our day begins at 3:10 a.m. with the wake-up bell. After a small cup of coffee, the brothers quietly make their way to the chapel for Vigils, the longest office of the day. Over the course of an hour, we chant fourteen Psalms and listen to two long readings, one from the Scriptures and a second from the Church Fathers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Matthew 6:5-15
Sayings from Abba Anthony and Amma Syncletica. For more sayings, read The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, trans. Benedicta Ward, SLG

So far in our travels through the first few hundred years of Christianity this summer, we have focused on individuals, and particularly on leaders of early Christian communities. These communities developed in mostly in cities as the gospel spread along trade routes. But as early as the third century of the common era, the followers of Jesus began a new experiment. They began to seek God away from the city, out in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria.

According to tradition, this movement began with Anthony the Great. He was an Egyptian, and the son of Christian peasant farmers. Hearing the instructions of Jesus in the 19th chapter of the gospel of Matthew (19:21), Anthony decided to take the radical step of following them literally: he sold all his possessions, gave the proceeds to the poor, and sought to follow Christ. For him, this meant seeking solitude in the desert.

Over time, many followed Anthony's example: women and men, alone and in small groups and later, in organized communities. As the last great wave of Christian persecution came to a close in the Roman Empire, and Christianity began to gain acceptance, out in the desert there was a new alternative to martyrdom for those who wanted to give their whole lives to their faith. Those who came to the desert to live were known as the Desert fathers and mothers, the Abbas and the Ammas.

What was so special about the Abbas and the Ammas? For one thing, they were spiritual explorers, testing all kinds of techniques to get close to God. They abstained from physical pleasure, engaged in manual labor, and fasted regularly. They sought inner quietness as well as maintaining outward silence. They practiced continual prayer and regular scripture reading. They challenged themselves to avoid anger or judgment towards their fellow seekers. They provided hospitality to those who came to visit. They developed regulations for healthy Christian community life that became the basis for later monastic movements. All of these practices were meant to help them achieve the ultimate goal: loving God and neighbor better.

Through their practices, despite some mistakes, many of the Abbas and Ammas did indeed draw closer to God. They became wise, and their reputation for wisdom spread throughout the ancient world. Many believers come into the desert to ask for their advice; and ever since that time, other followers of Jesus have studied their sayings. Thankfully, they were recorded; we have a wonderful and eclectic collection of stories and proverbs from different Abbas and Ammas.

Despite the fact that prayer was so central to their lives, there are few writings concerning prayer. Perhaps this is because, in their understanding, prayer was not a special or separate activity. Prayer was an orientation, a life turned towards God; and so everything they wrote about concerned prayer implicitly. I am particularly drawn to some of the sayings that do deal specifically with prayer.

Abba Anthony's story about his discovery in the desert illustrates a fundamental principle of monastic (and perhaps all religious) life. By alternating regular prayer with work, we can free ourselves from the limits of our minds, allowing God to change us. Amma Syncletia's words on prayer are refreshing because they don't portray this practice as a tedious duty. Instead, she tells us honestly that prayer can be a battle; but also a joy.

It may seem strange to talk about the Abbas and the Ammas this week. There is so much going on right now in the news to draw our attention: war, ebola, mental illness, painful racial tensions and police standoffs. There is so much to be angry about, so much to mourn, so much that we have yet to do to realize God's kingdom on earth. Why travel back almost two thousand years?

The Abbas and the Ammas, and so many like them throughout history, give me courage for times like this. Violence and hatred and illness are not new; they were only too abundant in the ancient world. There are so many others who have lived through them, depending on their faith. I want these saints by our side, whispering in our ears, urging us on, helping us turn again towards God. It is only with their help, and with the help of God, that we can keep our eyes and hearts open to both tragedy and beauty. It is only with their help, and with the help of God, that we can, in the face of all of this, be people of compassion and hope, who are willing to do the hard work of discerning our own role in the many struggles for justice and peace.
God, we know your heart is breaking over our world, and our hearts are breaking, too. Grant us the courage to still be people of faith, people of hope, carriers of your light, proclaimers of your gospel. Surround us with saints who know heartbreak, too, and who have journeyed even through smoke and fire to know you. In the powerful name of Jesus we pray: Amen.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Matthew 6:5-15 Sayings from Abba Anthony and Amma Syncletica. For more sayings, read The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, trans. Benedicta Ward, SLG So far in our travels through the first few hundred years of Christianity this summer, we have focused on individuals, and particularly on leaders of early Christian communities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In order to foster and facilitate relationship with God, through prayer and contemplation, Carmelite spirituality proposes certain means, both personal and communal, namely meditation on the word of God, liturgy, silence and solitude, and asceticism. The Rule of St.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Benedictines: An Introduction by Abbot Primate Jerome Theisen OSB. Liturgical Press.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Abbot Primate Jerome Theisen OSB writes about the Benedictines for the New Catholic Encyclopedia published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN 56321, Saint John's Abbey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
St. Vincent Archabbey - I Only Show You the Cross - Benedictine Monasticism Alive in America Today!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is the 2008 Vocation Video from the Saint Vincent Archabbey Vocation Office. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a monk or priest visit us at stvincentmonks.com, find us on facebook and Google +, or follow us on Twitter (SVAMonkVocation). Blessings!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
HISTORY OF MONASTICISM including Monastic reform, Carthusians, Cistercians, Innocent and the holy beggars, In the modern world

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Desert Fathers Sayings of the Early Christian Monks Lecture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
Saint Mary Coptic Orthodox Church of East Brunswick

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Desert Fathers & Mothers: Humility as the Path to God

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
http://SupremeMasterTV.com * VEG1634; Aired on 6 Mar 2011 The Desert Fathers were hermits, ascetics, monks, and nuns (Desert Mothers) who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD. The Desert Fathers had a major influence on the development of Early Christianity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Desert Mothers and Fathers: Early Christian Wisdom Sayings Annotated & Explained | Abbey of the Arts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Today I share some wisdom from Desert Mother Amma Syncletica. The Desert Mothers were women Christian ascetics living in the desert of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria in the 4th and 5th centuries AD. They typically lived in the monastic communities that began forming during that time, though sometimes they lived as hermits Their writings are largely lost because of the male dominance of the church in this time period.

Most of us can relate to medicine tasting bad, and in the same breath admit to it doing our bodies some good. The wise Amma brings fasting and medicine into the same conversation. Quite often I have had people approach me about the reason and necessity of fasting as a spiritual discipline. Some say that they get absolutely nothing out of fasting except pangs of hunger. Fasting, like any other discipline, must be approached in an attitude of faith. Fasting and prayer are often linked together .Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. Instead, the purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world and focus more completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Fasting helps us gain a new perspective and a renewed reliance upon God. With that awareness, we have received a dose of Spiritual medicine that leads us toward our goal of being "one with Him." Might I suggest that a day of fasting and dedication to our awareness of God could do us all a bit of good.

An undue amount of time is spent by all of us seeking the approval of one person or another. The Amma tells us that if approval of all is necessary, we will spend our lives begging for a mere earthly goal. Instead she suggests that purity of the heart should be our goal. This whole concept of universal approval is an impossibility, however, purity of heart is a difficult but reachable goal. As we seek to live the Christian life, we should learn the wisdom of seeking purity rather than approval.

Many people living secluded lives on the mountain have perished by living like people in the world. It is better to live in a crowd and want to live a solitary life than to live a solitary life but all the time be longing for company.--Amma Matrona

Many people yearn for a place apart, our own little corner of the cosmos where we can discover our true selves and touch the hand of God. Our first inclination is to "get away" to a place of solitude and surely God would be there. The wise desert mother tells us that solitude is first and foremost a matter of heart. Many people have sought to escape only to find that they are trapped by their own fallen nature no matter where they find themselves.

We all seek our Creator and feel that if we could just be relieved of the pressures, bothers and interferences of everyday life we would find Him. Not so says Amma Matrona. Solitude is a state of mind that begins long before we escape to our desert. The real key is to empty ourselves and allow that void to be filled by God. No amount of social interaction or physical isolation can bring us close to God. This is achieved as a matter of heart.

Is anger a sin? (rector42.wordpress.com)

'--Amma Theodora Let us strive to enter by the narrow gate, Just as the trees, if they have not stood before the winter's storms cannot bear fruit, so it is with us; this present age is a storm and it is only through many trials and temptations that we can obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven.'

We all look toward the gate of deliverance. Our lives are full of turmoil and confusion. We find hard to believe that all of our sufferings are really God's way of making us ready. All of us would prefer a life that is absent of pain, guilt, stress and those unrestrained emotions that cause us to lay awake night after night. God seems to put us on a "spiritual fitness" routine to prepare us for our ultimate destination. We must understand the evil that is around us before we can see the ultimate good of God. That understanding make us aware that God's grace is our only hope.
Lord I surrender myself to you this day. May you use all my trails to turn my face towards you. Amen
January 7, 2015 · 10:12 am

Fire purifies. Desert fire purifies mercilessly. Silence pierces. Desert silence pierces incessantly. Solitude strips bare. Desert solitude strips bare to the bone.

The Desert Fathers knew all this. They knew that the Lord your God is a consuming fire (Dt 4:24), and they threw themselves into that fire with all the confidence of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. There in the midst of the flames they were purified, pierced to the heart by the silence of the Word of God, and stripped bare of their sinfulness by solitude. There in the desert they saw God-and themselves-and lived.

Young monks flocked to join them. From far flung places, men and women came to beg their counsel. These men were terrifying in their purity, alarming in their austerity, disquieting in their discernment. Theirs was not a sweet but a shocking sanctity.

It was like talking to a burning bush.

The teachings of the Desert Fathers were rarely long. Their words, like their souls, had been purified, stripped of all that was unnecessary. They packed their brief sayings with divine intensity.

Imagine traveling miles on foot, sweating, sun-burnt, and hungry, you come to a cave and shout a greeting. Out comes the old man with penetrating eyes. Those eyes strike you. He says nothing. You awkwardly ask.
"Abba, give me a word."
Giving such a word is the whole purpose of this blog. I simply seek to find a short word from these desert monks -and others as well- that might speak to us today. The sayings themselves are many times shorter that a tweet, but can have such great meaning.

Filed under Desert Fathers, Desert Mothers

August 5, 2014 · 11:19 am

I found this article and thought it might be helpful to those who read this blog for information on the Desert Fathers. Click on the link below.

The Ancient Fathers of the Desert: Introduction and Commentary - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

One nun came to Blessed Sarah and said to her: Pray for me, my lady. - The blessed one said to her: Neither will I have mercy on you nor will God unless you have mercy on yourself, fulfilling the virtues as the Fathers have commanded us. ---Amma Sarah of the Desert

The ability to forgive yourself is key to your psychological well-being. Unforgiveness of self causes a wide range of problems. Suicide, addictions and depression are just a few of the many things associated with self-condemnation. Psychologists struggle to develop creative ways to address this issue. Many suffer from a lack of awareness of their problem with this issue. Behavioral professionals, religious and irreligious, know the importance of self-forgiveness. Many corporate hours are spent in seminars that stress the necessity of learning the importance of forgiveness. This endeavor is tremendously costly for the corporate world.

Amma Sara knew about such forgiveness 1500 years ago, and said it was the place to start. God is a God of forgiveness and grace, and we must forgive ourselves in order to receive forgiveness. Our problem with self-forgiveness is that we don't really believe in grace - that marvelous property of God that allows Him to forgive us even though we are most undeserving. Amma Sarah called the forgiving of ourselves a fulfillment of the virtues that were bestowed upon us by the Creator. Forgiveness, even of our own faults, is a virtue.

Adventures in Forgiveness (matterofprayerblog.wordpress.com)

Deep Roots of Unforgiveness (saranortonsanner.com)

Filed under Amma Sarah of the Desert, Depression, Desert Mothers, Forgiveness

April 29, 2014 · 10:00 pm

Another time, two old men, great anchorites, came to the district of Pelusia to visit her. When they arrived one said to the other, 'Let us humiliate this old woman.' So they said to her, 'Be careful not to become conceited thinking to yourself: "Look how anchorites are coming to see me, a mere woman." 'But Amma Sarah said to them, 'According to nature I am a woman, but not according to my thoughts.'

The idea of people of power and prestige trying to dishonor someone they see as their inferior is not a new phenomenon. Here these many years ago we see such injustices being perpetrated. The wise Amma outdid herself with her answer. She refused to be defined by others or by her gender. Rather, she said that her thoughts would define her.

The concept defining ourselves by our thoughts is most important to anyone who seeks to live the contemplative life. Our secular world is very quick to define us by their criteria, and our challenge is to refuse their characterization. This resounding NO says we know who we are in the Lord, and that He formed us and created us as persons of value. Let us determine today that we will not be defined by the prejudices of others, but by the gifts and graces that God has bestowed upon us, even the least of us.

Who Is a Woman? Am I One? (sreelakshmipv.wordpress.com)

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."
--Amma Sara

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.
The clarion call of all followers of Jesus is self-denial. Without self-denial we are in a constant state of grabbing and competition for the chief seats. Over and over again Jesus the teacher told His disciples to be self-sacrificing and humble. One of the great sayings of the scripture is, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Is a person who calls himself a Christian but always puts self-interest first really legitimate?

Sara of the desert gives us some insight here. She lived the life of a desert monk, and a real monk knows the meaning of true sacrifice. She entertained some fellow monastics in her cell and offered them fruit, and they ate the bad fruit first. Her reaction was to call them "true monks." Amma Sara knew that there were true and false monks, and declared that true monks don't grab for the best but leave the best for others.

In this same way, true followers of Jesus must be willing to take a "back seat' so that others may thrive and go forward. That sort of thinking is contrary to the norm of our day, but brings us closer to an understanding of the nature of God and His grace. By living out a life of self-sacrifice, we find the divine peace that surpasses all understanding.

⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

'Let us strive to enter by the narrow gate, Just as the trees, if they have not stood before the winter's storms cannot bear fruit, so it is with us; this present age is a storm and it is only through many trials and temptations that we can obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven--- Amma Theodora
Prayer Starter - Lord help me to see the light that you shine upon me.
March 8 - Day 4

Philippians 4:7-9

7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

There were two old men who dwelt together for many years and who never quarreled. Then one said to the other: "Let us pick a quarrel with each other like other men do." "I do not know how quarrels arise," answered his companion. So the other said to him: "Look, I will put a brick down here between us and I will say 'This is mine.' Then you can say 'No it is not, it is mine.' Then we will be able to have a quarrel." So they placed the brick between them and the first one said: "This is mine." His companion answered him: "This is not so, for it is mine." To this, the first one said: "If it is so and the brick is yours, then take it and go your way." And so they were not able to have a quarrel.
Prayer Starter - Lord help me to be a peacemaker above all else.
Filed under Desert Mothers, Devotional Quotes, Devotional reading, Lent, Peace, Prayer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today I share some wisdom from Desert Mother Amma Syncletica. The Desert Mothers were women Christian ascetics living in the desert of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria in the 4th and 5th centuries AD.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Who were the desert mothers?

These women lived in the fourth and fifth centuries, C.E. Their way of life came into being after Christianity had become legal and Christians were no longer under persecution. Some had deep questions about an expression of the faith that was taking on the trappings of the Roman Empire. The "red martyrdom" (sacrificing one's life rather than recanting faith in the resurrected Lord) was no longer possible. So the practice of the "white martyrdom" began to appear - women and men going to the deserts of Egypt and the Holy Land, and seeking to live out the Great Commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27, Dt. 6:5, Lev. 19:18) As scholar Roberta Bondi has pointed out, the desert mothers and fathers are remarkable for their daily practice of seeking to "love as God loves."

What do we know about these women?

For one thing, we know there were a lot of them. One historian of the times tells us that there were twice as many women as men in the deserts. Another scholar said that there were so many Christians who sought to live this life in the desert that "the desert became a city." There were even accounts of "tourists" going out to the deserts to observe the ammas and abbas.

We know the names of four of these women whose sayings have been preserved: Amma Matrona, Amma Sarah, Amma Syncletica and Amma Theodora. And we know a little about their lives. We know, for example, that Amma Theodora was what we might call a spiritual director to bishops and other men in public position. We know that she was clear in her teaching and strong in her rebukes. We know that Amma Syncletica and her sister sought the life in the desert after their parents died.

Yet surrounding what we know is a vast silence. We have very little record of the thousands of women who lived this life of simplicity, silence and stillness. We have stories of others, such as Mary of Egypt (one good reference for that is Harlots of the Desert by Benedicta Ward).

What does "amma" mean?

The word means "mother." It came to refer to those women who were spiritual mothers to many. They were wise teachers who were sought out for guidance in living the Christian life.

The book is structured around nine concise sayings from the desert mothers. How did we receive these?

The desert tradition was an oral tradition which was then later written down. It was often the case that someone seeking to live a more faithful life would go to an amma (or an abba) and seek guidance with a decision, or a state of confusion, or the life of prayer. The sayings are pretty terse, and sometimes seem completely odd to us. We are inevitably reading them out of context; it helps to imagine two women sitting together, one asking the guidance of the other.

We have many more sayings from the desert fathers. In fact, we have a whole book worth of sayings ( The Sayings of the Desert Fathers). The sayings of those four known ammas are included in that collection. Thanks to the work of scholars like Roberta Bondi and Mary Forman, we are beginning to see the ammas in their own light, and to reclaim women's history in this period of the life of the church.

What do these desert mothers have to offer to us today?

I tell students that when we study the desert mothers and fathers, we have to remember that we are looking at a galaxy far, far away. I think it may be beyond the capacity of our imaginations to conceive of their time and culture. That said, it is also true that their sayings speak to deep human yearnings and to perennial human difficulties. We still judge one another constantly, thereby anointing ourselves as if we were God. We still stumble in the practice of living faithfully, and we need support. We still have difficulty being honest with ourselves and with God. The ammas know intimately these movements of the heart and soul, and they encourage us, they confront us and they guide us.

I also find their insistence on practicing silence, solitude and stillness a kind of medicine for our over-heated, frenetic culture. Many women today are trying to balance work, family, volunteering, and participation in a faith community. Our lives are harried, and we have no sense of being able to rest in the divine silence, the Source from which we come and to which we will return. When I am teaching this material, I always begin and end the class with simply sitting in silence. Inevitably, participants remark that it is like getting a drink when you are really thirsty, so thirsty you had forgotten what water tasted like.

The practices that the desert offers us are down to earth, simple ways of allowing ourselves to be reminded that we are always living in the Love which creates, redeems and sustains us. The ammas draw us away from the assumption that technique is what matters. They remind us that this is a way of life.

Do you mean we should all go to the desert and become solitaries?

Certainly not. I mean that the human dimension of life in the desert is common to all of us. We are made for relationship with God and one another - one of the gifts of the Great Commandment is that it calls us to remember that basic truth. Knowing that in the abstract is one thing. Living it out in the nitty gritty of daily rounds is another. The ammas help us to find ways to gently pay attention to God's presence with us in all places and through all things. And they teach us to grow in the awareness that we are each unique, remarkable parts of a vast, vital, interconnected cosmos. We are reminded that we ARE one - that is reality from God's perspective. Our task is to align our lives and our loves in such a way that we participate in that reality. Most of us think we have to make the oneness. The desert knows the fallacy of that perception.

What have you personally learned from the ammas?

First, I have learned to experiment. When these women decided to leave their lives - some of them were learned, some were fairly wealthy, some were prostitutes - they made a choice to try to create something new with one another and with God. There were a variety of models. Some were solitaries. Some were living in community. Some were solitaries who lived in huts, yet came together regularly for worship and meals. Initially, there was no single monolithic pattern. At midlife, I know that many women are trying to find patterns for living that are congruent with their experience and their faith. And sometimes we need examples from women's history to help us find what fits.

Second, the ammas have taught me to set aside time for quiet. There are so many pressures that lead us to be fragmented. The tradition does not deny the pressures. The ammas tells us that God is present even in those daily struggles. I can remember that more readily if I have taken time for quiet.

Third, the ammas take me back to basics. We live in a time in which so much polarization has happened in both the national political arena, and within the church. The ammas invite us to look beyond all the divisive fussing - not to deny it, but to see it as surface reality. They invite us to gaze more deeply, especially in the most tensive of circumstances.

And lastly, the ammas tell me that from the beginnings of the life of the Church, women have been initiators of new patterns and teachings, opening the way for knowing the wholeness that God offers in Christ. When I am reading the stories and sayings of the desert ammas, I am struck by their utter confidence that no matter what, this world belongs to God, is loved by God, and that each person, each creature, each aspect of the created order, is an expression (some would say a theophany, a showing) of God's love.

This Q&A was graciously provided to SpiritualityandPractice.com by Morehouse Publishing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Who were the desert mothers? These women lived in the fourth and fifth centuries, C.E. Their way of life came into being after Christianity had become legal and Christians were no longer under persecution. Some had deep questions about an expression of the faith that was taking on the trappings of the Roman Empire.

# data[].attributes.body
http://bit.ly/2cl00af

# data[].attributes.body
-The desert fathers and mothers were ordinary Christians living in solitude(Monks) in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine and Syria who chose to renounce the world in order to deliberately and individually follow God’s call.
-embraced lives of celibacy, labor, fasting, prayer, and poverty,
-Their spiritual practice formed the basis of Western monasticism and greatly influenced both Western and Eastern Christianity.
-We know the names of four of these women whose sayings have been preserved: Amma Matrona, Amma Sarah, Amma Syncletica and Amma Theodora. (Amma: Mother)
-The desert tradition was an oral tradition which was then later written down.