Desert Father
Remembering St Anthony
On 17 January the Church remembers St Anthony, the great fourth-century hermit and monk. Dissatisfied with his ability to find God in civilization he spent most of his life in the Egyptian desert, battling temptations and demons, practising extreme asceticism in atonement for his sins and giving advice and guidance to people who travelled long distances to see him, as his fame grew and others came to live in the same way. They became known as the Desert Fathers (and Mothers).
An Alien Way of Life?
In many ways their lifestyle is horribly alien to us today. They ate and drank as little as possible in the hope this would reduce sexual and other physical urges, apparently leading them to severe dehydration. They also avoided other human beings as much as possible. Perhaps as a consequence they frequently had vivid dreams and visions. They lived their whole life as penance, convinced that they should be permanently atoning for their sins.
Yet in other ways the spiritual strength of the Desert Fathers continues to inspire Christians today. Books of their sayings still sell well, and many who are interested in the contemplative tradition of Christianity see them as early examples and wise teachers. Sometimes their practices sound strikingly modern, as when they describe inner life as perturbed by various thoughts and passions which must be simply watched in contemplation and allowed to dissipate – something that sounds remarkably like mindfulness meditation, popular today.
Wisdom in Prayer
Mindfulness meditation comes from Buddhism, but most religions have a contemplative or wisdom tradition which has discovered some of the same truths about quieting the mind and finding spiritual growth. The Desert Fathers represent an extreme example of that to which all Christians are called: self-examination, faithful prayer and repentance, and growth in wisdom. Here are two sayings from the Fathers:
A hermit said, ‘Take care to be silent. Empty your mind. Attend to your meditation in the fear of God, whether you are resting or at work. If you do this, you will not fear the attacks of the demons.’
Abba Moses said, ‘Sit in thy cell and thy cell will teach thee all.’
Rebecca Lloyd
15 January 2017
