FROM THE SAYINGS OF THE DESERT FATHERS

Abba Ammonas  was asked, 'What  is the  "narrow and hard  way?" (mt.  7.14) He replied, 'The "narrow and hard way" is this,  to control your thoughts, and to strip yourself of your own will, for the sake of God. THis is also the meaning of the sentence, "Lo,  we have left  everything and followed you." (Mt. 19.27)

It was said of  him that he  had a hollow  in his chest  channelled out by the

tears which fell   from his eyes  all his  life  while he  sat  at his  manual

work. When Abba Poemen learned  that he was  dead, he said weeping, 'Truly you

are blessed, Abba Arsenius, for  you wept for  yourself in this world!  He who

does not weep for himself here below  will weep eternally  hereafter; so it is

impossible  not  to  weep,   either  voluntarily or  when   compelled  through suffering.'  [i.e. the latter suffering in hell]

It was also said of him (Abba Arsenius) that on Saturday evenings, pre- paring

for the glory of Sunday, he would turn his back on the sun and stretch out his

hands in prayer  towards the  heavens, till once   again the sun shone on  his

face. Then he would sit down.

   + + +

It was said of Abba Ammoes that when he went  to church, he  did not allow his

disciple to walk beside him but only at a certain distance; and if the latter came to ask him about his thoughts, he would move away from himm as soon as he had replied, saying  to  him,  'It  is  for fear that,  after  edifying words, irrelevant conversation should slip in, that I do not keep you with me.'

It was said of Abba Ammoes that he had fifty measures of wheat for his use and had put them out in  the sun, Before   they were properly   dried off, he  sawsomething in  that place which   seemed to him to be  harmful so he said to his servants, 'Let us go away  from here.' But  they were grieved at this.  Seeing their dismay he said to  them, 'Is it because of  the loaves that you are sad?  Truly,  I have seen monks fleeing,  leaving  their white-washed cells and also their  parchments, and they  did  not close the doors,  but  went leaving them open.'

Abba Abraham told of a man  of Scetis who was a  scribe and did not eat bread.

A brother came to beg him to copy a book. The old man whose spirit was engaged in  contemplation, wrote, omitting  some phrases and  with no punctuation. The brother, taking the book and wishing to  punctuate it, noticed that words were missing. So he  said to the old man,  'Abba, there are some phrases  missing.' The old man said to him,  'Go, and practise first that  which is written, then come back and I will write the rest.'  [Scetis=Sheheet]

   + + +

There was in the Cells an old  man called Apollo.  If someone came to find him about doing a piece of work, he would set out joyfully, saying, 'I am going to work with Christ today,  for the salvation of my  soul, for that is the rewardhe gives.'

Abba Doulas, the  disciple  of Abba  Bessarion said, 'One   day when  we  were walking beside the sea I was thirstty and I said to Abba Bessarion, "Father, I am very  thirsty." He said a prayer  and said to  me,  "Drink some of  the sea water." The water proved sweet when I drank  some.  I even  poured some into a leather bottle for  fear of being thirsty later  on. Seeing this, the old  man asked me why I was taking some. I said to him, "Forgive  me, it is for fear of being  thirsty   later on."  Then  the old  man  said,  "God is here,   God is everywhere." '

A brother questioned Abba Poemen in this way, 'My  thoughts trouble me, making me put my sins aside,  and concern myself with my  brother's faults'.  The old man told him the following story about Abba Dioscorus (the monk), 'In his cell he wept over himself, while his disciple was sitting in another cell. When the latter came to see the old man he asked him, "Father, why are you weeping?" "I am weeping  over my sins," the old  man answered him.  Then his disciple said, "You do not have any sins, Father."  The old man replied, "Truly, my child, if I were allowed to see my sins, three or four  men would not  be enough to weep for them. "

   + + +

This is what Abba Daniel, the Pharanite, said, 'Our  Father abba Arsenius told us of an  inhabitant of Scetis, of notable  life and of  simple faith; through his  naivete he was  deceived and said,  "The  bread which  we  receive is not really the body of Christ, but a symbol. Two old men having learnt that he had uttered this saying, knowing that he was outstanding  in his way of life, knew

that he had not spoken through malice, but through simplicity. So they came to

find him and said, "Father, we have heard a proposition  contrary to the faith

on the part of someone who says that the bread which we receivve is not really the body of  Christ, but a symbol." The  old man said,  "it is I who have said that." Then  the  old men exhorted  him  saying, "Do not  hold  this position, Father, but hold one  in conformity with that  which  the catholic  Church has  given us. We  believe,  for our part, that  the  bread itself is  the  body of Christ as in  the beginning, God formed man  in his image,  taking the dust of the earth, without anyone being able to say that  it is not  the image of God, even though it  is not seen  to be so;  thus it is  with the bread of which he said that  it is his  body; and so we believe  that it is   really the body of Christ." The  old man said to them,  "As long as  I have not been persuaded by the thing itself, I shall not be fully convinced." So they  said, "Let us pray

God about this mystery throughout the whole  of this week  and we believe that

God will reveal it  to us." The old man  received this saying  with joy and he prayed in these words, "Lord, you know that it is not through malice that I do not believe and so that  I may not err through  ignorance, reveal this mystery

to me, Lord Jesus Christ." The old men  returned to their  cells and they also prayed God,  saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, reveal  this mystery to the  old man, that he may believe and not lose his  reward." God heard  both the prayers. At the end of  the week they  came to church on Sunday  and sat all  three on the same mat, the old man in the middle. Then their  eyes were opened and when the bread was placed on the holy table, there  appeared as it  were a little child to these three   alone. And when  the priest  put  out his  hand to break  the bread,  behold an  angel descended from  heaven with  a  sword and poured the child's blood into  the chalice. When   the priest cut   the bread into  small pieces, the  angel also cut  the child  in pieces.  When    they drew near  to receive the  sacred elements the  old man  alone  received a morsel  of bloody flesh. Seeing  this he was afraid and  cried out, "Lord,   I believe that this bread is your flesh and this chalice  your blood." Immediately the flesh which he held in his  hand became bread, according to  the  mystery and he  took it, giving thanks to God. Then  the old men  said to him,  "God knows human nature and that man cannot eat raw flesh and that is why he has changed his body into

bread and his blood into  wine, for those who receive  it in faith."Then  they

gave thanks to God for the old man, because he had allowed him not to lose the

reward of his labour. So   all three returned with joy   to their own  cells.'

   + + +

It was said of Abba Helladius that he spent twenty years in the Cells, without

ever raising his eyes to see the roof of the church.

(Abba Epiphanius) added, 'A man who receives something from another because of

his poverty or his need  has therein his  reward, and  because he is  ashamed,

when he repays it he  does so in  secret. But it is the  opposite for the Lord

God; he receives in secret, but  he repays in the presence  of the angels, the

archangels and the righteous.'

It was said concerning Abba  Agathon that some monks came  to find him  having

heard tell  of his great  discernment.  Wanting to  see  if he would  lose his

temper they  said  to him  'Aren't  you that   Agathon who is   said to  be  a

fornicator and   a  proud man?'  'Yes,  it  is very true,'  he  answered. They

resumed,  'Arn't you  that Agothon who   is always talking  nonsense?' 'I am."

Again they said 'Aren't you Agothon the heretic?' But at that he replied 'I am

not a heretic.'  So  they asked him,  'Tell us why  you accepted everything we

cast you, but repudiated this last  insult.' He replied 'The first accusations

I take to myself for that is  good for my soul. But  heresy is separation from

God. Now I have no with  to be separated  from God.' At  this saying they were

astonished at his discernment and returned, edified.

(Abba Evagrius) said; 'Take away temptations and no one will be saved.'

   + + +

An Egyptian brother came to see Abba Zeno in Syria, and accused himself to the

old  man about  his temptations. Filled    with admiration, Zeno   said, ' The

Egyptians hide the virtues they  possess and ceaselessly accuse themselves  of

faults they do not have, while the Syrians  and Greeks pretend to have virtues

they do not have, and hide the faults of which they are guilty.'

In a village there was said to be  a man who  fasted to such  a degree that he

was called 'the Faster'. Abba Zeno had heard of him, and he  sent for him. The

other came gladly.  They prayed and  sat  down. The old man  began  to work in

silence. Since he could not succeed in talking to  him the Faster began to get

bored. So he said  to the old  man 'Pray for me, Abba,  for I want to go.' The

old man said to him. 'Why?' The other replied,  'Because my heart  is as if it

were  on fire and I do  not know what is the  matter with it.  For truly, this

when  I was in the village  and I fasted  until the evening, nothing like this

happened to me.'  The old man said, 'In  the village you fed yourself  through

your ears. But goo away and from now on eat at the ninth  hour and watever you

do, do it secretly.' As soon as he had begun to act on this advice, the Faster

found it difficult to wait until the ninth hour. And those  who knew him said,

'The Faster is possessed by the devil.' So he went to tell this to the old man

who said to him, 'This way is according to God.'

One day Abba Moses said  to brother Zacharias,  'Tell me what  I ought to do?'

At  these words the latter threw  himself on the  ground at the old man's feet

and  said, 'Are you asking me,  Father?' The old  man said to him 'Believe me,

Zacharias, my son, I have  seen the Holy Spirit descending  upon you and since

then I am constrained to ask you.' Then  Zacharias drew his  hood off his head

put it under his feet and  trampled on it,  saying, 'The man  who does not let

himself be treated thus, cannot become a monk.'

Abba Zeno said, 'If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he

prays for anything else, even  his own soul,  when he stands and stretches out

his hands  towards God, he   must pray with  all his   heart for his  enemies.

Through this action God will hear everything that he asks.'

   + + +

Abba Gerontius of Petra said that many, tempted  by the pleasures of the body,

commit fornication, not    in  their body   but in  their   spirit, and  while

preserving their bodily virginity, commit prostitution in their soul. 'thus it

is  good, my well-beloved, to do  that which is  written and  for  each one to

guard his own heart with all possible casre.' (prov. 4.23)

One day Abba  Arsenius consulted an  old Egyptian monk  about his own thoughts

Someone noticed this and said to him, 'Abba Arsenius, how is  it that you with

such a good Latin and Greek education, ask this  peasant about your thoughts?'

He replied, 'I have indeed been taught Latin and Greed, but I do not know even

the alphabet of this peasant.'

Abba Elias, the  minister, said, 'What  can sin do  where  there is penitence?

And of what use is love where there is pride?'

   + + +

(Abba  Isaiah) said to  those  who were  making a  good  beginning by  putting

themselves under the direction of the  holy Fathers, 'As  with purple dye, the

first colouring is never lost.' And, 'Just as young  shoots are easily trained

back and bent, so it is with beginners who live in submission.'

(Abba Isaiah)  also said that when there  was an agape  and the  brethren were

eating  in the church  and talking to  one another, the  priest of Pelusia re-

primanded them in these words, 'Brethren, be quiet.  For I have seen a brother

eating with you and  drinking as many cups as  you and his prayer is ascending

to the presence of God like fire.'

(Abba Isaiah) also said 'When God wishes to take pity on a soul and it rebels,

not bearing anything and doing its own will, he then allows  it to suffer that

which it does not want, in order that it may seek him again.'

   + + +

The old men said to Abba Agothon to Abba Elias, in Egypt, 'He is a good abba.'

The  old man answered  them,  'In comparison  with his own  generation, he  is

good.' They said to him, 'And what is he in comparison with the ancients?'  He

gave them this  answer, 'I   have said to    you that in  comparison with  his

generation he is good but as to that of the ancients,  in Scetis I have seen a

man who,  like Joshua the son of  Nun could  make  the sun stand still  in the

heavens.' At these words they were astounded and gave glory to God.

(Abba  Theodore) said 'If  you are friendly  with someone who  happens to fall

into the  temptation  of fornication, offer  him  your hand,  if you can,  and

deliver him from it. But if  he falls into heresy and  you cannot persuade him

dto turn from it, separate yourself quickly  from him, in  case, if you delay,

you too may be dragged down with him into the pit.

A brother came  to Abba Theodore and began  to converse with him about  things

which he  had never yet put into  practice. So the old man   said to him, 'You

have not yet found  a ship nor  put your cargo aboard it  and before  you have

sailed, you have already arrived at the city. Do the work first; then you will

have the speed you are making now.'

   + + +

Abba Theodore of Pherme  said, 'The man  who remains standing when he repents,

has not kept the commandment.'

A brother said to Abba Theodore, 'I wish  to fulfil the commandments.' The old

man told him that Abba Theonas had said to him, 'I want to fill my spirit with

God.' Taking some flour to the bakery, he had made loaves which he gave to the

poor who asked  him for them;   others asked for   more, and he gave them  the

baskets, then the cloak he was wearing, and he came back to  his cell with his

loins girded with his cape. Afterwards he took himself to task telling himself

that he had still not fulfilled the commandment of God.'

The same Abba Theophilus, the archbishop, came to Scetis one day. The brethren

who  were assembled said  to Abba Pambo,  'Say something to the Archbishop, so

that he may be edified.' The old man said to them, 'If he is not edified by my

silence, he will not be edified by my speech.'

   + + +

It was said about (abba Theodore) that, though he  was made a deacon at Scetis

he refused to exercise  the office and fled to  many places from it. Each time

the old men brought him back to Scetis, saying, 'Do not leave your deaconate.'

Abba Theodore said to them, 'Let me pray God  that he may  tell me for certain

whether I  ought to take my part  in the liturgy.' THen he  prayed God in this

manner, 'If it is your will then I should stand in this place, make me certian

of it.' Then appeared to him a column of  fire, reaching from earth to heaven,

and a voice said to him, 'IF you can become like this pillar, go be a deacon.'

On hearing this he decided never to accept the office. When  he went to church

the brethren bowed before him saying, 'If you do  not wish to  be a deacon, at

least hold   the chalice.' But  he refused,  saying, 'If you   do not leave me

alone, I shall leave this place.' So they left him in peace.

Abba Theodore of Scetis said,  'A thought comes   to me which troubles me  and

does not leave me free; but not being able to lead me to  act, it simply stops

me progressing in virtue;  but a vigilant man would  cut it off  and get up to

pray.'

Abba  Theodor said,  'Privation of  food  mortifies the   body  of the  monk.'

Anotherold man said, 'Vigils mortify it still more.'

   + + +

Amma Theodora said,  '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.'

The  same amma said that a  teacher ought to  be a stranger  to the desire for

domination,  vain-glory,  and pride;  one should not  be able  to  fool him by

flattery,  nor   blind him by  gifts,  nor  conquer him  by  the  stomach, nor

dominate   him by anger;   but  he should   be patient, gentle   and humble as

far as possible; he must be tested  and without partisanship, full of concern,

and a lover of souls.

She  also said taht  neither asceticism, nor vigils nor  any kind of suffering

are able to save, only true  humility can do that. There  was an anchorite who

was able to  banish the demons;  and he asked  them, 'What makes you go away?'

'Is it fasting?' They replied, 'We do not eat  or drink.' 'Is it vigils?' They

replied, 'We do not sleep.' 'Is it separation from the world?' 'We live in the

deserts.'  'What power sends you away  then?' They said, 'Nothing can overcome

us,  but only  humility.'  'Do you see  how  humility  is victorious over  the

demons?'

   + + +

It was said of Abba John the  Dwarf that he  withdrew and livead in the desert

at Scetis  with an old man of  Thebes. His abba, taking a   piece of dry wood,

planted it and said to him, 'Water it every day with a  bottle of water, until

it bears fruit.' Now the  water was so far away  that he had  to leave in  the

evening and return the following  morning. At the  end of three years the wood

came  to life and bore fruit.  Then the  old  man took some  of  the fruit and

carried it to the church saying to  the brethren, 'Take and eat  the fruit of 

obedience.'

It was  said  of Abba John  the  Dwarf, that  one   day he  said  to his elder

brother,'I should like  to be free  of all care, like the  angels,  who do not

work, but ceaselessly offer worship to God.' So he took off hsi cloak and went

away   into the desert.  After a  week  he came  back  to his brother. When he

knocked on the  door, he heard  his brother say,  before he opened it 'Who are

you?' He said, 'I am John, your brother.' But  he replied, 'John has become an

angel, and henceforth he is  no longer among  men.' Then the other begged  him

saying. 'It is I.' However, his brother did not let him in, but left him there

in distress until morning. Then, opening the door, he said to  him, 'You are a

man  and you  must   once agian work  in  order   to eat.' Then   John  made a

prostration before him, saying, 'Forgive me.'

One day   when  he was  sitting in  front  of the   church, the brethren  were

consulting  him about their thoughts. One  of the old men who  saw it became a

prey to jealousy and said to him, 'John, your vessel is  full of poison.' Abba

John said  to him, 'That  is very true, abba; and  you have said that when you

only see the outside, but if you were able to  see the inside, too, what would

you say then?'

   + + +

Some brethren came  one  day to  test him to  see  whether  he would  let  his

thoughts get dissipated and  speak of the  things of this  world. They said to

him  'We give thanks  to God that  this year there has been  much rain and the

palm trees  have been  able to drink,   and their shoots  have grown,  and the

brethren have found manual work.' Abba  John said to them, 'So  it is when the

Holy Spirit descends into  the hearts of  men; they are  renewed and  they put

forth leaves in the fear of God.'

It was said of him (Abba John the Dwarf) that one  day he was weaving rope for

two baskets, but  he made it into one  without noticing, until  it had reached

the wall, because his spirit was occupied in contemplation.

Abba John said, 'I  am lke a man sitting  under a  great  tree, who  sees wild

beasts   and  snakes coming  against him  in   great numbers.  When  he cannot

withstand them any longer, he runs to climb the tree and is  saved. It is just

the same with me;  I sit in  my cell and  I am aware  of evil  thoughts coming

against  me, and when I have  no more strength  against them, I take refuge in

God by prayer and I am saved from the enemy.'

   + + +

Abba  Poemen said of  Abba John the  Dwarf that he had prayed  God to take his

passions away from him  so that he might become  free  from care. He  went and

told an old man this; 'I find myself in peace, without an enemy,' he said. The

old man said to him, 'Go beseech God to stir up warfare so that you may regain

the affliction and humility that you used to have, for it  is by warefare that

the soul makes progress.'  So he besought  God and  when  warfare came,  he no

longer prayed that it might be taken  away, but said,  'Lord, give me strength

for the fight.'

Abba John said, 'We  have put the light burden  on one side,  that is  to say,

self-accusation, and we have  loaded ourselves with  a  heavy one, that  is to

say, self-justification.'

He also said, 'Humility and the fear of God are above all virtues.' 

   + + +

Abba John gave this advice, 'Watching  means to sit in the  cell and be always

mindful of God. This is what is meant by, "I was on the watch  and God came to

me."  (Matt. 25:36)

One of the Fathers said of him, 'Who is this John, who by his humility has all

Scetis hanging from his little finger?'

Abba John the Dwarf said, 'There was a spiritual old man  who lived a secluded

life.  He  was  held  in  high estimation in   the  city and  enjoyed  a great

reputation. He  was told that  a certain old  man, at the  point of death, was

calling for him, to embrace him before he  fell asleep. He thought to himself,

if I go by day, men will run after me, giving me great honour, and I shall not

be at peace in  all that. So  I will go in the  evening in the darkness  and I

shall escape everyone's notice. But lo, two angels were sent by God with lamps

to give him light. Then the whole city came out to see his glory.  The more he

wished to Flee from glory, the more he was glorified. In this was accomplished

that which is  written: "He  who  humbles himself will  be  exalted." '  (Luke

14:11)

   + + +

Abba John the Dwarf  said, 'a house  is not built by geginning  at the top and

working down. You must begin  with the fundations in order  to reach the  top.

They siad  to him, 'What  does this saying  mean?' He said, 'The foundation is

our neighbour, whom we must win, and that is  the place to  begin. For all the

commandments of Christ depend on this one.'

Abba Poemen said  that Abba John  said that  the saints are   like a group  of

trees, each bearing  different  fruit, but watered from  the  same source. The

practices of one saint differ from those of another, but it is the same Spirit

that works in all of them.

Abba John said to his brother,  'Even if we are entirely  despised in the eyes

of men, let us rejoice that we are honoured in the sight of God.'

   + + +

The old man  (abba John the Dwarf)  said,  'You know that  the  first blow the

devil gave  to Job was  through his possessions;  and he saw  that he  had not

grieved him nor separated him from God. Whith  the second blow, he touched his

flesh, but the  brave athlete did  not sin by  any word that  came out of  his

mouth in that either. In  fact, he had within his  heart that which is of God,

and he drew on that source unceasingly.'

An   old man came to abba   John's cell and   found  him asleep  with an angel

standing above him, fanning him. Seeing this,  he withdre. When jAbba John got

up, he  siad to his  disciple, 'Did anyone  come in  while I was  asleep?'  he

said, 'Yes, an old man.' Then Abba John knew that  this old man was his equal,

and that he had seen the angel.

   + + +

(Abba Isidore) said,  'When I was  younger and remained  in my  cell I set  no

limit to prayer; the night was for me as much the time of prayer as the day.'

Abba Isidore went one day to see Abba Theophilus, archbishop of Alexandria and

when  he returned to  Scetis the trethren asked him,  'What is going on in the

city?' But he said to them, 'Truly, brothers, I did not see the face of anyone

there, except that of the archbishop.' Hearing this they were very anxious and

said to him, 'Has there  been a disaster  there, then, abba?'  He said 'Not at

all,  but the thought  of looking at  anyone did not get the  better of me' At

these   words they  were  filled with   admiration,  and strengthened in their

intention of guarding kthe eyes from all distraction.

(Abba Isidore  of Pelusia) said,  'Prize virtues  and  do not be the  slave of

glory; for the former are immortal, while the latter soon fades.'

He also said, 'The  heights  of humility are  great  and so are the  depths of

boasting;  I  advise you to attend  to  the  first and not  to  fall  into the

second.'

   + + +

Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, 'Abba as far as  I can I say

my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as

far as I can, I  purify my thoughts.  What else can   I do?' then the old  man

stood up and stretched  his hands towards  heaven. His fingers became like ten

lamps of fire and he said to him, 'If you will, you can become all flame.'

(Abba James) said, 'Just as a lamp lights up a  dark room, so  the fear of God

when it  penetrates the heart of a  man illuminates him,  teaching him all the

virtues and commandments of God.'

He also said, 'We do not need words only, for, at the  present time, there are

many words  among men, but  we need works,  for this is  what is required, not

words which do not bear fruit.'

   + + +

Abba John of the Cells told us this story: 'There was in Egypt a very rich and

beautiful courtesan, to whom  noble and powerful people came.  Now one day she

happened to be near the church and she wanted  to go in.  The sub- deacon, who

was standing at the  doors, would not allow her  to enter saying, "You are not

worthy to enter the house of God,j jfor you  are impure." The Bishop heard the

noise of their argument and came out. Then the courtesan said to him, "He will

not let me enter the church." So the Bishop said to her,  "You are not allowed

to enter it, for you are not pure."  She was filled  with compunction and said

to him, "Henceforth I will not commit fornication any  more." The jbishop said

to her, "If you bring your wealth here, I shall know that  you will not commit

fornication any more." She brought  her wealth and  the bishop burnt it all in

the  fire. Then she  went into the  church, weeping  and  saying, "If this has

happened to  me  below, what  would I not   have suffered above?" So  she  was

converted and became a vessel of election.'

(Abba Isidore  the priest)  said, 'If you  fast regularly,  do not be inflated

with pride, but if you think  hightly of yourself  because of it, then you had

better eat meat.  It is better for a man to eat meat than  to be inflated with

pride and to glorify himself.'

It was said of Abba John the Persian thast when some evildoers came to him, he

took   a basin and  wanted to  wash  their feet.  But  they   were filled with

confusion, and began to do penance.

   + + +

From Palistine, Abba   Hilarion went to the mountain   to  abba Anthony.  Abba

Anthony  said to him,  'You are welcome,   torch which awakens  the day.' Abba

Hilarion said, 'Peace to you, pillar of light, giving light to the world.'

The holy Fathers were making predictions about the  last generation. They said

'What have we ourselves done?' One of  them, the great abba Ischyrion replied,

'We  ourselves have fulfilled  the commandments of  God.'  The others replied,

'And those who come after us, what will they do?' He said, 'They will struggle

to achieve half our works.' They said, 'And to those who come after them, what

will happen?' He said,  'THE MEN  OF THAT GENERATION  WILL NOT  ACCOMPLISH ANY

WORKS AT  ALL AND  TEMPTATION  WILL COME  UPON THEM;  AND  THOSE WHO   WILL BE

APPROVED IN THAT DAY WILL BE GREATER THAN EITHER US OR OUR FATHERS.'

Abba Copres said, 'blessed is he who bears affliction with thankfulness.'

   + + +

One day,  the inhabitants of Scetis assembled  together to discuss Melchizedek

and they forgot to invite Abba Copres. Later on they called  him and asked him

about this matter.  Tapping  his mouth  three times, he  said 'Alas  for  you,

Copres! For that which God commanded you do,  you have put  aside, and you are

wanting  to learn something  which you have not been  required to know about.'

When they heard these words, the brothers fled to their cells.

Abba Cyrus of Alexandria was asked about the temptation of fornication, and he

replied, 'If you do not think about it, you have  no hope, for  if you are not

thinking about it, you are doing it. I mean, he who does not fight against the

sin and sresist  it in his spirit will  commit the sin  physically. It is very

true that he  who is fornicating in fact  is not worried about thinking  about

it.

   + + +

Some of the monks who are  called Euchites went  to Enaton to see Abba Lucius.

the Old man asked  them, 'What is your manual  work?' They said  , 'We  do not

touch manualj work but as the Apostle says,  we pray without ceasing.' The old

man asked them  if they did  not eat and they replied  they did. So he said to

them  "'When you are eating, who  prays for you then?' Again  he asked them if

theydid  not sleep and they replied  they did. and he said  to them, 'When you

are a asleep, who prays for you  the?' They could not find  any answer to give

him. He said  to them, 'Forgive me, but  you do not act as  you speak. I  will

show you how, while doing my manual  work, I pray  without interruption. I sit

down with God, soaking my  reeds and plaiting  my ropes, and  I say "God, have

mercy on me, according  to your great goodness and  according to the multitude

of your mercies,  save me from my sins."  ' So he  asked them if this were not

prayer and they replied it was. Then he said  to them, 'So  when I shave spend

the whole  day working and praying, making  thirteen  pieces of money  more or

less,  I put two pieces of  money outside the door and  I pay for my food with

the rest of the mony. He who takes the two pieces of maney prays for me when I

am eating and when I  am sleeping; so   , by the  grace of  God, I fulfil  the

precept to pray without ceasing.'

   + + +

They said of Abba Macarius the Great  that he became, as it  is written, a god

upon  earth, because, just as God  protects the world,  so Abba Macarius would

cover the faults which he saw, as though he did  not see them; and those which

he heard, as though he did not hear them.

   + + +

The angel when giving the  rules of monasticism  to St. Pachomius said to him:

"... He  laid down that   in the course   of the day   they should make twelve

prayers, and  at  the lamp-lighting  time twelve, and   in  the nightly vigils

twelve, and at the ninth hour  three. When the multitude goes  to eat, he laid

down that a psalm should be sung before each prayer.  As Pachomius objected to

the angel that the prayer were too few ..."

   + + +

The same Abba  Macarius while he  was in Egypt  discovered a  man who owned  a

beast of burden  engaged in plundering Macarius' goods.  So he came up to  the

thief as if he was a stranger and he helped him to load the animal. He saw him

off in great peace of soul saying,  'We have brought  nothing into this world,

and we cannot take anything out of  the world.' (1Tim.6.7)  'The Lord gave and

the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' (Job 1.21)

Abba Macarius was asked, 'How should one pray?' The  old man said 'There is no

need at all to make long discourses; it  is enough to  stretch out one's hands

and say, "Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy." And if the conflict

grows fiercer say, "Lord, help!" He knows very well what we  need and he shews

us his mercy.'

A brother went to Abba  Matoes and said to him,  'How is it  that the monks of

Scetis  did more thatn  the Scriptures  required in loving  their enemies more

than themselves?' Abba Matoes said to him, 'As  for me I  have not yet managed

to love those who love me as I love myself.'

   + + +

It was said  of Abba Silvanus  that at Scetis he had  a dijsciple called  Mark

whose obedience was great.  He was a scribe. The  old man loved him because of

his  obedience. He had  eleven other disciples  who were hurt because he loved

him more than them. When  they knew this,  the elders were  sorry about it and

they came one day  to him to  reproach him about  it. Taking them with him, he

went to knock at each  cell, saying, 'Brother  so  and so,  come here; I  need

you,' but none of them came immediately. Coming to Mark's cell, he knocked and

said, 'Mark.' Hearing the  old man's voice,  he jumped up immediately  and the

old man sent him off to serve and said to the elders,  'Fathers, where are the

other brothers?'  Then he went  into Mark's  cell and picked   up his book and

noticed  that he had  begun to write the letter  'omega' ["w"] but when he had

heard  the old man,  he had not  finished writing it.   Then  the elders said,

'Truly, abba, he whom you love, we love too and God loves him.'

   + + +

Abba Poemen said of Abba Nisterus that he was like the  serpent of brass which

Moses made for the healing of the people:  he possessed all virtue and without

speaking, he healed everyone.

Abba Xanthias said,  'The thief was on  the  cross and he  was  justified by a

single word; and Judas who was counted in the number jof the apostles lost all

his labour in one single night  and descended from  heaven to hell. Therefore,

let no-one boast of  his good works,  for all  those  who trust  in themselves

fall.'

(Abba Poemen) said, 'The beginning of evil is heedlessness.'

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