Sayings of the Desert Fathers of Mt Sinai

By St George Monastery

The sayings of the Desert Fathers is rich in spiritual wealth and a learning companion for all Christians.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Virgin Mary of Australia and Oceania
• Release date: Dec 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393760580

Book preview

Abba Ammoun[1]

They used to say about Abba Ammoun[2] that he once dwelt for two whole months in a little hut used for storing barley. One time he met with Abba Poemen[3] and told him, Whenever I go off to a neighbor’s cell or he comes to me for some need, we’re both afraid that we’ll say something unfitting while speaking with each other.

The elder replied, You do well, since youthfulness requires much vigilance. And Abba Ammoun asked him, So what, then, did the elders used to do? Since they were spiritually advanced, the elders had nothing to say that was either different from or foreign to the truth.

But whenever it is necessary for me to speak with a neighbor, said Abba Ammoun, do you wish for me to speak from the Scriptures or from the counsels of the elders?

If you are unable to keep silent, it is good to speak from the counsels of the elders rather than from Scripture[4], for there is no small danger in doing that.[5]

Abba Anastasios

I[6]

Abba Anastasios, the Abbot of Sinai[7], once saw Abba John[8] as he was descending from the Holy Summit[9] with Abba Martyrios[10], and he called both the young man[11] and the elder to himself. He said to the elder, Tell me, Abba Martyrios, Where is this young man from, and who has given him the tonsure? Martyrios then said to him, He is your servant, father, and I am the one who tonsured him since he is my disciple. Anastasios then said to him, Is that right! Abba Martyrios, who knew that you would be the one to tonsure the Abbot of Mt. Sinai?" And thus did the fathers prophesy concerning our most-holy Father John, as is worthy and right, for he was adorned with every virtue and shone forth with such splendor that the fathers at Sinai called him a second Moses.[12]

II[13]

1. Blessed Anastasios of Raitho[14] attained to the heights in both the practice of the virtues and the exact knowledge of the Orthodox teachings of the Catholic Church[15], and through his word and by the grace of Christ he led many heretics, like sheep that had gone astray (Mat. 10:6; 18:12; Jn. 10:2), back to Christ's fold where they belonged. Among these heretics there were two who once disputed with him concerning orthodoxy, and Anastasios swore to them, If I feel in my conscience that you speak correctly, without any insincerity or disagreement with the truth, I will commune with you. He had them, too, swear this same oath, and already at the beginning of their debate the truth reigned supreme, the light appeared as light, and the darkness as darkness.

2. When they had both been reproved in their consciences, they confessed that he spoke truly, and he required of them that they fulfill their promises. One of them had communion at once, but the other put it off, saying, I have no doubt that you speak truly, but I am unable to do this because of my relatives. At this the blessed man was consumed with divine zeal and said to him, Since you have loved the glory of men rather than the glory of God (Jn. 12:43), (blessed be the Lord!), neither in the present time nor in the hereafter shall you commune. And the next day the miserable man perished, for the vengeance of God was accomplished in accordance with the elder's judgment.[16]

III

1. Another time when he was debating doctrine with a heterodox, they made the same agreement, for he desired, if possible, that all be saved. (1 Tim. 2:4) And once he had demonstrated the truth and the man refused to receive communion, even though he had made a promise, he said, Because you are not persuaded now, you will find persuasion in the fate of your only-begotten child, since you have transgressed your oath. And so it occurred: within a few days his son passed away.

2. After this took place, the man was greatly afraid and came and fell before the saint in repentance over his transgression, and he begged that he might be made worthy of the correct faith and the monastic habit. So Anastasius permitted him to struggle together with the fathers at Raitho.

IV

Once there was a draught in the lands throughout Palestine[17], and when the inhabitants of that region came to him in supplication, he prayed and there came abundant rainfall. And thus is it true that the Lord will fulfill the desire of them that fear him, and he will hearken to their supplication (Psa. 144.19).

Abba Andrew

I[18]

1. Abba Andrew from Messenia told us the following story: ‘Once, when I was younger, my abba and I departed from Raitho on a journey to Palestine, where we stayed with an elder. The elder who hosted us happened to have a single coin, and having forgotten where he had put it, he suspected that I, the younger man, had stolen it. So he began telling the fathers in that area, Brother Andrew stole my coin. When my Abba had heard this rumor he called on me and asked, Tell me, Andrew, did you take the elder's coin? And I answered frankly, Take pity on me, abba, I didn't take anything!

2. ‘I had a mantle however[19], and I sold it for a coin and took it to the elder, and after prostrating before him I said, Forgive me, reverend abba, for Satan has mocked me and I took your coin. There happened to be a layman there, too, and the elder said to me, Go, my child, I didn't lose anything. But again I prostrated before him and said, For the Lord's sake, accept the coin. Look, this is it; and pray for me since Satan put me up to this business, stealing from you and giving you grief. Yet the elder said, Child, I didn't lose anything!

3. ‘Since he wasn't convincing me with any success, the layman then turned to me, Truly, reverend brother, yesterday when I came I found the elder weeping and prostrating himself in great sorrow. When I saw him in such distress, I said, Do me a favor and tell me, what's wrong? And he said, I slandered a brother, and said that he stole my coin. But look, I just found out where I put it."

4. ‘And so the elder was edified through me, because even though I didn't steal it in the first place, I brought him a coin and said, Take this coin that I stole from you. ’

II

1. There was one brother who had a demon, and he went on a journey to the Wonderful Mount[20] to see Abba Symeon the Stylite[21], so that he would intercede for him and cast out the demon from him. Abba Symeon asked him, Where do you live? And the brother said, In Raitho. And the elder replied, Brother, I am amazed that you endured so much labor and came such a long way to see me, a sinful man, when you have many such fathers there in your Lavra. So then, go to Abba Andrew and prostrate before him, so that he may pray on your behalf and heal you immediately.

2. Therefore the brother returned to Raitho and prostrated himself before Abba Andrew just as Abba Symeon had told him to do, and said, Pray for me, abba. Abba Andrew said to him, Abba Symeon has received the grace of healing. And as soon as he had said a blessing, the brother was cleansed immediately and gave thanks to God.

Anonymous Sayings

I

There was a young monk who was sent by his abba to a brother who owned a garden in Sinai, to bring back some fruit for his elder. Once he arrived, he said to the brother who was the master of the garden, Abba, my elder asks if you have some fruit for him. And he said, Yes, child, whatever it is you desire you will find here; take it with my blessing. And so the young monk replied, So then, is the mercy of God here, abba? When he heard this, he stood thoughtfully, staring at the ground, and said to the young man, What is that you said, my child? And the young man said again, I said, abba, is the mercy of God to be found here? When he asked this question yet a third time, the master of the garden was silent for an hour, unable to give any answer to the young man. Finally he sighed and said, God is our helper, my child. He then dismissed the young man, straightway took up his mantle, abandoned his garden, and went off into the desert. Let us go seek out the mercy of God, he said, for if a young child has asked me and I could not give him an account, what shall I do when I am asked by God himself?

II

1. There was one devout brother who came from a foreign land to live in a small cell on Mt. Sinai. On the first day he came to live there, he found a small piece of wood with an inscribed message left by the brother who had once lived there: I, Moses, son of Theodore, am present here, and I am leaving my testimony. The monk placed the wood before his eyes everyday and asked the one who had written, as though he were present, Where are you now, O man, that you are saying you are present and leaving your testimony? What world are you in at this time? Where is the hand that has written this? And thus did he pass his days, in remembrance of death and lamentation.

2. His occupation was calligraphy and he had received from the brothers some papyrus and a writing device, but he died without having written anything to anyone. He only wrote in a small notebook, and left every roll of papyrus that the brethren had given him with a note saying, Forgive me, reverend fathers and brothers, for I had a small engagement with someone, and that is why I never had the opportunity to write for you.

III

Another of the fathers dwelt in Raitho, in a place called Chalkus. An abbot once came to him and said, Abba, I worry whenever I send a brother out for service. [40] The father replied, Whenever I send my attendant on an errand, I sit at the door and watch. And when the thought comes to me saying, ‘When is your brother coming back?’ I reply back, ‘And if another brother (angel) should come first and take me up to be with the Lord, what then?’ And in this way, day by day, I look out the door and fret and weep over my sins and say, ‘But which brother will come first, he from above or he from below?’ And the abbot was greatly comforted and went away and kept the same custom ever after.

IV

Yet again, on the same Holy Summit, before it was yet defiled or sullied by the people now living there, there was a certain brother who was the sextant’s attendant. He once presumed to hide himself within the church, thinking that it would be no sin to sleep there: [42] and so when the caretaker had burned incense and locked the church doors, he departed, assuming his disciple had already left. That night, the disciple got up from his hiding place in the church to clean the candles, but when he approached the first candle, by divine direction, one of the sparks he scattered landed on his side; the place instantly withered all down his side and his arm and his leg, and he remained half-paralyzed until the end of his days.

V

A certain abbot dwelling in Raitho would spend his time in the following way: he sit all day in his cell, deep in thought, bowed to the ground with his head nodding back and forth, sighing, What now, what now? And then he would fall silent for about an hour and work his handicraft, and then bow his head and repeat, What now, what now? And in this way he spent all the days of his life, brooding over his own demise.

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VI

1. Some brothers who were visiting us at Raitho told us this story: there once was a