Sam Rahberg

SPIR 434

Introduction to the Desert Fathers

Ah, you mean Anthony, Abba Moses, Arsenius, John the Dwarf, and Evagrius of Ponticus?

Life was different then. In the two hundred and fifty years following the resurrection of Jesus, Christians had spread to Alexandria in Egypt and the other great cities along the Nile. Beginning with Anthony in 285 A.D., Christians were moving to the deserts and mountains of Egypt and Syria. Initially they lived alone or in loosely knit groups and devoted themselves to prayer and manual labor. Recalling the differences between people of today and the Desert Fathers, Father Columba Stewart notes,

Life in the desert was truly a life of simplicity and poverty. The work of their hands provided for daily needs. Basket weaving, for example, allowed the mind to continue in prayer as the hands busied themselves. They prayed to recognize the mercies and love of God, to fight temptation, and to discover their true identity in Christ. By moving to the desert and minimizing external distractions the interior battle arose front and center. "They learned that fleeing external distractions only brought them face-to-face with their own thoughts -- the demons of lust, greed, pride, and envy were still with them". In their weakness, God made them strong. "They also learned about the depths of God's mercy and forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome every other spirit and cleanse the soul".

It was a witness and response to the changing times. From the Resurrection of Christ to the birth of Anthony ca. 251 the Christians had faced persecution. Yet, it Anthony's lifetime there was also some degree of toleration until Emperor Diocletian reasserted the worship of Roman gods in A.D. 303. Although Anthony had fled into the desert in ca. 285, others would soon follow with the changes to come. In 313, Constantine took power and made Christianity the official religion of the Empire. This led to a secularization of Christianity and raised the profile of many factions within it. In response, Constantine called the Council of Niceaa in 325 and offered to back up their decrees with the force of the Empire. Such political and ecclesial efforts to draw Christians together drove some Christians into the desert.

Some were called, like Anthony, to sell all they had and seek God in the desert. Others were escaping the materialism, controversy, and hypocrisy of political Christianity. All were acting out of the conviction that Christian life was something more than what they were currently experiencing. Thomas Merton writes,

While bishops were dabbling in law making, these Christians refused to drift along, passively living the Christian life. They sought personal and communal transformation in Christ. "In the desert away from human praise and criticism…", says Yushi Nomura, "they also discovered that their true identity is securely planted in the first love of God Himself and that this first love frees them from their fearful compulsions and allows them to relate to their own society freely, joyfully, and peacefully." Faith communities have often fled society to preserve their way of life, shelter their piety, or escape their responsibilities. However, many of the anchorites and cenobites of the third through fifth centuries had a more noble purpose. They made these personal journeys to be freed from their false selves and compulsions in order to better serve their neighbors.

Surely you know! They spoke of prayer, fighting temptation, humility, spiritual disciplines, and obedience, teaching in the spirit of Jesus. They were living sermons and their practical wisdom was fed by experience. Apt words and Scriptural undertones testify that the Spirit was illuminating their minds, perceiving the simplicity beyond the complexity and speaking straight to the heart. The sayings are not unlike Jesus' parables.

Younger monks would come to the veterans and say, "Abba, give us a word." An oral tradition flourished among the desert Christians as they shared insight and experience. The Orthodox priest John Anthony McGuckin observed a powerful focus underpinning the sayings,

The "complete dedication" and "radical focus" of desert life opened a rich, countercultural possibility for all Christians. Especially today, these sayings give us pause to recognize a higher source of identity and purpose against the unbiblical societal images, expectations, and values with which we are bombarded.

How shall I read the sayings, Abba?

Do not "read". "Listen." The words of the desert Christians are not plain text like a newspaper, history book, or even a novel. They are not recorded to be read from cover to cover. The sayings require an attitude and posture of listening.

Take a saying into the day by repeating it while praying, waiting, traveling, or working. McGukin thinks of this as "teasing out the implications" for application and maturity. This kind of listening rests for a moment in the experience of another Christian. Sense the presence of a mentor, looking you in the eye, knowing you well, and offering you a nugget from the treasures he has discovered. It is yours to keep and admire. Imagine the treasure and the exchange itself as it affects the attitude you will carry for the rest of your life.

Let me tell you a saying that may help temper any temptations of urgency or haste.

My son, there is no race to win and no objective to attain. Only listen. Rest in the Scriptures, for you discover their inspiration for the sayings. The Word of God works into our hearts and changes us from the inside out. The Spirit cultivates our inner soil preparing our bodies to bear fruit. With the maturing posture of listening, the heart is prepared for the sayings.

I have heard the parts of Lectio described as communication in a relationship: acquaintanceship, friendliness, friendship, and union of life. God is the master of self-revelation. Listen. Sit in the sunshine or in a comfortable chair and let the waves of the saying wash over you like the Scriptures.

If one "reads" the sayings, flight to the desert may seem appropriate. For some this is a viable option, but most should "listen" to the sayings and find a deeper call. "An elder said: Just as a tree cannot bear fruit if it is often transplanted, so neither can a monk bear fruit if he frequently changes his abode." The roots of daily life and familiar vocation are a good place to begin. With proper nourishment and attention the tree will bear fruit. The call of the desert is to face oneself. Begin with you, as you are, where you are. What will it profit you to leave? No matter where you go, there you will be.

Initially, the call will be to simplify. The elders speak of limiting distractions and this is a constant, life-long battle in this media intensive culture. In simplifying, listening becomes more intentional and practical. It is not necessarily more comfortable. Temptation will rise, but so will the presence and defense of the Spirit. Identity will be gradually clarified and sharpened in the image of Christ. Service to others becomes a heart-felt response.

Maturing in the spirit of the desert Christians is a process that requires submission. Healthy relationships, stability of home and occupation, and patterns of prayer and discipline nurture the ability to submit to God's reshaping of our lives from the inside out. Indeed, you may one day be called to a radical life of poverty and isolation, but listen carefully first. Part of simplicity and developing a relationship is limiting the amount of change experienced at one particular time. Do not start by uprooting the tree, but settling into the abode.

There are three functions of the Word and each has both Law and Gospel: saving, protecting, and motivating. First, the saving Law accuses us to death. No matter what the Law does positively, it will always condemn us to death. The saving Gospel enlivens us and brings us to life. We are delivered, rescued, and saved. The blessing of the saving Word is identity: I am both a sinner and a saint. I am part of the priesthood. I am an heir to the kingdom.

Second, the protecting Word brings the blessing of security and safety. The protecting Word of Law protects by outlining external compliance. Still it accuses because I am incapable of internal compliance. The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of earth are both under God's sovereignty, but the kingdom of earth does not reflect this reality. The protecting Word of Gospel protects us from Satan and convinces us that this Gospel can be for me. Security and safety in the temporal and spiritual come from grace alone.

Third, the motivating Word brings meaning, purpose, and vocation. The Law guides me by instructing me, but it cannot ultimately motivate me, because it still accuses me of falling short. It never just instructs. It also accuses. The motivating Gospel empowers me. Because of God's saving act in Jesus Christ therefore I walk in the Spirit and rise anew every day in my baptism.

The Word of God must be presented in its unity. It is both/and. It is both a Word of condemnation and assurance of grace. It pictures a life that one should lead, recognizes his inability to do so, yet encourages and empowers him in the Spirit to walk on. This is the dynamic, powerful Word of God.

Some sayings are more clear than others. The Early Church Fathers saw sin as a falling away from God that revealed a need to crawl back to him. There is no sense of complete brokenness. The Fathers left the cities to recover a pure Church. In the face of hypocrisy and lack of commitment, they engaged in spiritual warfare. The real question is, "Did they lay the burden on themselves or on Christ?"

They must be translated for the 21^st Century. In the age of self-help literature and individualism, there is a danger that the sayings will be interpreted to support salvation by personal merit. Sanctification walks a fine line with pride. Who gets the glory for growth? Sanctification reveals how one can live, but one cannot do it on her own. Like the both/and of Law and Gospel, justification and sanctification are both/and. They are grace with different emphases. Gospel empowerment means salvation affects discipleship. The Word of Law and Gospel, even in the living voice and conversation of the desert Christians, is saving, protecting, and motivating for all times.

Life is a journey. God has submersed himself in our journey, yet we are so blinded by the layers of earthly behaviors and materialistic desires that we cannot recognize his purpose or his presence. The Christian life, according to the sayings, is the journey of responding to God's call to be the self that he created in his image and to serve others from this center. This is a life of faithful prayer, empowered discipline, and trusting commitment to the process. Remember Abba Poeman's idea of process…drop by drop the Word of God softens the rock of our hearts.

Abba, show me how to read the sayings.

Let us visit 10 motifs of the desert journey: beginning, relationship, prayer, fighting obsessions, humility and patience, Divine Love, the gift of transformation, clarity and peace, carrying the kingdom within you, and returning to teach.

Beginning the Journey

Stop.

Silence before God breaks the bonds of distraction and opens the door for relationship.

In the desert tradition, it is apparent that each person needs to be on the journey of growth in Christ. The very first step on that journey is silence. The power of silence is the recognition that all my efforts to control, manipulate, and direct my own journey have lead me to where I am today: in need of a spiritual pilgrimage.

The journey will be a walk with God, listening to his wisdom. This kind of listening is rooted in the Book of Proverbs, "My child, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, so that you may hold on to prudence, and your lips may guard knowledge." Christian silence is not foolishness, but true wisdom. The Word and inspiration of God work through the cracks of our broken, self-centered worldviews, to reorient us to our Creator. The door of relationship is open when silence allows God to speak. Then the Christian life becomes an authentic expression of relationship with God and not a mad, distorted effort to locate him. No longer is one successful by a manufactured reputation or string of accomplishments. Begin by closing your mouth and resign yourself to watch for the many and miraculous ways God uses the seemingly ordinary to build his relationship with you.

The desert is a profound place for people who have been devouring self-help literature and striving to be the expert in all things. The desert is a place where God is in control.

The consuming value of relationship with God changes priorities and perspectives.

Contrary to popular opinion, the desert is beautiful and full of life. The beauty and fullness flow from the intimate relationship with God. Desert Christians sought simplicity, solitude, and silence in order to cherish the relationship that was otherwise drowned by society's way of life and overwhelming expectations. Consider the freedom! In the desert there is no one to impress. You can be honest and alone with God. As in the early days of a love affair, you are consumed with love and would do anything for it. Some sold all that they had. Consider the fear! You are alone with yourself and with your God. You must face the real you and deal with the hurts that have been buried beneath the façade for years. You are vulnerable. Can you trust God with your heart or expect him to provide for you? The psalmist sang, "O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and wary land where there is no water." On the one hand there is freedom. He is free from reputation, vengeance, and even daily wants. The priority of relationship with God leaves everything else as secondary. On the other hand, there is fear. He fears being left alone. If the only need is God himself and God is not present, all is lost. The fear and freedom of the desert compel us to reorganize our priorities for the sake of relationship with God. This relationship influences our perspective.

Every relationship is unquestionably unique. The loving relationship between God and each person will affect priorities and perspectives accordingly. The affirming love of God empowers us to combat the self-centered materialism by living simply and building moments of solitude and silence into our lives. The values of the desert, more than the locale, ground our lives and encourage others in their own journeys. The walking staff of this kind of journey is prayer.

Prayer

Prayer is both a gift and a deliberate effort.

Yes, it is true that Christians can experience comfort and release in prayer, but in the desert prayer is also the greatest labor. The easy images of comfortable conversation within a loving, exclusive relationship, are far removed. There is instead a defiant spiritual force that is purposefully disrupting the prayer of Christians. Desert simplicity and bareness leave no philosophical, material, or political distraction to employ, so the frustrated spiritual enemies resort to direct combat. Praying Christians are not resting, but laboring against the darkest forces. The enemy does not attempt to destroy a person, only deflect her from prayer. This alone reveals prayer's true significance! The enemy's greatest fear is a Christian at prayer. In that moment the Spirit of God is upon them, transforming and healing the inner brokenness, readying this warrior to walk with grace in the world.

Good works are easy, comparatively speaking. To do good, we need only to suspend our personal selfishness and greed. Prayer, on the other hand is warfare against another. All the enemy's devices are targeting the very heart of relationship with God. There will be no release, as long as we are in the world. This warfare will endure until our very last breath. Pity the enemy who has fortified our resolve by revealing to us his greatest fear…that a Christian would stand in prayer.

Think of the Holy Spirit, who "intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." He battles on our behalf. He is helping us in our weakness and holding us up when we do not even know what to pray. God has called us to relationship. He has called us to journey and battle against the world and it's temptations. In doing so, he has left us a great companion (the Spirit) who guides us against the enemy and our own obsessions.

Fighting Obsessions

Love and self-control are motivated by grace and fed by prayer to chip away at our inner selfishness and obsessions.

We do not sit idly by as the Spirit intercedes for us. God has called us to something greater. In the words of Paul to the Romans,

We begin fighting obsessions with an oblation of our lives. Ironically, these lives are not our own to give. They are gifts from the Creator, which he himself has called back into his service. While in our possession, these lives and souls have become cluttered with obsessions and the ignorance that sin breeds as it blinds our eyes to the truth.

As the Creator calls souls and lives back to him, he works through many means. He inspires the disciplines of love and self-control. Through practice our souls rediscover what they were created to be: loving and free, not weighted and driving for their own good. Through reading and reflection, the Spirit speaks truth that stirs our souls and combats earthly perceptions, renewing our minds and transforming us. Through the discipline of praying as Christ prayed, our cups are not always removed, but God's will is always done. Here in the place of prayer and life, souls are in the presence of God, ever-renewing, ever-transforming to Christ's image.

You will begin to discern the will of God that is being completed around you, whether or not you recognize it. Your responsibility is not to determine God's purposes for him, but to be watchful and heedful to his call to participate in his endeavors. He will equip you with the counter-cultural impulses of humility and patience.

Humility & Patience

What would the world say to this picture? "And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble'." They would laugh and scorn! The sayings strike dead against the logic of this world. Success, respect, and status are only soil for temptation, obsession, and distraction from God. Even more easily, success, respect, and status distract us from other people and our call to love them.

Ultimately fear drives people to defend themselves. Some fear that there is no afterlife, so they attempt to create for themselves heaven on earth. Some fear that others will not regard them as they deserve, so they demand respect ruthlessly. Others fear the lack of control, so they assume it themselves. Operating from fear is a draining enterprise. No matter what you create on the basis of fear and anxiety, you will never have peace and companionship. Patience and humility, however, surface in daily life as the fruits of ongoing prayer. The disposition for sharing, resting, and trusting is formed within us despite the rubble of our clenching, striving, and defending.

Can one practice humility before achieving such a disposition?

The spiritual life is not mathematical. It is a process of Divine Love. The Love is at work in any and all things to accomplish good…even through our failings at humility. He is patient and gently leads us to respond to his love according to our ability, maturing in the process.

Divine Love

The deepest, truest desire is no longer satisfaction of the ego, but love of Christ.

The source of humility and patience, the call to prayer, and the will to fight obsession is the love of Christ. Divine Love is a gift of relationship that grows over time. Mysteriously, the bonds of love develop in the poles of succeeding and failing together or in being intimate and distant. Thus, all things experienced in Divine Love are beneficial. "Wounding" is not a grievous pain, but an intense, passionate mark upon the heart. It draws everything else to its center. Desires, wants, thoughts, and actions are magnetically drawn and shaped by the love of Christ. The details of daily life and the petty struggles take an extreme backstage, until they can be picked up, prioritized, infused and inspired by the consuming Divine Love.

Words begin to fail, my son, when we speak about Divine Love. The lover in the Song of Solomon sang, "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave." " Divine Love breaks through years of self-centeredness and teaches, as if by force, how to love. It is a wonderful, overwhelming force.

How else could one sing of being wounded? I suppose "wounded by longing for Christ" is akin to the "strength of humility." Confounding the mind, experience is the only teacher. Divine Love cannot be acquired; it is a gift. That gift is transformational.

The Gift of Transformation

The gift of beauty, illumination, and transcendence is God's alone to give.

Shall I continue? We come to mystical sayings about relationship with God. These are the fruits of a lifetime of graces that are beyond the majority of our experiences.

Think of light. It permeates even the darkest darkness and lasts as long and as powerfully as its source. God created light to demonstrate his ability to illuminate and brighten a soul. The mysteries and ways of God are far outside the human mind's ability to comprehend. Even so, in moments of grace, God stoops down, picks up a soul, and exposes it to the Reality of Eternity. He holds this soul gently, because the immense Truth could shatter the mind's simple framework that the soul diligently formed to navigate life. If God were to let go, the soul would fall immediately and seek refuge in the mundane of earthly life. Yet, the Creator is still creating light and sharing it with souls. Deliberately, delicately, he exposes the soul to his brilliant omniscience. This is the illumination of the soul. It is God's gift to whet the soul's appetite for the Eternal. By grace, the soul is allowed to participate in the life and experience of the Creator himself!

Jesus is the Light! He is the illumination of the Creator for our souls. The Divine Light was dulled by human flesh so we could recognize God in earthly form. "For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ is the light of revelation. In him alone we know the glory and salvation of God. In Christ we trust God's ability to transform and illuminate our souls and so brighten our experience of life on earth with clarity and peace.

Clarity and Peace

In the moment of grace, God lifts one out of brokenness to behold wholeness and little by little to be transformed to his likeness.

The gift of transformation bears the fruit of clarity and peace in the same way that prayer bears the fruit of humility and patience. As God sets to work on the heart, soul, and mind, he molds a new picture of life, clear from the debris and litter of our previous expectations. He asserts his image, rather than propping up the one we have created. Our eyes behold the joy that transcends temporal pain and sorrows, but does not discount them. The cleansing of sorrows relieves the lingering burdens that are remnants of old events. New sorrows are received with a sense of clarity and peace that allows us to experience emotions without becoming enslaved to them. We no longer respond automatically to worldly impulses, because we clearly see their inadequacy. This clarity is the work of the Spirit, orienting us and transforming us to what is true and enduring. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us…are being transformed into the same image." The image is Christ. Christ stands in the midst of conflict, temptation, and the weaknesses of humanity, yet discerns the kingdom of God. He cuts through deceitful questions to address matters of the heart. He challenges people to grow through his honesty and apt teaching. He is not without burdens, but bears his yoke with clarity and peace. All things are rendered simple and lucid as he discerns the Lord. The cloud of light -- his Father -- provides the motivation and purpose that guide all things.

The Spirit is not casting souls according to the mold of Christ. Transformation is the forming of one soul into another. In this case, our souls are formed into the soul of Christ. Our souls are fused to his living, vibrant, God-pleasing image. We fused souls are the body of Christ, carrying the Kingdom within.

Carrying the Kingdom within You

Those who walk in humility and peace are exceptions to the rule in our society. Approaching life's issues with patience and clarity are equally rare. Soul to soul, people recognize the difference, though they may not be able to articulate it. The difference is that the Christian has been exposed to and formed by the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. She demonstrates that kingdom through her attitudes and behaviors. Years of desert prayer and solitude would change the way any person approaches life. However, it is not the behaviors but the kingdom gifts of the Spirit that are important. "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval." Having discerned the Lord, the Holy Spirit implants righteousness, peace, and joy that are contagious. His mark is left within us.

That is the Lord's mystery to command. You are a vessel of the kingdom. Live in the joy you have received, for you carry the kingdom within you. Do not wait for eternity in the afterlife. Revel in it now. Do not continually uproot life by searching for God on the other side of the fence. Recall that transformation is a gift that God alone can give. That transformation is inside of you. As you carry the kingdom, you will be called to teach and share the journey with others.

Returning to teach

Those who are firmly established in knowledge and power of the Spirit are compelled to share their experiences generously.

Maybe you have, but not without good precedent. Jesus himself was driven into the desert to prepare for his ministry. In Luke 4, Jesus was baptized and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. God was pleased with him; he was the Beloved, yet he was sent into the desert. Full of the Spirit, he responded to the temptations of the devil saying, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Then he returns to the people. Luke 4:14 continues, "Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee." Both Matthew and Mark record Jesus' first post-desert action as the calling of the first disciples. Jesus was returning to teach. He had been firmly established in the Spirit, and returned to proclaim the kingdom of God.

What is the desert that you would worry about betraying it? The desert is only an environment; the relationship within the environment is the key. All that you receive is a gift of this relationship. The very life you share with Christ is not your own. Share generously. Teach by word and action that the ways of God in the human heart are more powerful and grace-filled than the world's attempts to achieve wholeness.

Respect the patterns of the desert for its simplicity, solitude, and prayer. These are assets that Christians throughout history have used to confront the world's deceiving schemes. Cherish the lifelong journey. Over time God weaves daily experiences into faith history and deep relationship. Reflect on the motifs to navigate the twists and turns: beginning the journey, desert, prayer, fighting obsessions, humility and patience, Divine Love, the gift of transformation, clarity and peace, carrying the kingdom within you, and returning to teach.

It is time again for a spiritual pilgrimage. I begin by closing my mouth.

Reference List