from:http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Isidore
(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.'
Some thoughts:
This is interesting. When he was younger, Isidore says. He would pray at night and during the day. Did he advocate this? Or is he saying that now that he is older he can't pray like that? Or does he think that in his youth he was carried away?
I know in my…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 9, 2009 at 10:21am —
No Comments
January 9, May 10, September 9
Chapter 2: What Kind of Person the Abbess Ought to Be
An Abbess who is worthy to be over a monastery
should always remember what she is called,
and live up to the name of Superior.
For she is believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery,
being called by a name of His,
which is taken from the words of the Apostle:
"You have received a Spirit of adoption ...,
by virtue of which we cry, 'Abba -- Father'" (Rom. 8:15)!
Therefore the Abbess ought not to teach o…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 9, 2009 at 9:56am —
No Comments
from:http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Isaiah
(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.'
Some thoughts:
God allows us to suffer, which is something we don't want. It's quite true we dislike suffering. OTOH, there are logical consequences to our choices. Some things we suffer through no fault of…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 6, 2009 at 9:18am —
No Comments
January 6, May 7, September 6
Prologue
So we have asked the Lord
who is to dwell in His tent,
and we have heard His commands
to anyone who would dwell there;
it remains for us to fulfill those duties.
Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies
to do battle under the holy obedience of His commands;
and let us ask God
that He be pleased to give us the help of His grace
for anything which our nature finds hardly possible.
And if we want to escape the pains of hell
and attain life everlast…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 6, 2009 at 8:58am —
No Comments
January 5, May 6, September 5
Prologue
Hence the Lord says in the Gospel,
"Whoever listens to these words of Mine and acts upon them,
I will liken to a wise person
who built a house on rock.
The floods came,
the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it did not fall,
because it had been founded on rock" (Matt. 7:24-25).
Having given us these assurances,
the Lord is waiting every day
for us to respond by our deeds to His holy admonitions.
And the days of this life are lengthened
and a truce…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 5, 2009 at 9:36am —
No Comments
from:http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Isaiah
(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.'
Some thoughts:
The reference to the purple dye would have had a lot more meaning to Abba Isaiah's audience than it does to us. We all p…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 4, 2009 at 8:02am —
No Comments
January 3, May 4, September 3
Prologue
And the Lord, seeking his laborer
in the multitude to whom He thus cries out,
says again,
"Who is the one who will have life,
and desires to see good days" (Ps. 33[34]:13)?
And if, hearing Him, you answer,
"I am the one,"
God says to you,
"If you will have true and everlasting life,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips that they speak no guile.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek after peace and pursue it" (Ps. 33[34]:14-15).
And when you have done…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 4, 2009 at 6:43am —
No Comments
from:http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Hilarion
From Palistine, Abba Hilarion went to the mountain to Abba Anthony. Abba Anthony said to him, 'You are a welcome torch which awakens the day.' Abba Hilarion said, 'Peace to you, pillar of light, giving light to the world.'
Some thoughts:
I know we recently read this one when we were working through the collection of Sayings by topic. Must confess, I don't remember what that topic was.
I wonder... did they really greet e…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 2, 2009 at 7:17am —
No Comments
January 2, May 3, September 2
Prologue
Let us arise, then, at last,
for the Scripture stirs us up, saying,
"Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep" (Rom. 13:11).
Let us open our eyes to the deifying light,
let us hear with attentive ears
the warning which the divine voice cries daily to us,
"Today if you hear His voice,
harden not your hearts" (Ps. 94[95]:8).
And again,
"Whoever has ears to hear,
hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Matt. 11-15; Apoc. 2:7).
And what does He say?
"Com…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 2, 2009 at 7:03am —
No Comments
Sr Gloriamarie adds: Should you wish to contact the Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati and offer your support, you may do so here:
donata.glassmeyer@srcharitycinti.org
Cincinnati nun given ultimatum over ordination views
http://ncronline.org/news/cincinnati-nun-given-ultimatum-over-ordination-views
Cincinnati
After serving as a voice for justice for 40 years in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and beyond, Sister of Charity Louise Akers has been told by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk to publicly d…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 1, 2009 at 10:06am —
No Comments
from:http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Helladius
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.
Some thoughts:
What are we to make of this Saying? To be honest, it kinda creeps me out. LOL The Cells were discovered in 1964 and there has been excavations of churches with inscriptions and decorations. Of course, I dunno if the inscriptions and decorations were there when Abba Helladius…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 1, 2009 at 8:37am —
No Comments
January 1, May 2, September 1
Prologue
I S T E N carefully, my child,
to your master's precepts,
and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).
Receive willingly and carry out effectively
your loving father's advice,
that by the labor of obedience
you may return to Him
from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience.
To you, therefore, my words are now addressed,
whoever you may be,
who are renouncing your own will
to do battle under the Lord Christ, the true King,
and are taking up th…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on September 1, 2009 at 8:20am —
No Comments
from:http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers
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 care.' (Prov. 4.23)
Some thoughts:
It doesn't seem right to me to fail to mention that Petra is one…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on August 31, 2009 at 9:03am —
No Comments
May 1, August 31, December 31
Chapter 73: On the Fact That the Full Observance of Justice Is Not Established in This Rule
Now we have written this Rule
in order that by its observance in monasteries
we may show that we have attained some degree of virtue
and the rudiments of the religious life.
But for those who would hasten to the perfection of that life
there are the teaching of the holy Fathers,
the observance of which leads to the height of perfection.
For what page or what utterance
of th…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on August 31, 2009 at 8:41am —
No Comments
from http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers
Abba Evagrius said, "Take away temptations and no one will be saved."
It strikes me as strange that in the alphabetical collection, only 1 Saying by Abba Evagrius is preserved. OTOH, he wrote and his work was preserved. http://orthodoxwiki.org/Evagrius_Ponticus
How often have I heard people long to "get away from it all" and everything would be right with them. I've daydreamed about it often enough myself. Abba Evagrius tells me that…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on August 30, 2009 at 9:05am —
No Comments
April 30, August 30, December 30
Chapter 72: On the Good Zeal Which They Ought to Have
Just as there is an evil zeal of bitterness
which separates from God and leads to hell,
so there is a good zeal
which separates from vices and leads to God
and to life everlasting.
This zeal, therefore, the sisters should practice
with the most fervent love.
Thus they should anticipate one another in honor (Rom. 12:10);
most patiently endure one another's infirmities,
whether of body or of character;
vie in…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on August 30, 2009 at 8:24am —
No Comments
April 29, August 29, December 29
Chapter 71: That the Brethren Be Obedient to One Another
Not only is the boon of obedience
to be shown by all to the Abbot,
but the brethren are also to obey one another,
knowing that by this road of obedience they are going to God.
Giving priority, therefore, to the commands of the Abbot
and of the Superior appointed by him
(to which we allow no private orders to be preferred),
for the rest
let all the juniors obey their seniors
with all charity and solicitude…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on August 29, 2009 at 9:53am —
No Comments
from: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Epiphanius
"O monk, take thou the greatest possible care that thou sin not, lest thou disgrace God Who dwelleth in thee, and thou drive Him out of thy soul. "
Some thoughts:
Here's something I've thought for a long time. Ideally, we Christians are in a relationship of love with God. When we examine relationships based on love it is very clear that some stuff diminishes or even destroys the love while other stuff enriches, nouris…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on August 29, 2009 at 9:51am —
No Comments
(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.'
Some thoughts
I am really not at all sure what to make of this Saying. "Reward?" It is not the giver who is rewarded, but the receiver. Is it the reward of humi…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on August 28, 2009 at 7:40am —
No Comments
April 28, August 28, December 28
Chapter 70: That No One Venture to Punish at Random
Every occasion of presumption
shall be avoided in the monastery,
and we decree that no one be allowed
to excommunicate or to strike any of her sisters
unless the Abbess has given her the authority.
Those who offend in this matter
shall be rebuked in the presence of all,
that the rest may have fear.
But children up to 15 years of age
shall be carefully controlled and watched by all,
yet this too with all moder…
Continue
Added by Sister Gloriamarie Amalfitano on August 28, 2009 at 7:38am —
No Comments
