When the Oblate website was created part of the site was set aside for the sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. The reason is the sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers instructive and we are encouraged to read them by St. Benedict:
“What book of the holy catholic Fathers does not resoundingly summon us along the true way to reach the Creator? Then, besides the Conferences of the Fathers, their Institutes and their Lives, there is also the rule of our father Basil. For observant and obedient monks, all these are nothing less than tools for the cultivation of virtues; ….” (RB 73:4-7).
Andrew Louth also reminds us that:
“They are not meant to be read systematically, rather their pithy, gnomic form are intended to provide many different points of contact with the very varied experience of humankind. Some sayings will strike home to one person, some to another; some will seem directed to my condition now, some will only become relevant later on.” (Andrew Louth, The Wilderness of God, p.64).
Since many of us are reluctant to tackle a volume the size of John Cassian’s Conferences, the sayings are included on the website by source and subject and will be expanded over time. You may read one of these sayings and wonder why it was there or even why they are even put in the newsletter. But they are printed here based on the Rule and their value. With this advice in mind, the sayings will remain on the website so that you may freely go back and look up previous sayings.
If you find one that you found fruitful, please share your thoughts. If you find a saying and would like to share it please email or post it. Please be mindful that, even though many of the sayings are in the public domain, the translator has copyrights over their translation. If there is a known source for the saying please provide Author/translator credit.
