Desert Wisdom 
Collection of the Wisdom of the Desert Fathers. St.Benedict pointed to the the writings of the early Desert Fathers, specifically mentioning the St. Basil and John Cassian (RB 73:5) as sources for “further perfection.”
How to Pray
Abba 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… Read More ›
The Fruits of the Spirit
John of Lycopolis said, ‘This is what it means to renounce the Devil and all his works. For through any sinful act or the onset of a perverse desire the Devil enters into our hearts, for vices are from him just as virtues are from God. So if there are vices in our heart, when… Read More ›
Good and Evil
One day Abba Macarius the Egyptian went up from Scetis to the mountain of Nitria. As he approached the place he told his disciple to go on ahead. When the latter had gone on ahead, he met a priest of the pagans. The brother shouted after him, saying, ‘Oh, oh, devil, where are you off… Read More ›
Desert Truth of the Eucharist
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 naïveté 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… Read More ›
He had not judged the priest
It was said of Abba Mark the Egyptian that he lived for thirty years without going out of his cell. The priest used to take Holy Communion to him. But the devil, seeing the remarkable endurance of this man, decided to tempt him, by making him blame the priest. He brought it about that a… Read More ›
Pursue Hospitality in Every Way
All guests who arrive should be received as Christ, for he himself will say, I was a stranger and you took me in. Proper respect should be shown to all, especially fellow monks and pilgrims. (RB 53: 1-2) Pursuing hospitality in every way, and do not turn your eye away or send the poor man… Read More ›
No one knew about it
Abba Peter said this about the holy Macarius: One day he came to the cell of an anchorite who happened to be ill, and asked him if he would take something to eat, though the cell was stripped bare. When the other replied, “Some sherbet,” that courageous man did not hesitate, but went as far… Read More ›
Hospitality Toward Others
The greeting itself, however, ought to manifest complete humility toward guests who are arriving or departing: by an inclination of the head or by a complete prostration on the ground, one must adore Christ in them, fir he is in fact the one who is received. (RB 53: 6) Abba Apollo said with regard to… Read More ›
Do not exhibit your way of life
All guests who arrive should be received as Christ, for he himself will say, I was a stranger and you took me in. Proper respect should be shown to all, especially fellow monks and pilgrims. (RB 53: 1-2) One brother, an ascetic who was not eating bread, went to visit a great old man. Some… Read More ›
You must first be trained in the “Practical Life”
It is dangerous for anyone to teach who has not first been trained in the “practical life.” For if someone who owns a ruined house receives guests there, he does them harm because of the dilapidation of his dwelling. It is the same in the case of someone who has not first built an interior… Read More ›