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.”
On the Ten Virgins
While the Bridegroom tarried, they slumbered and slept: Give ear, ye prudent, to our Lord’s parable, for it is all light. All of them slept, both the foolish and the wise — Which signifies that the good and the wicked die until the resurrection. The same sleep comes upon the ten of them, which is… Read More ›
The sickness of spiritual delusion
Even a pious person is not immune to spiritual sickness if he does not have a wise guide — either a living person or a spiritual writer. This sickness is spiritual delusion, imagining oneself to be near to God and to the realm of the divine and supernatural. Even zealous ascetics in monasteries are sometimes… Read More ›
Meekness can hide inner strength
We saw another old man, called Abba Bes, who surpassed everyone in meekness. The brothers who lived round about him assured us that he had never sworn an oath, had never told a lie, had never been angry at anyone, and had never scolded anyone. For he lived a life of the utmost stillness, and… Read More ›
Evil thoughts
A brother came to see Abba Poemen and said to him, “Abba, I have many thoughts and they put me in danger.” The old man led him outside and said to him, “Expand your chest and do not breathe in.” He said, “I cannot do that.” Then the old man said to him, “If you… Read More ›
Holy and Religious Works
When the holy Paphnutius was already living the angelic life he once prayed God to show him if there were any other holy people he could be compared with. An angel appeared and told him that there was a musician (symphoniacus) like him in a certain village, who made a living by practicing his art…. Read More ›
The meeting-place of angels, and the harbor of all Souls
(At the consecration of a monastic church dedicated to St. Macarius, the Coptic patriarch Benjamin I, 622-661, relates) When I had finished the divine service and communicated the clergy, I saw again a great grace which I must not hide from thee. For when the old men came up for communion, I saw a vapour… Read More ›
Uprooting sin belongs to God Alone
To uproot sin and the evil that is so imbedded in our sinning can be done only by divine power, for it is impossible and outside man’s competence to uproot sin. To struggle, yes, to continue to fight, to inflict blows, and to receive setbacks is in your power. To uproot, however, belongs to God… Read More ›
Where there is deep humility thither comes the Holy Spirit
“Humility is not weakness or avoidance of conflict. It enables us to respond to a situation without becoming the central feature. It extends our vision beyond ourselves and our needs to a resolution that reconciles and serves all concerned. By withdrawing from self-assertion, humility makes honest communication possible. When we let go of our desire… Read More ›
Defining Humility
A brother questioned Abba Motius, saying, “If I go to dwell somewhere, how do you want me to live?” The old man said to him, “If you go live somewhere, do not seek to be known for anything special; do not say, for example, I do not go to the synaxis; or perhaps, I do… Read More ›
Believe in God and He will deliver you
Now it happened one year that the Nile did not rise enough to water all our fields, and a multitude of the poor came to Abba Aaron weeping and saying, “Our holy father, we and our children are going to die because the waters have not risen!” He said to them,”Believe in God and He… Read More ›