Desert Fathers and Mothers

Hi folks, I trust you are well? Many of you will now be into the holiday season, with schools closing for the summer and people preparing to spend time with family and friends. And so with this in mind i bring the following to your attention…

‘Wherever you go, keep God in mind; whatever you do, follow the example of Holy Scripture; wherever you are, stay there and do not move away in a hurry. If you keep to these guide-lines, you will be saved.’ Anthony of the Desert. 

This leads us into this weeks reflection about the Desert Fathers and Mothers. By the end of the third century AD, the Christian faith had grown despite persecution and conflict, and then in 312, Constantine the emperor converted to Christianity and soon after temples became churches, pagan feast days became christian festivals. This led to the church gaining significant power and status. 

Many Christians were deeply unhappy with this. Recalling the humility and simplicity of Jesus, they worried christians were being corrupted and the gospel being diluted. With this in mind, many moved away from the centres of power, craving a simpler, humbler, holy way of life. They became known as the ‘Desert Fathers and Mothers’. 

They had an approach to prayer called ‘hesychasm’ – this comes from the Greek for stillness, rest, quiet and silence.  This is the practice of inner silence and continual prayer. After fleeing the world they then began to change it by the way they lived. This spoke prophetically at the time and many folk became pilgrims and sought to learn from them. From this counter cultural communities and economics began to form around these prayer warriors, and so the first monasteries were born. 

Missionaries began to move North from the Egyptian desert, taking the gospel and this simple way of living. They created radical monastic communities and eventually moved to the shores of Britain. This all happened some two centuries before the Romans arrived! 

Some questions:

How will you ‘keep God in mind’ during the holidays? 

What about the advice ‘do not move away in a hurry’? How can you make the most of each moment?

Do you know anyone who has rejected modern society and decided to live in a different way?

What does inner silence and continual prayer look like for you? 

In what ways do the Desert Fathers and Mothers resonate with you or not?

What can we learn from them? 

This week we are meeting in the upstairs room overlooking Cullercoats bay in the Crescent Club, meeting at 8.00pm, we look forward to seeing you. 

Peace Rob