BOOK NOTES: THE WISDOM OF THE DESERT FATHERS

#workinprocess #booknotes #bookreview #soulcare #desertfathers

"One scholar observes that this 'ascetical theology was a theology dominated by the ideal of the martyr, who hoped for nothing in this world but sought for union with God in his passion.' These individuals usually renounced their material possessions and practiced a deep degree of self-sacrifice that recalled the spirit of Christians facing persecution in the earliest Christian communities" (pg. xvi).

The Life of Antony of Egypt

"Mauled and beaten [by demons], Antony experienced even more atrocious pains in his body; but he remained unafraid, and his mind was alert. Although the wounds of his flesh made him groan, he maintained the same attitude and spoke as if mocking his enemies: 'If you had any power, one of you would be enough for the fight; but since the Lord has robbed you of your strength, you are broken and so you attempt to use large numbers to terrify me. The proof of your weakness is that you have taken on the shapes of unreasoning beasts.'

He continued to speak with confidence: 'If you truly have any influence, if the Lord has granted you any power over me, here I am: Eat me up. But if you cannot, why do you use up so much energy? For the sign of the cross and faith in the Lord is for us a wall that no assault of yours can break down.' Although they made numerous threats against the holy Antony, they did not succeed. They made fools of themselves, not of Antony" (p. 12).

"Jesus did not fail to notice his servant's struggle. He came to protect Antony. When Antony raised his eyes, he saw the roof opening above him. As the darkness dissipated, a ray of light poured in on him. As soon as this bright light appeared, all the demons vanished, and the pain in Antony's body suddenly stopped...

Sighing deeply from the bottom of his heart, he spoke to the light that had appeared to him: 'Where were you, good Jesus? Where were you? Why weren't you here from the beginning to heal my wounds?' And a voice came to him: 'Antony, I was here, but I was waiting to watch your struggle. But now, since you have bravely held your own in this fight, I will always help you and I will make you famous throughout the world'" (p. 12-13).

"'Let Christians care for nothing that they cannot take away with them. We ought rather to seek after that which will lead us to heaven, namely wisdom, chastity, justice, virtue, an ever-watchful mind, care of the poor, firm faith in Christ, a mind that can control anger, and hospitality. Striving after these things, we shall prepare for ourselves a dwelling in the land of the peaceful, as it says in the Gospel'" (p. 18).

"'I pray then that we should use every effort to press on toward this life's goal... To look back means to have second thoughts about your undertaking and to become entangled once more in worldly desires. Do not fear the word "virtue" as if it were unattainable. Do not think that such an endeavor, which depends on our will, is alien to you or something remote. Man has a natural inclination to this kind of effort, and it is something that awaits only our willingness'" (p. 20).

"'Let the Greeks pursue their studies across the seas and go in search of teachers of useless literature in foreign lands. We, however, feel no compulsion to travel across the waves, for the kingdom of heaven is to be found everywhere on earth. That is why the Lord says in the Gospel: The kingdom of God is among you (Luke 17:21)'" (p. 20).

"'The virtue that is within us requires only the human will. For who can doubt that the natural purity of the soul, were it not tainted by filth, would be the source of all virtues? A good Creator must necessarily have made the soul good. If we hesitate, we should hear the words of Joshua, who said, Incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel (Joshua 24:33). And John expresses a similar idea about virtue when he says, Make his paths straight (Matthew 3:3). For. to have a straight soul means that the blemish of any vices does not stain its original soundness. If it changes its nature, then it is said to have gone astray, but if it preserves its good nature, then that is virtue'" (p. 20).

"' The Lord has entrusted our souls to us: Let us keep what has been entrusted to us in the same state as it was in when we received it. No one can put forward as an excuse that what is born in him is external to him. Let him who made us recognize his own creation, and let him find his own word as he created it'" (p. 20-21).

"'Our natural adornment is enough for us. You who are human must not disfigure what divine generosity has granted you. To wish to alter the words of God is to desecrate them'" (p. 21).

"'We must hold firm in our minds the fact that God has made nothing that is evil and that the demons did not derive their origin from any arrangement on his part. Their perversity is a fault not of nature but of will. In fact, they were good, in that God created them, but they fell to earth from heaven by their own will. Wallowing there in the filthy mire, they introduced the wicked worship of paganism. Now they are tortured by envy of us and never cease to devise every possible evil scheme to prevent us taking over the top position they once held'" (p. 21-22).

"'[The demons'] wickedness is of various kinds, and they divide it among them. Some of them have reached the topmost summit of destructiveness, while others seem less harmful in comparison with the ones that are more wicked. They have all undertaken different struggles against different causes according to the strength of their demonic powers. That is why it is necessary to ask the Lord to grant the ability to distinguish between spirits, so that we may see through their tricks and their efforts and raise the single banner of the Lord's cross in confronting the unequal battle'" (p. 22).

"'We must not believe [the satan's] promises or fear his threats, for he always deceives, and none of his promises are true. For if everything he says were not a lie, how is it that when he made such infinitely extravagant promises the Lord hooked him like a serpent, using the hook of the cross? How is it that he was bound with a halter like a beast of burden, and tied up in chains like a runaway slave, his lips pierced by an iron ring? How is it that he was not given the chance to devour any of the faithful at all?

Now he is as miserable as a sparrow caught by Christ in the net to be mocked at; now he groans for his companions who have been trampled beneath the Christians' heels like scorpions and serpents. He who took pride in the face that he would hold the world in his hand, look at him! You have conquered him'" (p. 23-24).

"'The evil thugs, together with their leader, the devil, whom the Savior in the Gospel calls a murderer and the father of lies, would never have been beaten despite our brave fight against them, if their power had not been taken away...

[addressing the satan]: We know that you are the foulest corpse; we know that we live as Christians and are safe when we clash with you because the Lord has deprived you of your strength. That is why you are pierced by your own darts, because your threats have no effect'" (p.27).

"'But someone may ask, "Why did the devil destroy Job's family? Why did he completely destroy Job's belongings, knock down his walls to their foundations, and build one tomb for his numerous children? Why did he afflict Job with strange and dreadful sores?" Anyone who makes such an objection must listen to the other side of the argument. It was not the devil who was able to do this, but the Lord. The Lord grants power against us twice over, either for our glory, if he approves of us, or for our punishment, if we do wrong. In fact, anyone who objects ought to understand from this that the devil could have done nothing, not even against one person, if he had not received his power from the Lord, for no one begs someone else for something that is in his own power... The devil did not exercise his own strength against Job's cattle or sheep without God's permission'" (p. 28).

"'But if [the demons] pretend they have the gift of divination, too, and predict the arrival of some of the brothers, and if those whom they predicted would come do indeed arrive, even then you must not trust them, for they are liars... They are not referring to things that have not yet begun to happen, for God alone knows about future events. When they see the beginning of some action, they run like thieves and claim knowledge of it among those who are ignorant of it'" (p. 29).

"'What advantage is there in knowing what is to come? Surely no one ever wins praise for knowing these things or is punished for not knowing them. The question of whether each individual prepares for himself either torments or glory depends solely on whether he discharges the rules of Scripture or carries them out. None of us chose this way of life so as to have foreknowledge of the future but so that, obeying the Lord's commands, we might begin to be his friends rather than his servants.

We must not worry about knowing what is to come but about carrying out what we have been told to do. Nor should we demand this as a reward for the ascetic life. Instead, we ought to ask the Lord for victory over the devil'" (p. 30).

"'No one should fear that he will be carried off by the devil and dropped down a steep cliff. May all anxiety be dispelled, for the Lord, who has destroyed our enemies, remains in us as he promised, and has protected us from all of satan's various attacks" (p. 36).