An Introduction to the Desert Fathers and Mothers

This a repost of my essay, edited by Rev. Kevin

The pandemic has thrown our lives into the chaotic waves of disarray. We are locked away from the outside environment we have taken for granted. We cannot be with friends and loved ones. We cannot congregate as a church. Distancing ourselves from each other to protect our communities, we become isolated. Isolation is an unfamiliar and terrifying experience for most of us, for we are social beings. Moreover, we begin recognizing that practicing our faith in isolation is difficult and our faith is formed and supported by community. We may wonder, “how can one practice Christianity in such isolation?”

I believe that such a time requires us to now look at how other followers have practiced their faith in similar situation. Due to our isolation, I believe that a tradition we can turn to is Christian monasticism. There are many traditions of Christian monasticism, but we will look and learn from the earliest monastics who started it all: the Desert Fathers and Mothers.

A note regarding this subject: this is a gross over generalization of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. These monastics were a complex group with a rich history. This writing will not do justice for these men and women of God.

Who were the Desert Fathers and Mothers? They were an eclectic bunch: hermits, ascetics, and monks – mainly men – who fled and lived in the Egyptian deserts, mainly in Scetis (now called Wadi El Natrun), beginning in the 3rd century CE. Why did they flee to a desert? For a few reasons. One of the prominent figures of the movement, Abba Anthony of the Desert (251 – 356 CE), was inspired by a sermon he heard, which preached that perfection can be achieved by selling one’s possessions as a way to help the poor and following Jesus. He did and then took the further step of moving to the desert. In the desert, Christianity became legalized in the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine I. Christians were no longer persecuted and could practice the faith freely. However, this imperial endorsement had led to myriads of abuses, corruptions, and incompetency within the city churches. Some Christians desired and longed for a purer Christianity. They looked to the desert to not only escape the imperial structures, but also as a way to be with God. The harsh desert environment became a tool to practice a Christianity that took Jesus’ teachings seriously: selling one’s possessions as a prerequisite, giving alms to the poor, to fast, to pray, to contemplate, to live in solitude or in a small Kingdom of God, and to truly be dependent on God. Soon, many heard of Abba Anthony and these sporadic pockets of monastic communities, leaving their former city life behind to join the desert monks. As Church Father Athanasius of Alexandria noted, “the desert had become the city.”

Why the desert? The desert was far from the imperial hand and from the distractions and corruptions of the city. One can channel their focus and energy better into God. The desert was a harsh and unforgiving wasteland; it doesn’t care for the well-being of humans one bit, nor did it care what humans brought to it. This forced the dwellers to recognize their frailty, their need for God’s care, and to deflate their inflated pride. It taught them to be less anxious, to trust that God will provide for their needs. In addition, according to Jewish and Greco-Roman culture, the desert was a place of evil and temptation, where demons reside. It trained the monks to overcome their sins and base desires, ridding themselves of any form of pleasures. The desert was the place where Jesus was tempted by the Satan and overcame it. Overall, the desert was the place where true followers can practice the way of Jesus, to become Jesus-like. Martyrdom was seen as the highest form of devotion to Jesus. With the imperial acceptance of Christianity, asceticism was seen as the alternative to martyrdom.

What did an average day for the Desert Fathers and Mothers and their followers entail? They would wake up before dawn. The Fathers (known as “abba”) and Mothers (known as “amma”) would meet with their disciples to recite the Psalms. They would then return to their individual cell (living quarters) to perform work in the form of weaving baskets, ropes, etc. (which would be sold to the nearby villages) and prayer. Around 3 P.M. they would gather together to eat their only meal, which consisted of a loaf of bread, lentils, or beans. Then they would either visit one another or visit an abba or amma for a “word” – a wise saying – so that they may meditate on it. They would return to their cell to review their day, identifying any of their shortcomings to overcome them. Then, they continue to work and pray until sleep overwhelms them. Sleep, for them, was undesirable, for it robs them of their time to devote themselves to God.

It’s a mistake to think that the communities surrounding the Desert Fathers and Mothers were some naïve, idealized utopia or commune. Life as a monk was marked with difficulties and boredom. One had to show devotion to such life. But to suffer for the sake of Jesus was to be in union with him. Asceticism was martyrdom.

Unlike some, the Desert Fathers and Mothers were not interested in crafting a systematic theology or “correct beliefs.” Rather, they were most interested in how practicing the ways of Jesus will transform them, faith not as belief, but as lifestyle. Here is a list of some of their practices:

• Hesychasm (Greek for “stillness, quiet, silence”) – The name of this practice usually refers to the Eastern Orthodox mystical movement, but it finds its roots in the Desert Fathers and Mothers. It is a form of meditative prayer, described as “interior silence and continual prayer.” While the exterior form of it is solitude, the internal form of it is inner quiet and peace.

• Forgiveness – The Desert Fathers and Mothers heavily emphasized the importance of forgiveness. There are many accounts of prominent abbas who refused to come to a council to judge a monk’s failings, recognizing that they themselves are sinners and it would be hypocritical to do so. A prominent abba named Moses the Black came in with a leaking jug, arguing that, “My sins run behind me and I do not see them, but today I am coming to judge the errors of another.”

• Almsgiving – Inspired by Jesus’ extensive teaching to care for the poor, the Desert Fathers and Mothers worked, mainly by weaving baskets and mats, to earn money so that it can be given to the poor.

• Hospitality – Although most have an aversion to the outside world and prefer to live in solitude, the Desert Fathers and Mothers were extremely hospitable to visiting monks and city dwellers. They frequently broke their fasts to cook and eat meals with them.

• Recitation of Scripture – As stated above, the Desert Fathers and Mothers would recite Psalms together, as well as meditating on Scripture in their cell.

Other practices include fasting, contemplative prayer, controlling negative thoughts, and

more.

Though unheard by many Protestants like us, the Desert Fathers and Mothers have an extreme influence on the development of Christianity of all traditions. Their influence ranges from the Hesychast movement in the Eastern Orthodox Churches to St. Benedict and his Benedictines, from the renewals of German Evangelicals and Pietists in Pennsylvania to the Methodist revival in England. They have continued to inspire monastics around their world such as those on Mt. Athos and even the Coptic monasteries in Egypt. They inspired individuals such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and Richard J. Foster to live and teach others how to live a more committed life to Jesus.

Again, the Desert Fathers and Mothers teach us how to conduct our lives during a time of imposed isolation. Boredom and isolation force us to examine our lives. We are urged to live daily life more intentionally. What we do with this amount of unbusied time reflects our true values. The abbas and ammas demanded that faith becomes lifestyle, suffering a privilege. The solitary confinement of our home becomes the training ground to, “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

A monk went to Abba Moses the Black and asked for a word. Abba Moses said,

“Sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.”