Lent 3: Desert Mothers and Fathers

Desert Mothers and Fathers
(Ammas and Abbas)

True religion is not about possessing the truth.
No religion does that.
It is rather an invitation into a journey
That leads one toward the mystery of God
                      John Shelby Spong

The Desert Mothers and Fathers were God seekers, who found wisdom in community and in solitude, some lived in caves, some built monasteries, some were sought out as spiritual directors and councellors. Prayer was their constant companion.

Today on our journey, we remember Jesus’ journey brought him into the desert. A wild space where freedom reigns and where temptation showed Jesus how far he could go and who he could be. The Ammas and Abbas followed Jesus, they too had to face their temptations.

Amma Theodora (497-548 CE), a Desert Mother, was the wife of a 4th century Roman Prefect in Egypt. She followed her calling into a monastery in the desert dressed as a man. However her commitment to her faith soon led her to become the amma of a monastic community of women near Alexandria. She was also a trusted colleague and councillor for Bishop Theopilius of Alexandria, a Church Father. The following is a quote from Amma Theodora.

        There once was a follower who decided in desperation to leave the desert and stop trying            to pray- the whole thing was too frustrating, trying to fight bad thoughts and habits. And          he put on his sandals to go. And just then, he saw another follower, who was putting on              his sandals, who said to him: “Is it on my account that you are leaving? Because I go                    before you, wherever you are going.”

There have been mystics throughout the centuries who have followed in the footsteps of the Desert God seekers. Thomas Merton (1915-1968), a Catholic monk and writer, has been one of those followers, who has written volumes on his experiences of trying to bring his life and faith in line with his concern for social justice and his interest in Zen and Eastern mysticism. The following is one of his most famous prayers. 

     My Lord God
     I have no idea where I am going
     I do not see the road ahead of me
     I cannot know for certain where it will end
     nor do I really know myself
     and the fact that I think I am following your will
     does not mean that I am actually doing so
     But I believe that the desire to please you
     Does in fact please you 
     And I hope I never do anything apart from that desire.

The mystic has always been a part of the Christian experience, their words from the earliest Desert Mothers and Fathers and throughout the centuries have influenced so many theologians, artists, philosophers, and people like you and me. Meister Elkhart, Julian of Norwich, Simone Weil, Thomas Merton and many more have added to their wisdom.

I believe the time Jesus spent away from the disciples and crowds for solitude and prayerswere tremendously important to his spiritual life and mission. My guess is that solitude and prayer can play an important part in our own spiritual and life journeys. The mystics are not easy people to read. Their wisdom is about temptation, denial, reflection, and prayer but more than that it demands an honesty from us that few are prepared to give. The earliest desert Abbas and Ammas gave their hearts into the wildness and emptiness of the desert in their search for God.  Today, many God searchers may find their deserts look a lot more like cities and suburbs but the ancient wisdom speaks to us, guiding us on our journey. 

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Rough Translations by Jan Richardson
 
Hope that blesses those to come.
Hope nonetheless.
Hope despite.
Hope regardless.
Hope still.
Hope where we had ceased to hope.
Hope amid what threatens hope.
Hope with those who feed our hope
Hope beyond what we had hoped
Hope that draws us past our limits.
Hope that defies expectations.
Hope that questions what we have known.
Hope that makes a way where there is none.
Hope that takes us past our fear.
Hope that calls us into life.