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Capacity
St Catherine’s Chapel (Photo credit: http://www.ruffrootcreative.com) Abba Mark asked Abba Arsenius ‘Is it good to have nothing extra in the cell? I know a brother who had some vegetables and he...
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Evil
Saint Macarius of Egypt and the Cherub. Venerable Saint Macarius (ca. 300- d. 391, Scetes, Egypt) is one of the most prominent desert Fathers of the Church, known also as Macarius the Great. (Photo...
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God’s Grace
god (Photo credit: the|G|™) He also said, ‘God does not allow the same warfare and temptations to this generation as he did formerly, for men are weaker now and cannot bear so much.’ —sayings of the...
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A Missional Moment
This past Saturday I decided to get very adventurous. I got on my bicycle and rode the eight miles from my home to Downtown New The San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl XXIX trophy on display at the 49ers’...
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Authority and Control
Heavy work, such as I should never choose; but sometimes it must be done. Well might the ancient say, ‘God made practical divinity necessary, the devil controversial. But it is necessary: we must...
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Inside Out
A Desert Monastery A brother questioned Abba Arsenius to hear a word of him and the old man said to him, ‘Strive with all your might to bring your interior activity into accord with God, and you will...
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Light of Grace
Abba Serapion said, ‘When the soldiers of the emperor are standing at attention, they cannot look to the right or left; it is the same for the man who stands before God and looks towards him in...
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Conditional Commitment
Monastery of Saint Anthony A brother renounced the world and gave his goods to the poor, but he kept back a little for his personal expenses. He went to see Abba Anthony. When he told him this, the...
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Finding Direction
Abba Mark said to Abba Arsenius, ‘Why do you avoid us?’ The old man said to him, ‘God knows that I love you, but I cannot live with God and with men. The thousands and ten thousands of the heavenly...
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The Search
There are two birds that fly over our nation’s deserts-one is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture. The vultures find the rotting meat of the desert, because it is the object of their search....
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Do Something
Roman Gladiators One person armed with the Gospel of peace can change the world. Telemachus did. Who was Telemachus? He was a monk who lived in the 5th century, and his story is a story of courage. He...
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Evil and Passions
A disciple of Abba Anthony said, ‘If anyone wants to drive out the demons, he must first subdue the passions; for he will banish the demon of the passion which he has mastered. For example, the devil...
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Didache 1
The title of the Didache in the manuscript discovered in 1873 From time to time I will be making entries on the Didache. What is the Didache? Simply stated, it is the writings of the apostles about...
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The Unknown Target
He also said, ‘Satan does not know by what passion the soul can be overcome. He sows, but without knowing if he will reap, sometimes thoughts of fornication, sometimes thoughts of slander, and...
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The Invisible Lion
David, when he was fighting the Lion, seized it by the throat and killed it immediately. If we take ourselves by the throat and by the belly, with the help of God, we shall overcome the invisible...
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It’s Not Location
While still living in the palace, Abba Arsenius prayed to God in these words, ‘Lord, lead me in the way of salvation.’ And a voice came to him saying, ‘Arsenius, flee from men and you will be saved.’...
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The Invisible Lion
David, when he was fighting the Lion, seized it by the throat and killed it immediately. If we take ourselves by the throat and by the belly, with the help of God, we shall overcome the invisible...
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