Meditating with the desert fathers

Who are the Desert Fathers? Between the 3rd and 7th centuries, these men decided to withdraw to the desert. At first, this retreat was motivated by the persecution of Christians, which lasted until the beginning of the 4th century, but little by little, these men who withdrew to the desert understood the benefits of such a retreat.cart understood the benefits of such a life, far from all worldliness and secular temptations, devoted to prayer. This way of life gradually attracted more and more men and women, and communities sprang up around watering holes and churches. The desert fathers were unique in that they wrote nothing down. However, their words were noted down by their disciples, in what are known as apophtegmes. Fine connoisseurs of the soul and of the word of God, they are specialists in the manducation of this word, develop the virtues of humility and charity and advocate a certain asceticism without excess. They teach discernment and guarding the heart, fighting against bad habits, pride and acedia, all through the practice of  prayer.

Why meditate with the Desert Fathers today?

Like all meditative practice, this prayer requires a certain amount of assiduity, and ultimately the meditation with the Desert Fathers requires a certain amount of assiduity, and ultimately the meditation with the Desert Fathers requires a certain amount of assiduity. dation with the Desert Fathers is akin to mindfulness meditation, so much in vogue today. Indeed, even if the latter's aim is personal well-being, whereas Christian meditation tends to cultivate a relationship with God, the Desert Fathers are above all advocates of the world as a whole, who advocate above all else the importance of breathing, among other things.

Healers of the soul

Devoted to a life of prayer, meditation and solitude, the Fathers acquired a profound knowledge of the soul and the inner movements that animate it. We might even call them the first therapists, for they truly healed souls. Their lives are made up of contemplation and silence, and their aim is to grow spiritually. Meditating on their words and spirituality can be very useful in today's hectic world, where we are constantly in demand and have to do everything immediately. The Desert Fathers hold keys to help us anchor ourselves in the present moment and draw closer to God. They invite us to open up to the life that mysteriously circulates within us, to welcome things and to better receive  our life from God.

Masters of living together

The founder of cenobitic life, i.e. life in community, as opposed to that of the hermit, is saint Pachomius. Every monk has a spiritual father, who guides him on his path to God. The words of the Fathers form the apophthegms.

In their small communities, they have learned to live together, and can help us to accept others as they are, to love them and to help them on their way to God. Close to God, they practice mercy, restraint in the use of judgmental language.

Imaginative language

Their language is often highly imagery that speaks to everyone, yet is also highly poetic, as we can see below. They speak of "mice", "boats" and their "rudders", "mills"...

How to meditate with the Desert Fathers

The first recommendation is to sit down and be silent.

Thoughts like mice

One father drew an analogy between mice and bad thoughts: "Bad thoughts," said an elder, "are like mice in a house. If you kill them one by one as they enter, all is well. But if you wait until the house is infested with them, you'll have a hard time chasing them out. And even if you succeed, the house will be devastated."

The Fathers refer to what they call "guarding the heart"."Whether thoughts trouble us or not is one of the things that do not depend on us. But whether they remain in us or not, whether they arouse passions or not, is part of what is in our power," writes John Damascene. So it's a matter of controlling your thoughts and observing what's going on in your heart.

Evagrius adds: "Be attentive to yourself, be the doorkeeper of your heart and don't let any thought enter without questioning it". This means observing one's thoughts and distinguishing between good and bad ones, in order to keep inner peace and not be dominated by them. Jean Cassien even refers to the task of "changing gold" to distinguish thoughts that come from God and change bad thoughts into good ones.

A boat and its rudder

To illustrate the need for discernment, John Cassien, writes: "We must, through the tumultuous flood of temptations, under the breath of the Spirit of the Lord, use discernment like a rudder to follow the path of virtue with great care, knowing that we will immediately break against the rocks if we deviate even a little to the right or to the left". Is there any need to comment on this evocative phrase?

A nourishing mill

The Fathers also use the image of a grain mill. A mill grinds all day long the grain we feed it in the morning. So, if our thoughts turn to God in the morning, our whole day will be nourished by Him. They invite us to sing a hymn, recite a psalm or a word that nourishes us. Today, we could sing the chorus of a song of praise.

Prayer of the heart

The Desert Fathers also recommend the prayer of the heart. This is a simple, short prayer, or jaculatory, that invites us to pray to the rhythm of our breathing. Jean Cassien suggests this formula: "God, come to my aid, Lord, quickly to my aid". He adds that this request "expresses all feelings".

Deepening meditation with the Desert Fathers

Discover other articles on the Desert Fathers and Mothers

Each day, we also offer a meditation on the Gospel of the day, along with a few questions and points for reflection to help you in your meditation.