Practicing Heart Guarding with the Desert Fathers

Meditation was central to the spiritual lives of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Today, when meditation is touted by every personal development method, it is interesting to return to its Christian roots with the Fathers. Whether living as hermits or in community in the desert, they had no distractions. They were confronted, deep within themselves, with the torments of the soul and the body. They became experts on the soul and developed therapeutic practices that remain highly relevant today. Let us remember that self-knowledge was a key element of their spiritual practice. As Anselm Grün, a Benedictine monk and psychologist, reminds us:

“For the Desert Fathers, the path that leads to God always passes through true self-knowledge... Some people flee their own reality by taking refuge in piety. But their devotion and prayers do not transform them. If we find the courage to delve into our passions, they lift us up and lead us to God.”

Using highly evocative language, the Desert Fathers describe the twists and turns of the soul and the struggles it faces. Pride, charity, prayer, discernment, and thought are their daily themes of meditation, and they still have much to teach us, for these themes are timeless and inherent to all human life. Today, let’s see how they speak to us about guarding the heart—or controlling our thoughts.

What is the guarding of the heart according to the Fathers?

Guarding the heart consists of watching over and protecting one’s thoughts and emotions to maintain a state of inner purity. It is a form of discipline that involves constant vigilance over the soul and the mind, enabling one to discern the thoughts, emotions, and external influences that could disturb inner peace and draw the soul away from God.

For the Fathers, the heart was the seat of intentions and desires. Guarding the heart means being attentive to one’s thoughts and feelings, driving out evil thoughts, harmful influences, and negative emotions while cultivating those that draw one closer to God. This inner vigilance is a precious aid that helps maintain a deep and sincere relationship with God.

Thus John Colobos (339–409), an Egyptian father, uses this image: “I am like a man sitting under a large tree who sees many wild beasts and snakes coming toward him. Whenever he cannot resist them, he runs to climb the tree and is saved. That is what I do as well: I sit in my cell and observe the evil thoughts that assail me, and when I falter before them, I take refuge in God through prayer and am saved from the Enemy.”

Similarly, Evagrius Ponticus states: “Be mindful of yourself; be the gatekeeper of your heart, and do not let any thought enter without questioning it.”

John of Damascus, for his part, explains: “Whether or not thoughts trouble us is beyond our control. But whether or not they remain within us, whether or not they stir up passions, is within our power.” Indeed, we will always be subject to thoughts, some more positive than others. But it is up to us to decide what to do with them: to nurture them or to reject them. The goal is to preserve our inner peace—and thus our relationship with God—and to gain greater freedom and equanimity.

How can we practice guarding our hearts today?

Here are a few suggestions for practicing guarding the heart today, to be followed according to our abilities:

• Seek guidance in your spiritual life and open your thoughts to that person.
• Observe your thoughts and stop speaking ill of your brother, judging your neighbor, or uttering useless words.
• Reflect on your life and your day; be mindful of what has crossed your mind in terms of desires, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and imagination.
• Observe your thoughts and discern which ones draw you closer to God and which ones distance you from Him—those that are sources of distraction or obsession.
• Develop your capacity for attention and concentration, which are often undermined today by the many demands and distractions of our lives.
• Practice examination of conscience and the sacrament of reconciliation as often as possible.

By cultivating the guarding of the heart, we nurture our spiritual health and purify our soul, which allows us to live closer to God and more in harmony with the divine will.