The Sayings of the Fathers

One person appears to be silent, but his heart judges and condemns others, and so that person actually speaks continually; someone else speaks from morning to evening, but that one keeps silence, because he speaks only what is helpful.

A Patristic Treasury: Early Church Wisdom for Today, edited by James R. Payton, Jr.

These are more quoted passages from the Desert Fathers, few of which come with direct attribution (and, again, no biographical information is provided in these cases). 

This first quote, above, seems to touch on the speaking in the heart that is more important than the speaking that is done openly.  The one who appears silent is constantly condemning, and the one who is speaking in his heart will have considered how his open words might be understood by others.

What Comes Out from the Mouth

I have many times repented that I spoke, but I have never repented that I held my peace.

Certainly, there must be more context to this, as there are times when we have reflected that it would have been better to say something than to remain silent.

Pride

When the thought of pride arises within you, and you become arrogant, examine your conscience and see if you have kept all the commandments, and if you love your enemies, and if you love the approval of your enemy, and if you are grieved when he is afflicted, and if you consider yourself an unprofitable servant, and a sinner greater than anyone else…. Then you will not be proud…

Pride is only possible when we measure ourselves against a wrong standard.

…as you know, proud thoughts abrogate all the virtues and make them unprofitable.

No other virtue is possible as long as pride stands in the way.

Fear

The one who loves money has a doubt in his mind concerning God, and he prepares the means of life before God gives them to him; and, although in his words he rejoices in the promises, he makes them a lie by his deeds.

It is at least as important to act as it is to believe.  Yes, we must believe truth – about God, about His commandments.  But even the devils believe this.

The world troubles you because the cares of it are in your mind, and love for it is in your body, and its delights are in your heart.

Confession

Epiphanius said, “The one who shuts up the memory of evil things within himself is like one who hides fire in straw.”

All of these hidden memories will, eventually, explode into public view – and the longer they remain hidden, the larger the explosion.

God’s Mercy

Abba Sisoes would answer, when asked about how to escape the river of fire: “I never think about any of these things, but I believe that God is merciful, and that He will show mercy to me.”

Humility

There is much about humility in this section and these writings.

A brother asked an aged monk, “What is humility?”  And the old man answered, “That you not pay back evil for evil.”

An old monk was asked, “How can the soul acquire humility?”  And he answered, “By examining and enquiring into its own wickedness only.”

I am reminded of the passage from the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 7: ³ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

We have enough to do to focus on our log.

Poemen said, “The one who does not weep for himself in this world must weep forever in the next.  He may weep here voluntarily, or there because of the punishments which he will receive, but it is impossible for anyone to escape weeping.”

Epiphanius said, “The holy person who sees someone sin weeps bitterly, saying, ‘It is this one who sins now, but sometime subsequently it may be me.’  So, however much someone may sin before you, do not condemn him, but count yourself a sinner far greater than he is…”

Again, from the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5: 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Yes, we mourn because of our sin.  But there is more:

It is right for one to take up the burden for those who are near him… One must suffer, weep, and mourn with him…and one must suffer for him as one would for oneself.

 From Lloyd-Jones:

The man who is truly Christian is a man who mourns also because of the sins of others. … He is concerned about the state of society and the state of the world.  He mourns because of it…

Returning to the Fathers:

Let no one do anything whatsoever without first of all trying his heart to see that what he is about to do will be done for God’s sake.

If when you are sitting down, or standing up, or when you are doing anything else, you set God before your eyes continually, no act of the enemy can terrify you; if this thought abides with you, the power of God will abide with you also.

There is a humility in doing for God’s sake, in seeking His will and following it.

Abba Macarius the Egyptian: “If you wish to live, become dead, so that you care neither for the reviling of others nor for their praise, for the dead care for nothing; in this way you will be able to live.”

This is the idea of eliminating self in order to see God, to rely on Him.

John said, “We relinquish a light burden when we condemn ourselves, but we take upon ourselves a heavy burden when we attempt to justify ourselves.”

Guard yourself against the thoughts which praise you, and which hold your neighbor in contempt.

Find the good in others; if you wish to see more of this, praise them for it. 

If you desire to learn to know your neighbor, praise him more than you rebuke him.

I have found that people will be more open if they are not constantly rebuked.  Yes, I know.  Not a groundbreaking discovery, but practice does not always follow knowledge.

Prayer

Do nothing without prayer, and afterwards you will never be sorry.

As I have mentioned before, I don’t pray enough.

…pray to the Lord God as if He were standing before you…

It helps to keep in mind just who we are approaching when we pray – He who created everything from nothing, yet who humbled Himself to the cross.

From Lloyd-Jones again:

Before you begin to make any petition, before you begin to ask even for your daily bread, before you ask for anything, just realize that you, such as you are, are in the presence of such a Being, your Father which in in Heaven, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And Metropolitan Hilarion:

Raising his eyes to heaven in prayer, a person directs his thoughts to God. …Immeasurably distant from man in his nature, God is at the same time immeasurably close to him; he sees and hears him when the latter, raising his eyes to heaven, turns to him in prayer.

Returning to the Fathers:

If you have prayed for your companion, you have also prayed for yourself; but if you have prayed only for yourself, you have impoverished your prayer.

Abbot Macarius: “There is no need of speaking much in prayer, but often stretch out your hands and say, ‘Lord, as You will and as You know, have mercy upon me.’ But if there is war in your soul, add, ‘Help me.”  And because He knows what we need, He shows us His mercy.”

Epiphanius said, “Give your soul work – that is to say, constant prayer, and love of God – before another can give it evil and filthy thoughts…”

Abbot Agatho: “…there is no labor so great as praying to God: for when a man wishes to pray to his God, the hostile demons make haste to interrupt his prayer…”

This is so difficult – to remain focused in prayer, focused on God.

Fasting

“In all the contests against sin and its lusts the labor of fasting is the first thing to undertake, and it is so especially in the case of the one who fights against the sin that is within him.”

Fasting is the strengthener of all spiritual excellences … Fasting is the abode of all spiritual excellences…  If He who laid down the law fasted, who is there among those who would keep the law that has no need to fast?

This idea of fasting is so foreign to those, like me, who were raised in a low-church Protestant environment.  Maybe my generalization is a bit too broad, but I belief accurate enough.

Forgiveness

Defeat comes to you if, when you are reviled and treated with contempt by someone, you do not show him evenness of heart, even before he repents and asks you to forgive him.

I don’t believe I have come across anything in Scripture that speaks to waiting to forgive until after the offender offers a sincere apology.  We are just to forgive – in our heart, put the offense away and in God’s hands.

Good Works

Abba Nastir was asked: “What is the best work for me to do?” … And he answered, “Whatsoever work your soul wishes to do, provided that it be of God, do that, and keep your heart from evil things.”

Nastir said, “Whatever work is acceptable to God, if your soul desires it, do it, and God will be with you.”

Anthony said, “A person’s life or death comes from his neighbor; if we benefit our brother we benefit ourselves, and if we offend him we sin against God.”

However different traditions come to the necessity of good works, we cannot escape the necessity of good works.

Theosis

We do not advance because we do not know our capacity, we do not have sufficient patience in the work we begin, and we wish to possess spiritual excellences without working for them.

I don’t know how to achieve such excellencies without working for them either.

The perfection of all spiritual excellencies is for one not to judge one’s neighbor… If we allow ourselves to view our own sins closely, we shall not see those of our neighbor.

Perhaps this comes back to the log in our eye…

Theodore taught: “There is no spiritual excellence so sublime as that which consists in not despising someone else and treating him with contempt.”