In the Fathers of the Desert, a story is told about Abba Paphnutius. He knew his end was near, so he entreated the Lord to show him who was most like Him upon earth. God showed Abba Paphnutius a street musician who had been a thief, a wealthy Alexandrine merchant, and a mayor of a busy village. Abba Paphnutius did not take these revelations lightly. On his deathbed, he is quoted saying to those kneeling around him: No one in this world should be despised, be he a thief, an actor, a farmer, merchant or husband: for in every condition of human life there are souls that please God and have their hidden deeds wherein He takes delight: whence it is plain that it is not so much profession or habit that is pleasing to God as the sincerity and affection of the soul and honesty of deed.
Sincerity
and affection of the soul – that is what desert spirituality is all
about. Leaving all to live in the desert meant becoming radical for
love. And who is loved, but God Himself. All the penances, prayers, and
fastings had one purpose…to bring the heart to a purity that performed
honestly. To concentrate on the desert practices without consideration
of their spirit is to negate their value. As Basil Pennington says, the value of this literature is not to know it or to know about it but to know it was lived. I would go further, and say, the true value
of this literature lies in discovering how we too can live this same
desert spirituality…in our own times, in our own form of life. It isn’t
about finding that deserted place so much as it is about realizing that God is personal to us. To Whom does He speak if not to us? (Thornton & Varenne)
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