Today, May 15th, the Byzantine calendar commemorates St. Pachomios the Great, one of the founders of cenobitic (common life) monasticism in the deserts of Egypt. Although many people might associate monastic spirituality with long prayers and rigorous ascetical feats that are basically impossible or irrelevant for those of us living and working “in the world”, there is probably much that we can learn from these Egyptian fathers if we don’t dismiss them right away.
The monks of Egypt actually spent most of the day working with their hands, and interspersed their work time with short prayers, sometimes accompanied by a metania (prostration). This was part of their endeavor to obey Jesus’ command to “always pray” (Luke 18.1) and Paul’s injunction to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5.17). Among the prayers recited by them were short Scripture texts, often psalm verses, which were memorized for this very purpose—for example, the prayer of the tax collector (“Lord, have mercy on me”) or “I will fear no evil, for You are at my side” (Psalm 23.4). Take for instance this advice from St. Makarios the Egyptian:
Some of [the monks] asked Abba Makarios: “How should we pray?” The elder answered him: “It is not necessary to rattle on, but one has only to stretch out one’s hands and say, ‘Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy on me!’ On the other hand, if a battle is impending, pray, ‘Lord, help me!’ He himself knows what is necessary and treats us with mercy. ” (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Makarios ยง19)
This famous practice of reciting brief prayers throughout the day even reached the ears of St. Augustine of Hippo:
It is said that the brothers in Egypt have certain oft-repeated prayers, which are nevertheless extremely short and are hurled quickly like spears, so that the vigilantly maintained intention, which more than anything else is necessary to the one who prays, might not diminish and become dull through tarrying too long. (Letters 130.20 [to Proba])
Extremely short prayers hurled quickly like spears? Now, there’s a monastic practice I think we can all keep!
[You can read a short account of the life of St. Pachomios here.]
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Also, blessings and many years to Sr. Macrina Walker, OCSO, who makes her profession of perpetual vows today!
May 16, 2008 at 11:11 am
Thank you so much, Wei-Hsien. I’ve been quite moved by such support.
However, the only downside is that I clearly didn’t pick the best time to be otherwise occupied! From what I’ve seen (at a quick glance) of your posts on being just Catholic and on unity and legitimate and also on Ratzinger on the Fathers, you are addressing issues that are close to my heart. I’ll have to find time to catch up on them!