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October 08, 2008
> 9:38 AM
wisdom of the desert > three > what to do  Time to share another "saying" from one of the Desert Fathers. I'm not trying to systematically go through every saying recorded in Merton's book - just the ones that jump out to me. This one did. I'm sure it will connect with some of you as well.A brother asked one of the elders: What good thing shall I do, and have life thereby? The old man replied: God alone knows what is good. However, I have heard it said that someone inquired of Father Abbot Nisteros the great, the friend of Abbot Anthony, asking: What good work shall I do? and that he replied: Not all works are alike. For Scripture says that Abraham was hospitable and God was with him. Elias loved solitary prayer, and God was with him. And David was humble, and God was with him. Therefore, whatever you see your soul to desire according to God, do that thing, and you shall keep your heart safe. (bold emphasis mine)That last statement there, which is the kicker, rang in my heart like a bell at the Abbey. This speaks to all of us and the deep desires we have in our hearts to do something. What do I do? we ask. Well, look into your heart - what does your soul desire according to God? Do that. Sounds simple, doesn't it? I'm thinking - well, I'm knowing, it's not that simple. Nobody would trek out to the middle of the desert to ask an old hermit the question if it was something we could all come to just that simply. Then we have to figure out what "according to God" means. Is it good? Is our desire something good? He doesn't explicitly say, "look to Scripture," but he mentioned some things our examples in Scripture have done, citing them as just that, examples. If we are formed by the Holy Spirit in us with the help of Scripture, Tradition and real live person-to-person contact, we can perhaps understand our desires better. But even if it's not 100% "simple," the answer the Abbot gave is simple, not complicated. We too often ignore the simple. We think it's nothing. It can't be anything worth listening to - gardening? wood carving? being quiet in the woods? a house or two in the country with a garden and chickens? How could these things be anything? How indeed. We need to listen - to keep our hearts safe. technorati tags > desert fathers, thomas merton Labels: christian life, spiritual formation 0 Comments:| permalink | e-mail me | 
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