The Black Preacher is someone who is well known in American History. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jessie Jackson, Adam Clayton Powell come to mind for most of us. Scholars will even point to such men as Bishop Richard Allen, Gowan Pamphlet, and others. Let me add one other name to your mind. A … More Old Man Fisher: Abba of the Great Dismal Swamp
“If a monk does not think in his heart he is a sinner, God will not hear him. … When someone is occupied with his own faults, he does not see those of his neighbor.” from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers ‘Ah, this is a lesson for monks and nuns only. I don’t have … More Lessons from St Moses: Attending to Our Own Faults
“But if we exert ourselves, it is within our power to either accept them (wicked thoughts) and give them our attention, or to expel them. Their coming is not within our power to control, but their expulsion is.” On the Holy Fathers of Sketis and On Discrimination, Philokalia Vol. I As I wrote in a … More Lessons From St Moses: Expulsion, not Excuses
The lessons from Moses begins with a particular struggle he had with lustful thoughts. So great were his temptations that he fled his cell and ran to his spiritual father, Abba Isadore. The elder pointed to the west where Moses saw the demonic horde who sought to capture him. But to the east were a … More Lessons from St. Moses: Commit to the Struggle
If a man’s deeds are not in harmony with his prayer, he prays in vain. … We should no longer do those things against which we pray. – from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers This word from Abba Moses seems simple enough. Don’t keep doing the wrong that you want to overcome. Despite the … More Lessons from St. Moses: Prayer and Practice
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 In time, Moses became one of the sought after Desert Fathers for his spiritual wisdom. Two visitors from Gaul, Germanos and John Cassian – who would later be recognized as a saint himself, came to Sketis to learn from him and others … More Lessons of St. Moses: Pursuing Purity
“Go sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.” from The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Asking for a word of salvation from a monk or nun was a common practice in early Christianity. Some pilgrims visited monastics with deep sincerity striving for a teaching to overcome habitual sins or discover God’s … More Lessons of St. Moses: Go to Your Room
Imagine a man who has been the Pastor of a Protestant denomination for over 15 years secretly studying Orthodox Christianity and practicing a prayer rule. He’s highly regarded by the community and peers in the ministry for his character and teaching and preaching ability. Yet he comes to a point where he can no longer … More Lessons of St. Moses: Embracing Humility
In every story of Moses, we see him ready to make the change from being a bandit to a monastic. It took time and effort to become one of the most notorious criminals of his time. He would also go through a strenuous process to gain the spiritual wisdom and saintly example that would be … More Lessons of St. Moses: Seize the Time
Referring back to the movie Moses the Black; I’m thinking about the main character’s grandmother. I’ll assume she was an Orthodox Christian, although I don’t know too many Churches in an inner city. The hero hadn’t had the time nor put in the effort to be fully catechized and brought into the faith. Yet, his … More Lessons of St. Moses: The Good Seed
Desert Fathers Dispatch 