John Saad | April 4
Too often we allow the anxiety of what is to come to poison the experience of what is. Too often we theorise on the vast potentialities of life instead of actualising the opportunities found in the present. How many times have we neglected the sweet fragrance of the flowers with our hurried pace? How many of Sunday’s sunsets have we spurned at the fear of Monday’s arrival? How many pink skies have we cursed at the drudgery of our responsibilities? How many warm drinks have we spoiled with our cold impatience? It is this anticipation of a better tomorrow that spoils a better today; a today that was yesterday’s tomorrow. We entrap ourselves in this vicious cycle of misery, we become desensitised to the beauty embracing us. Each moment becomes a transitory period for the next. Why must we spoil our own joy? Why must we squander the bounties of life; the warmth of a mug in our clasped hands, the laughter around a dinner table, the embrace of a friend, the euphonic chords of one’s soul, the squeals of a newborn, even the stinging sadness of betrayal? Has Jesus bequeathed to us this gift of life as a mere evanescent moment to be barely tolerated until death visits? We all know that the answer to this question is an emphatic no!
How then shall we learn to live, my friends? Shall we turn to the abundance of self-help literature and podcasts? Shall we read of the philosophy of living in the present moment and ponder on the efficacy of different mediation poses? Perhaps. But there is a far greater treasure that we have. After all, our Lord became flesh and lived amongst us. His saints followed in his example for centuries. What, then, is the true spirit of how we are called to live?
The Desert Fathers
Amongst all the richness of the ascetical practices in ‘The Sayings of the Desert Fathers’, amongst every profound word given to a Father’s disciples, sheer simplicity arises as the overarching spirit of the text.
When Abba Macarius and Abba Anthony met, they ‘soaked some palm-leaves for themselves’ in the evening and ‘spoke of the salvation of the soul’ while they plaited the leaves until the morning.
It is said of Abba Gelasius that his ‘particular acts of asceticism had been to guard against having two tunics and till the day of his death not to think of the morrow whilst he was with his companions.’
When three Fathers ‘go and visit blessed Anthony every year to discuss their thoughts and the salvation of their souls with him, the third remained silent and did not ask him anything. After a long time, Abba Anthony said to him, “You often come here to see me, but you never ask me anything,” and the other replied, “It is enough for me to see you, Father.”’
‘Abba Daniel used to tell how when Abba Arsenius learned that all the varieties of fruit were ripe he would say, “Bring me some”. He would taste a very little of each, just once, giving thanks to God.’
What lives of excellence did these desert fathers live to achieve such simplicity? How did Abba Macarius and Abba Anthony, those two giants of the Orthodox faith, find so much pleasure and joy simply sitting with one another and plaiting leaves? How did Abba Gelasius embody the words of our Lord so perfectly, ‘Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble’ (Matt 6:34)? What ecstasy in the present moment was that third desert Father feeling when he cried to Abba Anthony, ‘it is enough for me to see you Father’? What simplicity of life did Abba Arsenius attain to find such joy and thankfulness in a small taste of those ripe fruits?
Jesus’ Example
Amongst the busyness and extravagance of life, we too often lose sight of the simplicity of Being. We bounce our legs with impatience whilst we sit with our brothers and sisters, we impulsively claw at our phones at its beguiling buzz, we restlessly fanaticise about the night time’s lull in the daytime. It is tempting to argue that it is only because these monastics escaped the world’s responsibilities and noise that they achieved simplicity and joy. But what is to say of our Lord, Jesus Christ? After all, He worked, preached, prayed, leisured, ate, slept and drank in this world. And yet, this is our Lord who epitomises simplicity. This is our Lord who plucked with his disciples at the heads of grain on the sabbath to eat. This is our Lord who said ‘let the little children come to me’, ‘took [them] in his arms’ and sat with them (matt 10:13). This is our Lord who, on His way to Jerusalem, stopped and acknowledged Zacchaeus sitting in the tree and dined with him (Lk 19:5).
An Invitation
Our Lord is inviting us to live in today because ‘sufficient for the day is its own trouble’. He is calling us to reject the fantasises of the future and the crippling guilts of the past in order to truly experience the joy and potential of the present. Let us remind ourselves when our anxieties run rampage and tomorrow’s worries creep up on us that today is sufficient; that now is the only moment that truly exists and matters. Maybe then we, too, can sit with our brethren and simply enjoy their company, or stand in prayer and give ourselves entirely to God. Maybe then we can truly enjoy the scents, the colours and the sounds that He has meticulously designed for our own pleasure. What could our lives look like if we simply took each moment as it came and purposely tried to find joy in it?
Glory to God for all things.
Comments