Thought I'd start a thread for those who like the Desert Fathers and their often thought provoking  quotes. Quotes meant to be that way, so you can meditate on their true meaning, and those who approach them wrongly may miss the meaning as they do not deserve to hear it, just as when Our Lord spoke in parables...

There's plenty of their material online as well as published in print for those who do not know them yet.

From the sayings of the Desert Fathers . . .

Abba Ammonas  was asked, 'What is the "narrow and hard  way?" (Mt.  7.14) He replied, 'The "narrow and hard way" is this,  to control your thoughts, and to strip yourself of your own will, for the sake of God. This is also the meaning of the sentence, "Lo,  we have left  everything and followed you."' (Mt. 19.27)

It was said of  him that he had a hollow in his chest channelled out by the tears which fell from his eyes  all his  life while he  sat  at his manual work. When Abba Poemen learned that he was  dead, he said weeping, 'Truly you are blessed, Abba Arsenius, for you wept for yourself in this world!  He who does not weep for himself here below will weep eternally hereafter; so it is impossible not to weep, either voluntarily or when compelled through suffering.'  

It was also said of him (Abba Arsenius) that on Saturday evenings, preparing for the glory of Sunday, he would turn his back on the sun and stretch out his hands in prayer  towards the  heavens, till once again the sun shone on his face. Then he would sit down.

. . . Abba Abraham told of a man of Scetis who was a scribe and did not eat bread. A brother came to beg him to copy a book. The old man whose spirit was engaged in  contemplation, wrote, omitting  some phrases and  with no punctuation. The brother, taking the book and wishing to  punctuate it, noticed that words were missing. So he  said to the old man,  'Abba, there are some phrases  missing.' The old man said to him,  'Go, and practise first that  which is written, then come back and I will write the rest.'

. . . Living nearby an earnest brother, who constantly experienced God mourning in his soul, dwelt another brother.

One day when the latter was preparing to go down to the city, he said to his virtuous brother: "My brother, be so kind as to take care of my garden until I return."

The other responded: "Believe me, my brother, to the best of my ability, I will not be negligent."

When his neighbor had departed for the city, the brother said to himself: "Lowly one, now that you have time, attend to the garden." But he remained standing for his prayer rule from that evening until morning, and did not cease chanting and praying with tears for the entire day.

Returning late, his neighbor discovered that his garden had been destroyed by porcupines. With some bitterness, he said to the brother: "May God forgive you, my brother; for you did not attend to my garden."

The brother replied: "Abba, God knows that I did my best to guard the little garden. I trust that He will grant the fruits thereof in time."

"In truth, my brother," replied the garden keeper, "it has been entirely destroyed and uprooted."

The earnest brother, wishing to console the garden keeper, told him: "I am aware of what you are telling me, my brother. God, however, is able to make the garden bear flowers and fruit anew."

"Come, let us water it," said the keeper of the garden.

"You go and water it now," the brother answered, "And I will water it at night."

Another time, when it had not rained for quite some time, the garden keeper sadly said to the earnest brother: "Believe me, my brother, that if God does not help, this year we will have no water at all."

And the brother replied: "Woe to us, my brother, if the wellsprings of the garden run dry; then, indeed, we will not be saved."

Now whereas the garden keeper was speaking about the tangible garden, the other brother meant tears and the secret garden of the heart, which he watered and cultivated that it might blossom.

The hidden meaning is that we should rely on the providence of God for our sustenance.

I think one of the keys to understanding the story is understanding the differences between the two brothers.

Then what the 'the virtuous brother' is speaking about becomes more clear. The first time I read what the one had said, I only understood a small part of what he was talking about, and I thought he was talking generally or about himself. . .

But there are other possibilities.. After all it's a story of two brothers.

The desert monks left everything they had to live solitary lives in the desert. . .

"Living nearby an earnest brother, who constantly experienced God mourning in his soul, dwelt another brother."

'another brother.' One is described, one is not described. . . Sometimes what is not said is as important as what is said. . .

Keep them coming poche! :D

The interior garden of the heart. . . it certainly needs watering.. it certainly needs grace.. it certainly needs our daily bread. . .

That's something that makes me want to think about it for quite awhile poche. Those wells. . . Thank you..

'JESUS answered, and said to her, If thou didst know the gift of God, and who he is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink: thou perhaps wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given to thee living water.

The woman saith to him, Sir, neither hast thou wherein to draw, and the well is deep: whence hast thou the living water?'

JESUS answered, and said to her, Every one that drinketh of this water, shall thirst again:

But he that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall become in him a fountain of water springing up unto life everlasting.

The woman saith to him, Lord give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw.'

John 4:10-15

This is what Abba Daniel, the Pharanite, said, 'Our Father abba Arsenius told us of an inhabitant of Scetis, of notable life and of simple faith; through his naivete he was deceived and said, "The bread which we receive is not really the body of Christ, but a symbol. Two old men having learnt that he had uttered this saying, knowing that he was outstanding in his way of life, knew that he had not spoken through malice, but through simplicity. So they came to find him and said, "Father, we have heard a proposition contrary to the faith on the part of someone who says that the bread which we receive is not really the body of Christ, but a symbol." The old man said, "it is I who have said that." Then the old men exhorted him saying, "Do not hold this position, Father, but hold one in conformity with that which the Catholic Church has given us. We believe, for our part, that the bread itself is the body of Christ as in the beginning, God formed man in his image, taking the dust of the earth, without anyone being able to say that it is not the image of God, even though it is not seen to be so; thus it is with the bread of which he said that it is his body; and so we believe that it is really the body of Christ."

The old man said to them, "As long as I have not been persuaded by the thing itself, I shall not be fully convinced." So they said, "Let us pray God about this mystery throughout the whole of this week and we believe that God will reveal it to us." The old man received this saying with joy and he prayed in these words, "Lord, you know that it is not through malice that I do not believe and so that I may not err through ignorance, reveal this mystery to me, Lord Jesus Christ." The old men returned to their cells and they also prayed God, saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, reveal this mystery to the old man, that he may believe and not lose his reward."

God heard both the prayers. At the end of the week they came to church on Sunday and sat all three on the same mat, the old man in the middle. Then their eyes were opened and when the bread was placed on the holy table, there appeared as it were a little child to these three alone. And when the priest put out his hand to break the bread, behold an angel descended from heaven with a sword and poured the child's blood into the chalice. When the priest cut the bread into small pieces, the angel also cut the child in pieces. When they drew near to receive the sacred elements the old man alone received a morsel of bloody flesh. Seeing this he was afraid and cried out, "Lord, I believe that this bread is your flesh and this chalice your blood." Immediately the flesh which he held in his hand became bread, according to the mystery and he took it, giving thanks to God. Then the old men said to him, "God knows human nature and that man cannot eat raw flesh and that is why he has changed his body into bread and his blood into wine, for those who receive it in faith." Then they gave thanks to God for the old man, because he had allowed him not to lose the reward of his labour. So all three returned with joy to their own cells.'

This is what Abba Daniel, the Pharanite, said, 'Our Father abba Arsenius told us of an inhabitant of Scetis, of notable life and of simple faith; through his naivete he was deceived and said, "The bread which we receive is not really the body of Christ, but a symbol. Two old men having learnt that he had uttered this saying, knowing that he was outstanding in his way of life, knew that he had not spoken through malice, but through simplicity. So they came to find him and said, "Father, we have heard a proposition contrary to the faith on the part of someone who says that the bread which we receive is not really the body of Christ, but a symbol." The old man said, "it is I who have said that." Then the old men exhorted him saying, "Do not hold this position, Father, but hold one in conformity with that which the Catholic Church has given us. We believe, for our part, that the bread itself is the body of Christ as in the beginning, God formed man in his image, taking the dust of the earth, without anyone being able to say that it is not the image of God, even though it is not seen to be so; thus it is with the bread of which he said that it is his body; and so we believe that it is really the body of Christ."

The old man said to them, "As long as I have not been persuaded by the thing itself, I shall not be fully convinced." So they said, "Let us pray God about this mystery throughout the whole of this week and we believe that God will reveal it to us." The old man received this saying with joy and he prayed in these words, "Lord, you know that it is not through malice that I do not believe and so that I may not err through ignorance, reveal this mystery to me, Lord Jesus Christ." The old men returned to their cells and they also prayed God, saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, reveal this mystery to the old man, that he may believe and not lose his reward."

God heard both the prayers. At the end of the week they came to church on Sunday and sat all three on the same mat, the old man in the middle. Then their eyes were opened and when the bread was placed on the holy table, there appeared as it were a little child to these three alone. And when the priest put out his hand to break the bread, behold an angel descended from heaven with a sword and poured the child's blood into the chalice. When the priest cut the bread into small pieces, the angel also cut the child in pieces. When they drew near to receive the sacred elements the old man alone received a morsel of bloody flesh. Seeing this he was afraid and cried out, "Lord, I believe that this bread is your flesh and this chalice your blood." Immediately the flesh which he held in his hand became bread, according to the mystery and he took it, giving thanks to God. Then the old men said to him, "God knows human nature and that man cannot eat raw flesh and that is why he has changed his body into bread and his blood into wine, for those who receive it in faith." Then they gave thanks to God for the old man, because he had allowed him not to lose the reward of his labour. So all three returned with joy to their own cells.'

This is an example of a Eucharistic miracle.

The brother replied: "Abba, God knows that I did my best to guard the little garden. I trust that He will grant the fruits thereof in time."

"In truth, my brother," replied the garden keeper, "it has been entirely destroyed and uprooted."

The earnest brother, wishing to console the garden keeper, told him: "I am aware of what you are telling me, my brother. God, however, is able to make the garden bear flowers and fruit anew."

"Come, let us water it," said the keeper of the garden.

"You go and water it now," the brother answered, "And I will water it at night."

If you want, or rather intend, to take the splinter out of another person, then do not hack at it with a stick instead of a lancet, for you will only drive it deeper. And this is a stick -- rude speech and rough gestures. And this is a lancet -- tempered instruction and patient reprimand. 'Reprove,' says the Apostle, 'rebuke, exhort,' but he did not say, 'beat.' And if even this is required, do it rarely, and not with your own hand. [i.e. using the agency of another]

. . . The beginning of blessed patience is to accept dishonour with sorrow and bitterness of soul. The middle stage is to be free from pain in the midst of these things. But perfect (if it is possible) is to regard dishonour as praise. Let the first rejoice; let the second be strong; blessed is the third, for he exults in the Lord.

I have noticed what a sorry sight angry people present by their self-esteem, though they themselves were unaware of it. For they get into a state of anger, and then they become still more angry at their defeat. And I was astonished to see how one fall was punished by another; and I pitied them as I saw them avenging sin by sin. I was horrified at the demons' trickery, and nearly despaired of my own life.

If anyone has noticed that he is easily overcome by conceit and sharp temper, guile and hypocrisy, and has thought of defending himself against them by drawing the two-edged sword of meekness and patience, then, if he wishes to be completely freed from these vices, he shoudl go live in a monastic community as in a fuller's shop of salvation.

Then he will be spritually stretched and beaten by the insults and dishonours of his tempestuous brethren, and perhaps even sometimes physically thrashed, trampled on, and kicked, and so he may wash out the filth which is still in the sentient part of his soul.

. . .

So let the tyrant anger be bound with chains of meekness, and be beaten by patience, and dragged out by holy love; and, being arraigned before the court of reason, let it be duly examined: 'Tell us, base idiot, what is the name of the father who begot you and the mother who brought you for evil into the world, and the names of your foul sons and daughters. And not only that, but tell us the designations of those who wage war against you and kill you.'

And anger might be thought to reply:

'Many are my origins, and I have more than one father. My mothers are vainglory, love of money, greed, and sometimes lust. My father is called conceit. My daughters are: remembrance of wrongs, enmity, self-justification, and hatred. But my opponents, who are now holding me captive, are the opposite virtues of freedom from anger, and meekness. She who schemes against me is called humility. But as to who bore humility, ask her in due time herself.'

- The Ladder