Desert wisdom

By The Rt Rev’d Jennifer A. Reddall, sixth bishop of Arizona

January 17 is the Feast Day of St. Antony of Egypt, one of the fourth-century Desert Fathers and Mothers whose wisdom was collected and has been passed down to our own day in various translations. 

I first encountered them in Thomas Merton’s translation, The Wisdom of the Desert, and I turn back to it periodically, especially now that I, too, live in a desert. There is something about the pithy sayings and the honest challenges of what it is to live in a Christian Community that speak to me. 

I offer one to you today for your reflection: 

Abbess Syncletica of holy memory said: There is labor and great struggle for the impious who are converted to God, but after that comes inexpressible joy. A man who wants to light a fire first is plagued by smoke, and the smoke drives him to tears, yet finally, he gets the fire that he wants. So also it is written: Our God is a consuming fire. Hence we ought to light the divine fire in ourselves with labor and with tears. 

Is your faith a blazing fire that no longer causes tears? Or are you weeping with the smoke, hoping the sparks will catch and develop into a bright and consuming fire?  Where do you find the fuel for the flame of your faith? 

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Following on the reflection by George and Donna Hartz on their trip to Kisii, Kenya, Bishop Reddall invites those who might be interested in a pilgrimage to Kisii in the summer of 2023 to email Serrena Fuentes at Serrena@azdiocese.org.