Fr Ben Garren

Dear Siblings in Christ,

The roots of Christianity are deeper than the start of the faith. Our deepest roots are the Hebrew Scriptures where the clear love of God and the divine desire of justice is fully expressed in the Law and Prophets which we understand to be fulfilled in the Cross, the Tree of Christ that flourishes from the Root of Jesse. The roots of our faith, practice, and tradition are not limited to this root system alone. A reality made clear by Saint Anthony of Egypt often considered the Father of Monasticism. Now it is true that the first clear group of Christian Monastics gathered around Anthony in the deep deserts of Egypt in an abandoned Roman Fort but Anthony’s journey did not begin there.

He converted to Christianity upon hearing the command to sell all one has and give it to the poor. The question that came upon him at that point was, what was he to do next? He then found himself at the edge of the desert were hermits and scattered communities of aesthetics already existed. These were not Christians—some followed various pagan traditions, versions of Gnosis unconnected with Christianity, and various philosophies and esoteric principles. It was into this group of various peoples that Anthony walked to learn what it was to live a life of renouncing material wealth and the expectations of society. 

When he did this he was engaging a variety of practices that go back to the earliest moments of human history. A spiritual tradition that predates realities we could readily categorize as religion. A method of living whose wisdom has been essential to our lived reality no matter how many advancements in science or the like we have made. A space in which God has been meeting people in their longing for full relationship with themselves, others, and the divine in a way that is borderless and scriptureless. The attempt to encounter the transcendent divine and the sacredness written on by God in the depths of our creating being. 

The Feast of Anthony of Egypt is a moment to remember that the root of God’s relationship with us through Christ begins at the start of Creation, that it is part of our very created nature, and that the wisdom that has been spoken by the wise and holy in every generation is of more value to us than any scientific discovery or new way of thinking. These things can flourish and help us understand the world around us… but it is the work of the Spirit to bring us a wisdom beyond these discoveries that is the distinct root of faith for us as Christians, and for all whom God has made.

Pax,

—Ben