Fr Alex Swain

Beloved in Christ,

I hope the first few days of the new year are going well for you!

As we progress forward in time, it is always good to recall that we maintain spiritual and historical anchors in the past, with those who come before us. After all, we are a part of the Body of Christ, which transcends time, rooted as we are in eternity by the grace of God and gift of Christ.

Even so, the Saints who have come before show us new ways of living out the call of God on each of our lives.

Today we remember Saints Sarah, Theodora, and Syncletica, three desert mothers (ammas) from the 400s. These women were leaders in the new, and rapidly growing, monastic movements who had devoted their lives to prayer.

These three desert Mothers have 47 recorded wisdom sayings in the Apophthegmata, a collection of the sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers from the early centuries of monastic life. These three women are hallmarks of profound faith, of a life walked closely with God—at times with opposition from male leaders.

Amma Sarah recounts a story when some male monks came to visit her: “They came to her and said, “Be careful not to become conceited because we great anchorites are coming to see you, a mere woman!” Amma Sarah only replied, “According to nature I am a woman, but not according to my thoughts. It is I who am a man and you who are women.”

Humility, stability of place, and obedience to a life of prayer were critical for the lives of these women.

Amma Syncletica writes, “if you find yourself in a place, do not forsake it to go to another place, for that will harm you a great deal. Just as a bird who abandons the eggs that she was sitting on prevents them from hatching, so too a monastic grows cold and her faith dies when she wanders from one place to another.”

For more information, you can find their writings in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers or in Lesser Feasts and Fasts (2024) online. I commend their witness, faith, and lives for our spiritual growth in our wondrous and restorative faith.

May their holy witness be a gift as we grow in God in the year of our Lord 2026!

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Alex