desert fathers – few thoughts

Abba Antony said,

“For the sake of Greek learning, men go overseas. But the City of God has its foundations in every seat of human habitation. The kingdom of God is within. The goodness that is in us asks only the human mind.”

◊

A brother asked abba Poemen,

“How should I behave in my cell in the place where I am living?”

He replied,

“Behave as if you were a stranger, and wherever you are, do not expect your words to have an influence and you will be at peace.”

◊

Abba Moses asked abba Sylvanus,

“Can a man lay a new foundation every day?”

The old man said, “If he works hard, he can lay a new foundation at every moment.”

◊

An old man said,

“Every time a thought of superiority or vanity moves you, examine your conscience to see if you have kept all the commandments, whether you love your enemies, whether you consider yourself to be an unprofitable servant and the greatest sinner of all. Even so, do not pretend to great ideas as though you were perfectly right, for that thought destroys everything.”

◊

Abba Lot went to see abba Joseph and he said to him,

“Abba, as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?”

Then the old man stood up and streched his hands toward heaven; his fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him,

“If you will, you can become all flame.”

unpredictable * nieprzewidywalne

wersja polska ponizej

 IMG_5162d by mike donahue

…is life with God. Experiential knowledge of God is a must. I can’t go on without encounters. Big ones and the small ones. Big ones, like once every few years. Small ones, like one every few days. The small ones are even more important. I am addicted and if I don’t have enough I leave everything to get to Him. That’s why I have to prioritize and remind myself few times a day what is worth living (and dying) for, what is absolutely essential at the moment, what can wait few hours and what must be forgotten.

So many choices and opportunities. I want the best part.
That’s why I like silence. Inside and out. It helps me to gather my spirit, helps me to get the vision back, helps me to feel alive. Otherwise I am a wreck. Not able to complete nothing without complaining and whining.

I need to touch God.

…

wersja polska

nieprzewidywalne

 IMG_5162d by mike donahue

…jest zycie z Bogiem. Doswiadczalne poznanie Boga jest koniecznoscia. Nie jestem w stanie przezyc bez spotkan z Nim. Tych duzych i tych malych. Tych znaczacych, takich raz na pare lat. I tych powszednich, takich co pare dni. Te powszednie wydaja sie nawet byc wazniejsze. Jestem od nich uzalezniona i jesli doswiadczam ich braku, zostawiam wszystko i szukam Go. Dlatego musze sobie wyznaczac priorytety i przypominac sobie pare razy dziennie co jest warte zycia (i smierci), co jest absolutnie niezbedne w danym momencie, co moze poczekac pare godzin, a co musi zostac zapomniane.

Wybory i mozliwosci. A ja chce skosztowac tej najlepszej czesci.

Dlatego tez lubie cisze. Wewnetrzna i zewnetrzna. Pomaga mi w pozbieraniu sie, w ponownym przywolaniu wizji, w odczuwaniu zycia. Bez ciszy zamieniam sie w jedze. Nie jestem w stanie niczego skonczyc bez narzekania i marudzenia.

Potrzebuje dotkniecia Boga.