S
Shin
Guest
*With Thanksgiving coming up… help to celebrate properly… by eating a little less at the least, and not gorging oneself… *
'Concerning Abba Arsenios, Abba Daniel told us that “the Elder stayed with us so many years, and we would give him only one basket of wheat for the entire year; we, too, ate from it when we went to his cell.”
The Elder ate fruit – Abba Daniel continued – but once a year, in the autumn. He would say to us of his own accord, “Bring me some fruit,” and we would take it to him. Only then did he taste of the fruit, giving thanks to God. Behold and see how he overcame self-gratification by continence, but also counteracted vainglory and pride by partaking of fruit only once a year.
Abba John the Short said: “If the Fathers of Sketis would eat bread and salt, they compelled themselves even to do this; that is to say, they did not even eat these things without restraint. For this reason they had the strength to fulfill the commandments of God.”
It was said of Abba Markarios that whenever he had occasion to eat with the brothers, he set the following rule for himself: “If there is wine, drink it for the sake of the brothers; but for every cup of wine, you will not drink water for a whole day.” The brothers would give him wine for the sake of refreshment, and the elder would drink it with joy in order to goad himself.
But his disciple, who knew about the matter, said to the brothers, “In the Name of God, do not give him wine! For otherwise he will torture himself in his cell.”
When the brothers learned of this, they did not offer him wine anymore.
An Elder said: “I have seen Elders, in this desert, who have lived here for seventy years and have not eaten anything other than plants and dates.”
St. Makarios of Alexandria did not practice just one form of asceticism, but different kinds: if he heard that a certain struggler had performed one kind of asceticism, he was eager not only to succeed in it, but to surpass that individual. When he learned from someone that the Tabennesiotans ate uncooked food throughout the Great Fast, he forbade himself to use fire in preparing food for seven years; he would eat only raw vegetables and, if he could find any, moistened legumes.
Subsequently he heard from someone else that a certain Elder ate only one 320 grams of bread; he thus broke up the ration of hard bread that he had, placed the bread in a jar, and decided to eat every day only as much as his hand could extract from it. He used to relate to us jokingly: “I got hold of quite a few morsels, but I could not remove them all, since the neck of the jar was too narrow. The tax-collector – that is the weakness of the flesh – does not permit me to forgo food completely.”
After that for three years he imposed this abstinence on himself: he would eat for or five 27 grams of bread and drink a corresponding amount of water.’
St. Maximos the Confessor
'Aside from the other virtues which she possessed, St. Synkletike did not lack that remedy which is salvific for the body; that is, she so loved fasting, that she did not reckon any of the other ascetic practices to be its equal.
She believed that it was the safeguard and foundation of the other virtues; and if ever, out of necessity, she ate something more than she was accustomed to eating, she suffered the opposite of what happened to those who eat; that is to say, her face turned yellow and she became debilitated.
Just as, therefore, men prune unfruitful branches from trees with many branches, so also she would remove the thorny growths out of her mind (inappropriate thoughts) with prayer and fasting; and if any thorny growth flourished for just a short while, she would impose different punishments on herself and would test her body with a variety of labors.
When the Enemy stirred up warfare against her, she would begin by invoking her Master, in prayer, as an ally; and next she would apply strict asceticism against the Enemy. Thus she used to eat bread made from bran and this with great abstemiousness and care, and she would frequently drink no water at all. And against sleep she would struggle assiduously, lying outstretched on the ground. When the Enemy, overcome by these weapons, retreated, she would then moderate the severity of her ascesis. She did this, lest the members of her body should all disintegrate together from excessive and very severe ascesis and else she fall into danger; for this debility, too, is evidence of defeat.
St. Synkletike… did everything with discernment (discretion). She strove against the Enemy with prayer and ascesis; and yet, she looked after her body, in order to preserve the tranquility of her soul.’
'Concerning Abba Arsenios, Abba Daniel told us that “the Elder stayed with us so many years, and we would give him only one basket of wheat for the entire year; we, too, ate from it when we went to his cell.”
The Elder ate fruit – Abba Daniel continued – but once a year, in the autumn. He would say to us of his own accord, “Bring me some fruit,” and we would take it to him. Only then did he taste of the fruit, giving thanks to God. Behold and see how he overcame self-gratification by continence, but also counteracted vainglory and pride by partaking of fruit only once a year.
Abba John the Short said: “If the Fathers of Sketis would eat bread and salt, they compelled themselves even to do this; that is to say, they did not even eat these things without restraint. For this reason they had the strength to fulfill the commandments of God.”
It was said of Abba Markarios that whenever he had occasion to eat with the brothers, he set the following rule for himself: “If there is wine, drink it for the sake of the brothers; but for every cup of wine, you will not drink water for a whole day.” The brothers would give him wine for the sake of refreshment, and the elder would drink it with joy in order to goad himself.
But his disciple, who knew about the matter, said to the brothers, “In the Name of God, do not give him wine! For otherwise he will torture himself in his cell.”
When the brothers learned of this, they did not offer him wine anymore.
An Elder said: “I have seen Elders, in this desert, who have lived here for seventy years and have not eaten anything other than plants and dates.”
St. Makarios of Alexandria did not practice just one form of asceticism, but different kinds: if he heard that a certain struggler had performed one kind of asceticism, he was eager not only to succeed in it, but to surpass that individual. When he learned from someone that the Tabennesiotans ate uncooked food throughout the Great Fast, he forbade himself to use fire in preparing food for seven years; he would eat only raw vegetables and, if he could find any, moistened legumes.
Subsequently he heard from someone else that a certain Elder ate only one 320 grams of bread; he thus broke up the ration of hard bread that he had, placed the bread in a jar, and decided to eat every day only as much as his hand could extract from it. He used to relate to us jokingly: “I got hold of quite a few morsels, but I could not remove them all, since the neck of the jar was too narrow. The tax-collector – that is the weakness of the flesh – does not permit me to forgo food completely.”
After that for three years he imposed this abstinence on himself: he would eat for or five 27 grams of bread and drink a corresponding amount of water.’
- from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers
St. Maximos the Confessor
'Aside from the other virtues which she possessed, St. Synkletike did not lack that remedy which is salvific for the body; that is, she so loved fasting, that she did not reckon any of the other ascetic practices to be its equal.
She believed that it was the safeguard and foundation of the other virtues; and if ever, out of necessity, she ate something more than she was accustomed to eating, she suffered the opposite of what happened to those who eat; that is to say, her face turned yellow and she became debilitated.
Just as, therefore, men prune unfruitful branches from trees with many branches, so also she would remove the thorny growths out of her mind (inappropriate thoughts) with prayer and fasting; and if any thorny growth flourished for just a short while, she would impose different punishments on herself and would test her body with a variety of labors.
When the Enemy stirred up warfare against her, she would begin by invoking her Master, in prayer, as an ally; and next she would apply strict asceticism against the Enemy. Thus she used to eat bread made from bran and this with great abstemiousness and care, and she would frequently drink no water at all. And against sleep she would struggle assiduously, lying outstretched on the ground. When the Enemy, overcome by these weapons, retreated, she would then moderate the severity of her ascesis. She did this, lest the members of her body should all disintegrate together from excessive and very severe ascesis and else she fall into danger; for this debility, too, is evidence of defeat.
St. Synkletike… did everything with discernment (discretion). She strove against the Enemy with prayer and ascesis; and yet, she looked after her body, in order to preserve the tranquility of her soul.’
- From the Life of St. Synkletike