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Desert fathers and mothers : early Christian wisdom sayings, annotated & explained / annotation by Christine Valters Paintner.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: SkyLight illuminationsPublication details: Woodstock, Vt. : SkyLight Paths Pub., c2012.Description: 147 p. ; cmISBN:
  • 1594733732 (quality pbk.)
  • 9781594733734 (quality pbk.)
Subject(s):
Contents:
Give me a word -- Your cell will teach you everything -- Heart-centered spirituality -- Thoughts, desires, and passions -- Humility, simplicity, and the beginner's heart -- Spiritual elders and soul friends -- Tears of compunction -- Necessity of practice -- Virtues, charity, and the service of love -- Solitude, silence, and hesychia -- Three essential things -- Prayer and differing gifts.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 270.2 P1488 Checked out 07/06/2024 33111007003888
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Timeless and contemplative sayings from the earliest Christian sages of desert spirituality can be a companion on your own spiritual journey.

The desert fathers and mothers were ordinary Christians living in solitude in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Arabia who chose to renounce the world in order to deliberately and individually follow God's call. They embraced lives of celibacy, labor, fasting, prayer and poverty, believing that denouncing material goods and practicing stoic self-discipline would lead to unity with the Divine. Their spiritual practice formed the basis of Western monasticism and greatly influenced both Western and Eastern Christianity.

Their writings, first recorded in the fourth century, consist of spiritual advice, parables and anecdotes emphasizing the primacy of love and the purity of heart. Focusing on key themes of charity, fortitude, lust, patience, prayer and self-control, the Sayings influenced the rule of St. Benedict and have inspired centuries of opera, poetry and art.

This probing and personal SkyLight Illuminations edition opens up their wisdom for readers with no previous knowledge of Western monasticism and early Christianity. It provides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that describes historical background, explains the practice of asceticism and illustrates how you can use their wisdom to energize your spiritual quest.

Includes bibliographical references.

Give me a word -- Your cell will teach you everything -- Heart-centered spirituality -- Thoughts, desires, and passions -- Humility, simplicity, and the beginner's heart -- Spiritual elders and soul friends -- Tears of compunction -- Necessity of practice -- Virtues, charity, and the service of love -- Solitude, silence, and hesychia -- Three essential things -- Prayer and differing gifts.

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