From The Desert Fathers:
Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him: Abba, as much as I am able I practice a small rule, a little fasting, some prayer and meditation, and remain quiet and as much as possible I keep my thoughts clean. What else should I do? Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands toward heaven, and his fingers became like ten torches of flame and he said to him: If you wish, you can become all flame.
Thanks, GWB, for the reminder. I won't comment, except to say that you'll notice that Joseph doesn't recommend a balance of hot and cold, fire and non-fire, or good and evil. Rather, Lot can become all flame, but he has to wish it. That, just in itself, is no small thing.
God bless,
LSP
I recall Buddhist monks in Viet Nam doing the all flame thing. Maybe it's a different thing, and I clearly take your point. You can't serve God and Mammon. It's incredibly difficult to do in a material world.
ReplyDeleteThe final frontier at my age seems to be trying to find a more perfect communion with God. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteVery difficult indeed -- of course they went out into the desert. A real phenomenon at the end of the Roman empire and who knows, maybe history will repeat itself at some point in the future. i wouldn't be surprised.
ReplyDeleteFor sure, Euripides, and I'm preaching to myself...
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