Fire and Dragons

The sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers are often utterly believable, but some have a fantastical quality about them. To we moderns, they defy belief. However, they are also highly memorable, which may be why they have lasted so long. Today I offer two sayings which have seemingly impossible details, yet I find very powerful just the same. Is it possible this kind of story speaks to our souls better than to our minds?

Here's the first story:

Lot went to Joseph and said, “Abba, as far as I can, I keep a moderate rule, with a little fasting, and prayer, and meditation, and quiet: and as far as I can, I try to cleanse my heart of evil thoughts. What else should I do?” Then the hermit stood up and spread out his hands to Heaven, and his fingers shone like 10 flames of fire, and he said, “if you will, you can become all flame.”

The diminishment of the ego was a prime goal among the monks, but only because they believed that they were making room of God’s spirit within themselves. This passage recalls the event of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit appeared like tongues of fire above the apostles’ heads. ( Acts 2). It also may seem oddly familiar to people who have done energy work, dealing with chi/prana and auras.

Here's the second story:

When Nestoros the Great was walking in the desert with a brother, they saw a dragon and ran away. The brother said, “Were you afraid, Abba?” Nestros asnwered, “I wasn’t afraid, my son. But it was right to run away from the dragon, otherwise I should’ve had to run away from conceit.”

To the monks, humility was the great road to God, so to do something impressive was always to risk being proud of oneself. Better to run from a dragon needlessly than to become afflicted by the internal dragon of arrogance. Peace.

-Rev. Stephen Milton, Lawrence Park Community Church, Toronto

Source: The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks, (London, 2003),p.131;80.

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