![]() ![]() In his wrath for vengeance, Moses waited until night to swim across the Nile River (a task requiring great strength) to sneak into the herd of that shepherd, killing four of his rams, the most important part of the flock, decimating the future of the flock and ruining the livelihood of the shepherd. The story goes that a shepherd had insulted him. Abba Moses became head of a ruthless gang of robbers, descending into a violent life of deceit, malice, anger and lust. Moses was a huge, powerfully built man and that slave owner may have felt intimidated. ![]() He eventually gave Moses his freedom because he couldn’t be controlled and was said to have murdered someone. Kidnapped from his homeland, Moses became a slave to an important Egyptian. We are counseled that as we hear his story, in which Abba Moses moves from profound sinner to luminous saint, we need to realize this was a slow process. Later in life, he accepted this as “a badge of honor.” A ruthless robber, he is remembered for his superhuman strength and later repentance. The Egyptians mocked him as the Black because of his much darker skin. Saint Moses (330-405 AD) had many aliases: the Ethiopian, the Black, the Robber, the Strong. These monastic communities were well established by the time of Abba Moses in the 4 th century. These spiritual desert families could be led by an abba father or amma mother who cared for their spiritual welfare. At first, living solitary lives as hermits in caves or holes dug into cliffs and more and more men and women moved out into the desert, they formed clusters that became the first monastic communities, an alternative Christian society. So, they left the cities, heading out to the deserts of Egypt, Palestine and Syria. They saw withdrawal and asceticism to be a purer way. With the legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire in 313, some Christians did not believe that a truly Christian society could be created between the Church and the Roman Empire. It is a place of love, where God meets us where we are, in our deepest longings. The desert is where things fall apart and where things may come together for us in unanticipated ways. It is a place of letting go, a place for dying, and yet also a place for coming alive. The wilderness is a place of suffering, out on the edge. Abraham, Moses, Mohammed, the Hebrew people in the Exodus, John the Baptist and Jesus. I hope that is also why the Spirit has drawn you by the hand to join me this morning.įrom ancient times, God has been leading people to the desert, to the edge of life. I asked myself: why was I asked to be the presenter on the desert mystics? I believe the answer could be that the Holy Spirit invites me to enter the lives and teachings of these desert mystics so that I may know more deeply God’s forgiveness, compassion and love. This desert landscape purged my anxieties and fears, and I was surprised to be embraced by the joy and love of the Lord. For over thirty years, the deserts of California have been for me a soul-saving refuge during chronic health crises in our family. I am only a fellow desert sojourner with you. (The following is Part One, Abba Moses the Black, from my workshop, Encountering Your True Self with the Desert Mystics, presented at the Center for Spiritual Development, The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Orange, Saturday, February 5, 2022.) ![]()
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