Anglican theologian Urban Holmes wrote that although we think of the Desert Mothers and Fathers of the 3rd to 5th century as holy people who fled a corrupt society to find God in the wilderness, this is an over-simplification. He says that in reality, "they thought of themselves more properly as going out to fight evil" - to confront the demons in the desert.
But maybe fighting demons looks a little different to how we may imagine it. Holmes says that the besetting sin of these early monastics was acedia (also described as "the noonday demon"). Acedia is "spiritual boredom, an indifference to matters of religion, or simple laziness" and these holy men and women felt most vulnerable to it in the heat of the day.
We face this enemy too. It can manifest as restlessness, boredom, inertia and even obsessive activity or workaholism. It can make treasured relationships and callings seem meaningless and oppressive. When put like that, we can see why these men and women took the battle with acedia so seriously!
What wisdom do they offer us for our struggle with the noonday demon? Two key things:
1. Perseverance in prayer and work (the Benedictine rule of ora et labora) and
2. Cultivating wonder and gratitude. As GK Chesterton wrote: "You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and the pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dip the pen in the ink."
Why this sudden interest in the sayings of ancient desert people? Well, this Lent we will be keeping company with the Desert Mothers and Fathers in our services, in our small groups and individually using the Lectio365 app. The journey begins on 15 February and we will share more details closer to the time.