Sarah is honored (with Theodora and Syncletica) on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on January 5. Sarah is commemorated on 13 July in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. "Be as though you were dead: do not care about human dishonor nor about worldly glory in stillness, retreat into your cell continually remember only God and death, and you will be saved.".Thinking upon this I am terrified and tremble." "I fear three things: when the soul must depart from the body, when I must be presented to God, and when the last decree will be made about me on the day of Judgment.Even if it is only done to please men, through it one can begin to seek to please God."Īmong her saying recorded in the Mataericon are: "It is good to give alms for men's sake. "I put out my foot to ascend the ladder, and I place death before my eyes before going up it.".Sayings Īmong her sayings recorded in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers are: She gave them a fruit basket and they honored her by eating the bad fruit and leaving her the good fruit to eat. On one occasion, monks of Scetis came to visit her. She was not completely isolated and received visitors during her time as a hermit. She lived a life of severe asceticism, refusing wine, laughter, or to leave her cell except to attend church. Records indicate that Sarah lived near Skete in the early to mid-5th century. Her sayings attest that this saint spent her life battling a demon that tempted her to fornication. Although wealthy and very beautiful, able to have any life she. Her great fortune and beauty induced many young noblemen to become her suitors for marriage, but she had already bestowed her heart on her heavenly spouse. From her infancy she had imbibed the lore of virtue, and in her tender years she consecrated her virginity to God. Sarah is said to have dwelt in a monastic cell near a large river, likely the Nile, at which she would never look. Amma Syncletica of Alexandria was a Christian saint and Desert Mother of the fourth century. Syncletica was born at Alexandria in Egypt, of wealthy Macedonian parents. She was a hermit and followed a life dedicated to strict asceticism for some sixty years. “Just as one cannot build a ship unless one has some nails, so it is impossible to be saved without humility.Amma (Mother) Sarah of the Desert (5th century) was one of the early Desert Mothers who is known to us today through the collected Sayings of the Desert Fathers and of the Holy Women Ascetics (the Matericon). May we all imitate her gift of self as we strive to follow Christ! Syncletica is an example of many virtues, but one that stood out to me in reading her sayings was her humility. Although many of these women came to her enthusiastically and authentically desiring the monastic life, she was able to encourage them to direct their gifts and desires in other ways if they were not yet prepared to take on the rigorous life of the desert.Īfter a life of service to God through her asceticism, she died around the year 350. In all her sayings, it is very clear that Amma Syncletica was blessed with the gift of discernment and counseling. She lived in an ancient Egyptian tomb in the desert, and quickly gained the attention of many locals, gathering many more women who came to live with her as disciples of Christ. She chose to give it away to the poor, and left everything behind to live the life she had longed for in the desert. After the death of her parents, for whom she had cared for many years, she received all their property and affairs. Amma Syncletica was blessed with both beauty and wealth as a young woman, but even from her childhood, she was drawn to the things of God, and desired to dedicate her life completely to him. Syncletica of Alexandria, born around 270. Of these sayings, 47 of them are attributed to the Desert Mothers, and a historian named Palladius mentioned that almost 3,000 Christian women were living in the desert at one point, choosing to live a life of simplicity in the desert. This book was a compilation of advice, anywhere from small sentences to whole paragraphs on a number of spiritual topics, mostly having to do with simplicity, prayer, and the life of a hermit. These were all compiled into the Apophthegmata Patrum – don’t worry about the pronunciation, just call it the Sayings of the Desert Fathers (and Mothers). Many people wanted to keep and treasure the spiritual counsel and advice that these mothers and fathers had to offer, so they jotted them down. Thus, most of them acquired the title of “Abba” (father) or “Amma” (mother). But in reality, this was a large movement that attracted all number of people, both men and women.Īfter a while, these hermits became widely known as spiritual leaders, and even spiritual fathers and mothers. I got to thinking recently: so far, I might have given you the impression that all these people who went off to the desert were crazy men.
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