It has been shown that there were thousands of women who lived in the desert and played leadership roles among the Christians.  Some of the most important who have come down to us are Amma Sarah, Amma Syncletica and Amma Theodora.  The term “Amma”, in much the same way as “Abba”, designates the spiritual mother and father who were the counsels and wise teachers who were sought out for their words of wisdom.  In fact, the desert mothers and fathers can be considered the so-called “pioneers of the spiritual mother/father tradition.”

Selected quotes from the Desert Mothers:

Blessed Syncletica:

“If any fall, you say with humility: ‘Forgive me,’
then it will be forgiven you.”

Blessed Syncletica:

“May your mind always be in the Kingdom of Heaven,
and soon you will inherit it.”

Blessed Theodora:

“Psalmody and reading, fasting and night prayer in silence,
my child, all transform the soul to God.”

Blessed Theodora:

“If you think upon that which is good, you will be disposed to it.
Human thought is never hidden from God.   For this reason,
your thoughts must always be clean of all evil.”

Blessed Theodora:

“Staying awake to meditate cleanses the mind,
fasting humbles the body,
Prayer unites us to God.”

The above quotes are quoted from Matericon: Instructions of Abba Isaiah to the Honorable Nun Theodora.  Quoted in “A Glimpse into the Wisdom of the Desert Mothers: Bibliography and Prayer for Modern-Day Practitioners,” by V.K. McCarty.  PDF downloaded from Academia.edu, page 5.

Read more:
– The Desert Mothers -Who Are They
– Saying Of The Desert Mothers

Books:
– The Desert Mothers: Spiritual Practices from the Women of the Wilderness, Mary C. Earle, New York City: Morehouse Publishing, 2007.

– Wisdom of the Desert: Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century together with Selections from “The Protreptikos of Clement of Alexandria and The Spiritual Father in the Desert Tradition, Thomas Merton, London
ew York: Burns & Oates, 1997.  (Merton’s study incorporates sayings from the ammas as well.)

– Harlots of the Desert: A Study of Repentance in Early Monastic Sources, Benedicta Ward  Cistercian Publications, 1987.

The post The Early Church Mothers or Desert Mothers appeared first on Universe of Faith.

We are used to hearing that the Triune God is one of the most fundamental tenets and mysteries of the Christian faith. Father Antony Kadavil, in Vatican News, states the following: “The mystery of the Holy Trinity, a doctrine enunciated by the ecumenical councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity and the greatest mystery of our Faith, namely, that there are Three Divine Persons, sharing the same Divine nature in one God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is equally clear in this respect. (CCC, p. 249-256)

The Ultimate Mystery Of The Trinity Is Love

Isn’t God a mystery? If God is a mystery, what do we mere human mortals deduce from the Trinitarian doctrine? The ultimate heart of this mystery is love. We can never repeat that word enough. For the many times, the word features in our daily language, we can never really begin to understand the basic meaning of it. The profound mystery of the Trinitarian God emerges from the perfect love which exists within the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. Again, our language can never really grasp the greatness that is the Trinity. That also applies to our use of numbers with this respect. St Basil speaks of “meta-mathematics with this respect. We need to remember that the Trinity is about love; about the relation between the Three Persons, each of which is God, and who are one God. For it is out of love, that God has taken the initiative to create the human being and reveal himself gradually to humanity, hence Ireneaus of Lyons’ divine pedagogy. The salvation story, starting with the Old Testament, with the creation of the first persons, and culminating in the New Testament with the coming of Christ and his sending of the Holy Spirit, is a story of God’s encounter with humanity and his great love. While God takes the initiative, he also reveals himself gradually to humanity, while still remaining beyond that which can be grasped and fully known. God is God.

Understanding The Trinity As Portrayed In The Old Testament

We have echoes of the Trinitarian language in the Old Testament, starting even before the creation of the world, “where the Spirit of God moved upon the waters. (Gn 1, 2), culminating with the way Christ speaks about his relationship with the Father in the New Testament (Jn 5, 9; Jn 10, 30; Jn16, 28) and his eventual sending of the Paraclete (Jn 16, 7-15). From the early days of our catechism lessons we are thought that the Trinity as comprising the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, yet they are one God. We have three divine Persons, and one God. The Holy Trinity is the example par excellence of the unity in diversity.

“The Trinity is about our lives and how our life has been redeemed”

The reflections on the Holy Spirit should be an empowerment for us to act in love with our fellow Christians. The great love shared by the three Persons of the Holy Trinity lies at the fulcrum of salvation history. This love should guide us and mark us as Christians. Otherwise, the doctrine about the Holy Trinity would remain far-removed from our daily living. At our baptism, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we have already been clothed with a god-like dignity which opens the door for the adventure of love we are called to share with the Divine. The Trinity is about our lives and how our life has been redeemed from the bondages of sin through a divine love. Unless we learn to breathe this love through our constant relationship with God himself, the doctrine of the Trinity remains a fossilised mystery which can never be related to our lives.

Further Reading:
– Catholic Doctrine on the Holy Trinity
– Eucharistic Adoration Quotes By Pope Francis

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