September 27, 1998
The
Holy Mothers of Egypt and Palestine
In reading and thinking about the "Desert Fathers"
of Egypt and Palestine in the early years of Christianity, it is very easy forget –
or even to notice! -- that there were also "Desert Mothers" who led difficult
lives of asceticism, sanctity, and even martyrdom. In many ways, their spiritual struggles
were even more difficult than those of men because they had to deal with the cultural
issues of their time which did not encourage women in such pursuits, as well as
"sexist monks" (please pardon the expression!) who often believed the desert was
no place for a woman.
It is especially interesting to note that these holy women were sometimes co-ascetics with
their husbands, former prostitutes who fled lives of sin for lives of sanctity, or were
simply led from childhood to a life of holiness as we often read in the lives of saints.
Over the next few weeks, we will look at the lives of some of these holy women who were in
every way equals to the Desert Fathers we have been studying all along. Most of these
newsletters will be taken from a wonderful volume published in 1991 by the Holy Apostles
Convent which is listed at the end of today’s thought. We will begin our series with
the life of St. Vasilissa of Egypt who lived in the third and fourth centuries and then
look at the wisdom of Amma Sycletica of the Egyptian Desert:
BEGIN: Our story opens in Antinoupolis of Egypt during the reign of Emperor Valerius
Diocletian (284-305), when Marcian was governor (290). The young Vasilissa was wed to a
man from Antinoupolis named Julian. They agreed, however, to live together wisely and in
virginity. Eventually, they gave their goods to the poor and Vasilissa was tonsured a nun
in a convent. Julian then also decided to become a monk in a monastery where, later, he
was elevated to the abbacy over twelve thousand monks.
In 303, a great persecution broke out. Diocletian issued an edict at Nicomedia on the 23rd
of February decreeing the demolition of churches and the burning of Christian books. The
many unholy incidents that followed as a result of this led to further edicts. The next
two edicts were directed solely against the clergy. The punishment meted out for
resistance was imprisonment, torture and, in some cases, death. By the year 304, a fourth
edict extended these grim penalties upon the laity as well. The persecution was to adorn
the Church in the purple robe of martyrdom.
Our holy mother Vasilissa, during this perilous time, was made abbess over one thousand
nuns. As a true and caring spiritual mother she besought God that none of her spiritual
daughters might suffer torture or humiliation by Diocletian’s men. In the event that
it was God’s will that she or any of the nuns suffer this cross, she prayed that none
might recant the Faith. The tender-loving Lord hearkened to the prayer of the holy virgin
and lo, the wonder! During the next six months, one by one, every nun in the convent fell
asleep in the Lord, leaving Abbess Vasilissa alone. Before her own blessed repose,
Vasilissa was vouchsafed a vision of her synodia (monastic community) in the life beyond
the grave. She beheld all her nuns enveloped in radiant light, rejoicing as angels of the
Lord. When they addressed Vasilissa, they begged their spiritual mother to unite with them
speedily. Vasilissa, having endured severe persecutions, reposed in peace. END
Another holy mother of the Egyptian Desert, Amma Syncletica, said the following:
BEGIN: "Just as the most bitter medicine drives out poisonous creatures so prayer
joined to fasting drives evil thoughts away."
She also said, "Do not let yourself be seduced by the delights of the riches of the
world, as though they contained something useful on account of vain pleasure. Worldly
people esteem the culinary art, but you, through fasting and thanks to cheap food, go
beyond their abundance of food. It is written: ‘He who is sated loathes honey’
(Proverbs 27:7). Do not fill yourself with bread and you will not desire wine."
She also said, "If you find yourself in a monastery do not go to another place, for
that will harm you a great deal. Just as the bird who abandons the eggs she was sitting on
prevents them from hatching, so the monk or the nun grows cold and their faith dies when
they go from one place to another."" END
The life of St. Vasilissa is from "The Lives of the Spiritual Mothers,"
(Buena Vista, California: Holy Apostles Convent, 1991), pp. 55-56.
The sayings of Amma Syncletica are from Benedicta Ward, "The Sayings
of the Desert Fathers," #59 in the "Cistercian Studies Series,"
(Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 1975), p. 231.
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