Tag: Restoration

Desert Fathers: Brotherly Support

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monks

Two brothers went to a town to sell what they had made. In the town they separated, and one of them fell into fornication.

Afterwards the other brother said, “Let us go back to our cell, brother.” But he replied, “I’m not coming.” The other asked him, “Why, brother?” He replied, “Because when you left me, I was tempted, and was guilty of fornication.” The other, wanting to help him, said, “The same thing happened to me; after I left you, I also fell into fornication. Let us go together, and do penance with all our might, and God will pardon us sinners.”

When they returned to their cell, they told the brothers what had happened to them, and were told what penance they should do. But the one did penance not for himself, but for the other, as though himself had sinned. God, seeing his earnestness and his charity, revealed to one of the elders, a few days later, that he had forgiven the fornicator because of the charity of the brother who had not sinned.

Truly, this was to lay down his soul for his brother.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Desert Fathers: Restoring the sinner

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Antony of Egypt

Once a brother in the community of Elias fell when he was tempted. He was expelled from the community, and went to the mountain to Antony.

When he had been with him for some time, Anthony sent him back to his community, but when they saw him, they sent him away again. So he went back to Anthony and said, “They won’t have me, abba.” So anthony sent a message to them saying, “A ship was wrecked in the ocean and lost its cargo, and with great difficulty the empty ship was brought to land. Do you want to run the ship that has been  rescued onto the the rocks and sink it?”

They realized that Antony had sent him back, and at once accepted him.

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V