Desert Saint Research Paper

A major motivation for the desert saint’s move into the isolation of the desert was to practice a humble life, formed through various ascēsis exercises. The exercises served as tools that allowed the monks to survive the desert, live disciplined lives and mature spiritually, which helped them move closer to God and detach them from all earthly interference. Moreover, the desert saints were like athletes, holding themselves to a strict regimen for spiritual growth in preparation for spiritual attacks and physical temptations. The ascetic practices also helped the monks to maintain right standing in the presence of God, thereby truly living:

The desert Abbas and Ammas, like Antony, believed fasting, prayer, silence, solitude, vigils, celibacy, reading and memorizing Scripture were vital practices in strengthening one’s ability to triumph over demonic attacks and external and internal temptations. Antony ascribed his capacity to victoriously overcome the brutal attacks of the devil to Jesus and his ascetic practices. In the Sayings the desert monks convey the importance of asceticism in the life of the monk:

Conversely, the desert saints also understood the limitations of the ascetic
The practice of fasting in the desert where access to food was limited was still a valued and necessary aspect of the ascetic life within the desert. The incorporation of fasting was carrying over from liturgical practices of the Church gleaned from Scriptures. However, the desert saints embraced the practice of fasting as an integral aspect of asceticism which created an environment that fostered space in the mind, body, and soul “to help them become interiorly more attentive and alert to the movement of God’s Spirit.” As with every ascetic practice, the desert saints practiced fasting to discipline aid in the process of contemplation and formation, with the objective of drawing nearer to the presence of