Praying with the Desert Mothers

By Mary Forman and Mary Forman OSB

Book Overview

Fourth- and fifth-century desert mothers in the Mediterranean region, known as ammas (spiritual mothers), were the founders of Christian community in the early church. Praying with the Desert Mothers introduces the lives, sayings, and stories of these remarkable spiritual elders. It enriches readers' lives and compels them to return in meditation and prayer. For each topic a true story is drawn from a modern persona's experience of seeking God. This tapestry of stories of the desert ammas is woven together with theological insights, discussion of genres of literature, historical views on women, and reflective approaches to the wisdom tradition.

Praying with the Desert Mothers combines scholarship and reflection for praying, meditating, and living the wisdom of spiritual practices today. Chapters are Introduction to the Desert Mothers, Ammas as Midwives of Wisdom, Ammas as Scripture Scholars, Heralds in the Desert, Desert as Idyllic Garden, The Peal of Great Price, Humility and the Manifestation of Thoughts, Penthos and Tears, Signs of Conversion, The Hidden Life, Prayer and Hospitality; and concludes with The Visitation and a complete bibliography on the desert ammas.

Mary Forman, OSB, PhD, a Benedictine from the Monastery of Saint Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho, is assistant professor of theology at the School of Theology, Seminary and the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814615228
• ISBN13: 9780814615225
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Liturgical Press
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.9" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Fourth Century Wisdom for Today

Though its primary focus is the desert mothers (ammas), this work, which is applicable to both men and women, also honors the wisdom of the desert fathers (abbas). The author, a Benedictine who teaches monastic studies and theology, presents the desert mothers of the fourth and fifth centuries as midwives, "bearers of the spirit, women capable of listening to the hearts of those around them...." With bible passages, stories, contemporary examples, and reflection exercises, Forman shows us how to incorporate practices of the desert mothers into our own lives. The ammas manifest a twofold way of being women of wisdom, she writes: "women who praise their God as their source of life, their love, and their longing, and women who share their gifts of prayer, self, and resources with others." The ammas saw an opportunity to entertain Christ in each act of hospitality. According to Abba Cassian, "One's task or occupation is to host the stranger, guest, or poor person, who appears most often unexpectedly in our midst." Forman's reflection on hospitality invites readers to consider occasions in which they grew in the realization of Christ's presence in others. The chapters in Praying with the Desert Mothers can be used in sequence or individually, making the book especially attractive for faith sharing groups.