Three Precepts
(Photo: CNS/Asmaa Waguih, Reuters)
“Someone asked Abba Anthony, 'What must one do in order to please God?' The old man replied, 'Pay attention to what I tell you: whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures; in whatever place you live, do not easily leave it. Keep these three precepts and you will be saved.’” -The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Abba Anthony the Great, paragraph 3)
This short encounter that some anonymous soul had with Abba Anthony is very profound. We do not know who it was that Anthony was speaking with, or what their state of life was, or even if it was a man or a woman. That means, I believe, that this advice can apply to anybody no matter who you are.
The first precept Abba Anthony give is to “Always have God before your eyes.” This is such a simple yet profound way to live. When you always keep God before your eyes and in your mind, you will grow in virtue. How often is it, that we fall into sin because we do not keep our eyes on Christ? We are looking at other things and lose ourselves in them. Thus, when we keep our eyes constantly on Christ, we can have much more success in avoiding sin. This first precept also applies to growing in intimacy with Christ, and not only avoiding sin. The more that we keep our eyes on Him, the more we grow closer to Him.
The second precept is “Whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures.” Again, this is is so simple, but powerful. The Holy Scriptures are a solid guide on our spiritual journey on this Earth. They, being the Word of God, will never lead you astray. They will speak to you, correct you, and console you.
The third precept is “In whatever place you live, do not easily leave it.” When I first read this, I initially thought, this is only for monastics. But the more I thought about it, I realized that it is not only for monks, it is applicable for all of us. Wherever we live, God has placed us there for a specific reason and at a specific time. Whether we know what that reason is or not, it is still true. We must firstly discern God’s Will before leaving a place or moving away. Often times, we can become uneasy or agitated where we are, and think that leaving will solve all of our problems. This is a lie. We will have difficulty and problems wherever we are and no matter who we are surrounded by. We must not depart from a place just because we think it might be easier somewhere else. We need to truly discern if that is what God is calling us to do.
— Also, I am not talking about situations or places that are abusive or dangerous, I am talking about situations or places where we would just rather prefer to leave. —
Saint Abba Anthony the Great, pray for us!