Back to the Begining

He also said, ‘originally, when we met together we spoke of edifying things, encouraging one another and we were “like the angels”; we ascended up to the heavens. But now when we come together, we only drag one another down by gossiping and so we go down to hell.’

—-Abba Megethius of the Desert

I do not think that there is one among us who would not like to go back to the beginning of our faith. Those were the wonderful, positive, and powerful days when we really believed that the gospel, in our hands, would change the world. It did not take so long for us to figure out we were wrong. Our conversations, like all others, began to lose the spiritual edge they once had. The fellowship we shared became a poison instead of a blessing. This type of talk, the Abba warns, leads to condemnation. The stern word from the desert is to beware of gossip and slander. They are not the objective of the gospel. We should pray without ceasing that God will hold us up and apart from this sort of behavior. We all should wish to go back to the begining.