Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

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Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

"The Lord taught me in the Gospel what leaven is when He said `Do ye
not understand that I said not concerning bread, Beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees and Sadducees?' Then, it is said, they understood
that He spake not of bread, but that they should beware of the
doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This leaven, then--that is,
the doctrine of the Pharisees and the contentiousness of the
Sadducees--the Church hides in her meal, when she softened the hard
letter of the Law by a spiritual interpretation, and ground it as it
were in the mill of her explanations, bringing out as it were from the
husks of the letter the inner secrets of the Resurrection, wherein the
mercy of God is proclaimed, and wherein it is believed that the life
of those who are dead is restored."
--St. Ambrose of Milan.

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August 27th - St. Poemen, abbot
(Also known as Pastor, Shepherd)

The abbot Poemen was one of the most celebrated of the fathers of the
desert. He forsook the world and went into the Egyptian desert of
Skete, one elder and several younger brothers of his accompanying him.
In 408 they were driven away from their first settlement by raids of
Berbers, and took refuge in the ruins of a temple at Terenuthis.
Anubis, the eldest, and Poemen governed the little community of
hermits by turns. Of the 12 hours of the night, four were allotted to
work, four to singing office, and four to sleep; in the day they
worked till noon, read till three in the afternoon, and then went to
gather firing, food and other necessaries.

St. Poemen often passed several days, sometimes a whole week, without
eating, but it was his constant advice to others that their fasts
should be moderate, and that they should take sufficient nourishment
every day: "We fast", he said, "to control our bodies, not to kill
them." But he taught that no monk ought ever to taste wine or to seek
any deliberate gratification of the senses: "for sensuality expels
the spirit of penance and the holy fear of God from the heart as smoke
drives away bees; it extinguishes grace, and deprives a soul of the
comfort and presence of the Holy Ghost".

St. Poemen feared the least occasion that could interrupt his
solitude, or make the distractions of the world break in upon him; and
on one occasion he even went so far as to refuse to see his mother,
foregoing that happiness then that they might enjoy it more hereafter.
He is chiefly remembered for his "sayings". Among them it is related
that, when one who had committed a fault told him he would do penance
for it three years, the saint advised him to confine his penance to
three days, but to be very fervent about it. A monk was grievously
molested with thoughts of blasphemy; Poemen comforted him, and bade
him confidently say to the Devil, whenever he suggested any abominable
thought, "May your blasphemy fall on you; it is not mine, for my heart
detests it". But to another who spoke of the Devil he said, "Devil!
It's always the Devil that's blamed. I say that it's self-will." And
another time, "Never try to have your own way. Those who are
self-willed are their own worst tempters, and require no devil to
tempt them." St. Poemen used strongly to exhort to frequent communion
and to a great desire for that divine food, as the stag pants after
the water-brooks. "Some aver", said he, "that stags feel a violent
inward heat and thirst because in the desert they eat serpents and
their bowels are parched with the poison. Thus souls in the
wilderness of this world always suck in something of its poison, and
so need perpetually to approach the body and blood of Jesus Christ,
which fortifies them against all such venom." To one who complained
that his neighbour was a monk of whom derogatory tales were told, and
gave the authority of another monk to prove their truth, he said,
"There could not be worse evidence than scandalous stories told by a
monk; by telling them he shows himself unworthy of credence". It was
another saying of this abbot that "silence is no virtue when charity
requires speech"; that "people should not waste other people's time by
asking advice when no advice is necessary or wanted" ; and that "a
living faith consists in thinking little of oneself and having
tenderness towards others".

St. Poemen took over complete control of the community on the death
of Anubis. "We lived together", he said, "in complete unity and
unbroken peace till death broke up our association. We followed the
rule Anubis made for us; one was appointed steward, and he had care of
our meals. We ate such things as were set before us, and no one said,
"Give me something else; I cannot eat this." He returned from
Terenuthis to Skete but was again driven out by raids. Later he was
present at the death of St. Arsenius on the rock of Troe, near Memphis
"Happy Arsenius!" he cried, "who had the gift of tears in this life!
For he who does not weep for his sins on earth will bewail them for
ever in eternity." St. Poemen himself died very soon afterwards. He
is named in the Roman Martyrology and in the Byzantine liturgical
books is referred to as "the lamp of the universe and pattern of
monks". Noted for his saintly demeanor, his wisdom, and his insistence
upon frequent Communion.

A short Greek life with other miscellaneous references will be found
in the Acta Sanctorum, August vol. vi; but the most convenient source
of information concerning Poemen and the other fathers of the desert
is the Vitae Patrum of Father Rosweyde. His "sayings" are printed in
Migne, PG., vol. lxv, cc. 317-368.


Saint Quote:
A man may seem to be silent, but if his heart is condemning others, he
is babbling ceaselessly. But there may be another who talks from
morning till night and yet he is truly silent, that is, he says
nothing that is not profitable.
--Abba Poemen (an early Desert Father)

Bible Quote:
The eyes of the Lord in every place behold the good and the evil.
[Proverbs 15:3] DRV

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Prayer for Acceptance of God’s Will

Lord, teach me to be patient - with life, with people, and with
myself. I sometimes try to hurry things along too much, and I push for
answers before the time is right. Teach me to trust Your sense of
timing rather than my own and to surrender my will to Your greater and
wiser plan. Help me let life unfold slowly, like the small rosebud
whose petals unravel bit by bit, and remind me that in hurrying the
bloom along, I destroy the bud and much of the beauty therein.

Instead, let me wait for all to unfold in its own time. Each moment
and state of growth contains a loveliness. Teach me to slow down
enough to appreciate life and all it holds. Amen.