Journey Back to Eden.pdf - St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Chicago

A TIME TO VISIT ABRAHAM 39wealth of all of his reflections during his many years of solitude inthe desert. I certainly do not think that I can make him fully fruitfulfor all those years. But I am glad to be able to interview him, tolisten to his spiritual insights, and to record them for whatever purposesI may later apply them.Finally, he told me that he will summon me at the times that hedesires and that I should simply wait. I gather from this commentthat I am not to ask to see him, but to wait until he calls me. Thisis perfectly congenial to me, inasmuch as my time (aside from thePsalmody) is otherwise mostly unstructured.Our Father in FaithNOVEMBER 14, FRIDAYBetween Lauds and the Kodes, while it was still dark, AbunaSidrak informed me while I was praying on the floor of the churchthat Abuna Elia will see me again this morning. After the Kodes hewalked me through the inner cloister to the cell of Abuna Elia. It ispeaceful, it is quiet at this time, so I imagine that, more often thannot, when I am summoned to see Abuna Elia, it will be in the earlymorning.Today Abuna Elia walked out to greet me. It was still too earlyfor the pilgrims to come, but the kitchen had begun to make sometea and scones for them when they arrive. He called out to one ofthe fellah, the boys who work for the monastery, to bring us tea.Then he went to the kitchen and waited there to get some bread aswell. Abuna Elia carried the bread over while the boy brought thetea. We talked, I sitting on the stool and he on his chair. His healthseems improved since our first meeting.He talked about, of all things, Abraham. He assured me thatAbraham is indeed our father in faith—the father not only of theJews and the Christians and the Moslems but also of the monk, thefather of desert holiness, for Abraham was asked to sojourn in thedesert for many years after he was called by God. In following Godinto the desert, he learned the way of prayer, the way of trust andobedience, and he could not help but also learn the way of solitude.Abuna Elia reminded me that, although Abraham had had a wifefor all those years, his wife died and left him almost forty moreyears of life before he died himself. Indeed, not only was he alone