An Ancient Need

There’s often a mantra that goes something like this: “the newer our society gets, the better we become.” For most of my life, I really did believe this to be true. New phones come out every year, new scientific discoveries are found, and we learn more of what it means to have a free and just society. So I gained wisdom from people near my age, read the newest books from relatively young authors, and attended a church where the majority of the congregation was thirty and below, and I loved it. The energy was great, lively, and life was fun. Until it wasn’t. 

We were all limited in our experience and wisdom so when one of us ran into a situation that we weren’t sure about, we just sat there stuck. We didn’t live enough life or know any older saints in our life to lead us into the good, beautiful, and wise way of living. 

The words below will be my story of older saints breathing life into me, how the ancient words of the early church fathers have shaped my life, and the need for diversity of thought to become the person God has called you to be. May these words bless you and encourage your soul for all your days ahead.

WISDOM OF THE SAINTS

The last two years of my life there have been three men in my life who were pivotal in my development in who I was as a person. Each of them were uniquely gifted in different ways and who shaped me into the person I desperately needed to become. 

The first mentor I had showed me what it meant to work well. He taught me what it meant to be excellent, strive for quality in all things, and to push forward towards whatever was ahead. We had systems in place to assure that the goals we were aiming for were met, we had weekly debriefing over what could be improved upon or what was going well, and encouraging talks that lifted my soul. This mentor valued me, encouraged me, made me work, and showed me that I was valuable because of who I was and not because of what I contributed to our church.

The second mentor was humble. He would meet with me weekly, buy me a meal, and take on any questions I had. There was a sincerity and eagerness with every encounter because I knew sitting across from me was someone that cared about who I was becoming and wanted to be one of the people to help be a guide on the path God had set for me. There was never an agenda, never something that was trying to be achieved, we were just two souls resting and caring for one another well. He taught me what it meant to be a man of gentle humility.

The third mentor taught me to think well. I was questioned on what I wanted out of life, what I was doing to reach that goal, and what that meant for the daily actions and habits of my life. Some moments were difficult because in all honesty, I had dreams with no real plan or explanation as to why I wanted what I wanted. So much of our time was introspective. I was always thinking about what it meant for me to live a life that truly depicted the values I had and what I was striving for with my time. My time with this mentor was deeply helpful and deeply painful. Not painful because of hurtful words or rude comments, but because I was pushed into new spaces that I was unfamiliar, and quite frankly, uncomfortable with. Yet it was with this mentor that I learned to embrace a life of beauty in the midst of trial.

The lessons I learned and the wisdom gained were all from saints who lived longer, experienced more, and had souls that had been deeply ingrained by love and grace for multiple decades. They were examples of what a life well lived could look like and a marker for what I could gaze upon in the days ahead.

WISDOM OF THE ANCIENT

The past year or so I’ve taken up the practice of reading books written by the early church fathers like St. Athanasius, Ignatius, and more. I stumbled upon this practice after listening to a podcast called “Knowing Faith” where the host recommended the book On the Incarnation, and I was mesmerized. For much of my life I thought that the only things worth reading or listening to had to have been made within the past five years in order for it to be credible. It only took me the introduction to realize just how wrong I was.

The latest edition of the book has the introduction written by C.S. Lewis that winsomely grabs the reader's attention to not just give a preview to the words of this book, but its aim is to encourage all to read books from the past. Because when we step into the world of the ancient, we step into a world void of the current aches and influences of our days. We gain the opportunity to hear other followers of Jesus that had less distractions, slowed pace of living, and closer proximity to when Jesus lived. There’s a distinct beauty that we simply don’t have insight on because of the time in which we live. Yet the primary reason for why I not only started but have continued reading the ancients is because they tell a story; the story of our family.

The family of God is all believers past, present, and future. To get to read about how past generations in countries I’ve only ever seen on a map followed the way of Jesus is simply another opportunity to learn how I can grow in both love and faith. To grow in faith because prior to Christianity, being the dominant religion in Rome, it was an illegal practice. So what did they do in response? Invite the poor and give them shelter, welcome widowed women and give them safety, welcome families and give them a home, and eat meals together as a way of practicing generosity. This was the primary evangelism tool they used. It wasn’t a big stage with bright lights, not a conference with the best worship, it was simply caring for the lowly and practicing love towards those who needed it most and this kind of living is what drew people in.

Maybe you’ve been reading books from the ancients longer than I have, or you’ve never even thought about it before. If the latter is you, here is your invitation. You’ll be stunned by the intellect, amazed by the way arguments are made, and just how clear things are for the writers of this time. Here are some book recommendations, may this guide you into greater wisdom, wider love, and deeper faith. Blessings.

On the Incarnation - St. Athanasius

Lectures on the Christian Sacraments - St. Cyril of Jerusalem

The cosmic mystery of Jesus Christ - St. Maximus the Confessor