“As he was dying, Abba Benjamin taught his sons this: Do this, and you’ll be saved: Rejoice always, pray constantly, and in all circumstances give thanks.”

Each Christian who seeks God through prayer is continuing a tradition that began with the desert fathers and mothers of the fourth and fifth century—simple peasants whose spiritual progress was marked by inner peace, self-control, poverty, patience, humility, and hospitality. Desert Wisdom contains some hundred “sayings” of the desert fathers, each accompanied by playful illustrations by Japanese artist Yushi Nomura. Bridging East and West, the simple truths of Desert Wisdom remain as fresh and vital to Christians today as they were to the disciples who first heard and recorded them.

An old man said: I never wanted work which was useful to me but loss to my brother. For I have this expectation, that what helps my brother is fruitful for me.

From the Introduction to Desert Wisdom....

“The desert fathers and mothers did not offer theories on the spiritual life. Their words...were meant to help a searching brother or sister, to correct an erring fellow monk, to give courage to a despairing friend, or to console a saddened parent. Paradoxically, however, these sayings have the power to give life to many....

“What is most personal is able to touch the hearts of people living in very different circumstances. There is realism, humor, irony, challenge, and fervent zeal. These qualities form the safe and flexible boundaries within which we can move and listen to God’s call for us.”—Henri J. M. Nouwen

Henri J. M. Nouwen, who died in 1996, was a popular spiritual writer whose many books include With Burning Hearts and Adam: God’s Beloved.

Yushi Nomura, a Japanese artist and theologian, was introduced to the desert fathers while studying with Nouwen at Yale Divinity School.