Desert father | Poimēn the GreatSample

Just a story

Parables have their own indirect way of communicating surprisingly deep meaning. King David experienced the power of a parable when the prophet Nathan came to visit him (2 Samuel 12:1-14). Jesus told many stories too, perfectly in line with the tradition of the Old Testament prophets. His parables were often shocking, to say the least. The sayings of the Desert Fathers contain many parables too. Stories that grip your attention, with a deep and personal message, making an appeal to the listeners. Read the following story about a man on a quest to meet the emperor, and try to discover and apply the deeper meaning of the story.

Once there was a man, known for his efforts to lead a good life. He wanted to meet Abba Poimēn and went on a journey to the desert. When the man arrived at Abba Poimēn’s cell, other monks were conversing with the old man and asking him for a word of advice. Poimēn saw the man walking up to his cell and said to him: ‘Please, say a word to these brothers.’ The man hesitated, but Abba Poimēn insisted and the visitor said: ‘Sorry, father, I came to learn and listen, not to talk. How can an unbeliever like me tell something relevant to you, who are monks?’ But the old man insisted so the man spoke: ‘I am a simple and humble man, I sell vegetables and try to make a living by taking large bundles, making smaller ones out of it. I buy cheaply and sell it for more. That’s it. I do not even know how to talk about the Scriptures, so I’ll just tell a parable.

There was a man who said to his friends: ‘I want to go to see the emperor, join me on my trip.’ The friend said to him: ‘I can go with you halfway.’ When his friend left halfway, he asked another friend: ‘Can you join me on a trip to see the emperor?’ ‘No problem,’ said the second friend, ‘however, I cannot take you to the emperor, but I can bring you to the palace’. At the gate of the palace, the man asked a third friend: ‘Come, join me to see the emperor’. The friend answered: ‘Come with me, I’ll take you into the palace. I have connections inside, and I can ask someone inside to take you to the emperor. This should work!’

The brothers asked the visitor what the meaning of the parable was. He responded: ‘The first friend is asceticism; asceticism starts the journey. The second friend is chastity; because chastity will take you to the gates of heaven. And the third friend is love; with confidence, love will grant us access to heaven and present us to God our King.’ 

The brothers left Poimēn and were edified.