Advent Day 20: Syncletica of Alexandria
Desert Mother
Those who…amass material riches, even when they have gained much, desire to gain yet more, and they consider what they have at present as nothing and reach out for what they have not got. We, who have nothing of that which we desire, wish to acquire everything through the awe of God.
Advent Day 20: Syncletica of Alexandria (4th century CE)
In the early fourth century CE, the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. Up to that point, Jesus followers were a mostly poor and persecuted minority. After Constantine’s conversion they were suddenly members of the state religion—a religion that, now that it was safe, the masses flocked to not out of conviction but because, well…when in Rome (literally).
While it was nice not being thrown to lions, it didn’t take long for many Christians to realize that being part of a privileged class has a corrupting influence. For those seeking to shed their cultural baggage and recapture the original fire of the Jesus movement, there was only one place to go: the desert.
Among the most prominent of the sages and mystics we now call the Desert Mothers and Fathers was Syncletica of Alexandria. Born to a wealthy Egyptian family, Syncletica was drawn to God from an early age. It is reported that, even in childhood, she practiced a radically simple lifestyle. After her parents died, she gave all she inherited to the poor and, along with her blind sister, took up residence in the family crypt. There, she cut her hair, dressed in camel hides, slept on a woven palm mat, and devoted herself to prayer, meditation and work.
Soon, her wisdom and example began to attract other women looking to leave behind urban living (not to mention a rigidly patriarchal society).
Desert spirituality requires shedding the skin of your old life. Syncletica observed that, for those coming to her, abandoning creature comforts was often the easiest part to entering her lifestyle. In fact, it often brought great joy and freedom.
In the beginning there is struggle and a lot of work for those who come near to God. But after that there is indescribable joy. It is just like building a fire: at first it is smoky and your eyes water, but later you get the desired result. Thus we must kindle the divine fire within ourselves with tears and effort.
Harder to release than material pleasures, however, were the emotional vices of jealousy, envy, greed, anger and ambition. Syncletica believed that anger was a particular barrier to the mystical life with God.
It is good not to get angry, but if this should happen, Saint Paul does not allow you a whole day for this passion, for he says: “Let not the sun go down.” (Ephesians 4.25) Will you wait till all your time is ended? Why hate the one who has grieved you? Hate sickness, not the sick person.
Anyone who has struggled to let go of an argument with a friend, to release the hurt caused by a parent, to vanquish an addiction, or to jump over any of the other hurdles that lay claim to us will appreciate both the suffering that surrender causes in its early stages, but also the freedom that comes after being purified. This is the gateway to God.
A keen observer, Syncletica could tell at a glance who was and wasn’t ready to undertake her kind of life and work. Those not ready she sent back to the city to mature.
Syncletica also understood that spirituality was not a one-sizes-fits-all proposition. Some of the women who came to her were well-suited for the ascetic lifestyle. For many others it was not possible, or even desirable. Too many rushed in with eagerness only to shortly give up under the sudden shock of material deprivation. Rather than an all-or-nothing approach, Syncletica counseled moderation, as exemplified by her rule for fasting:
Always use a single rule of fasting. Do not fast four or five days and break it the following day with a feast of food. In truth, lack of proportion always corrupts.
The corruption she saw in lack of proportion was pride. The more adept one became at his or her vocation, the more one mastered the desert lifestyle, the easier it was to become prideful. Syncletica even observed young women pretending to be more affected by fasting than they were, in order to score spiritual brownie points. Syncletica’s prescription for the sickness of pride was simple and practical: immediately stop being “pious”, have a snack, then pray for humility.
Just as a treasure that is exposed loses its value, so a virtue which is known vanishes; just as wax melts when it is near fire, so the soul is destroyed by praise and loses all the results of its labor.
While there were temptations that came from the outside world, Syncletica recognized that the most sneaky and pernicious were those temptations that bubbled up from within. She warned her acolytes to always be attuned to what was going on in their hearts. Presence and self-awareness were everything. Moving through life, or even a day, on autopilot was a temptation to be resisted at all costs.
We must arm ourselves in every way against the demons, for they…stir us up from within; and the soul is then like a ship when great waves break over it…it sinks because the hold is too full. We are just like that: we lose as much by the exterior faults we commit as by the thoughts inside us. So we must…repel the interior onslaughts of our thoughts.
These were Syncletica’s rules for living out desert spirituality:
Prayer.
Work.
Self-examination.
Syncletica cautioned, however, that even those who mastered the spiritual life would never be in a perfectly awakened state. The best we can hope for—and it’s a lot—is to live in a state of ongoing awakening.
Syncletica lived into her eighties. At the end of her life she suffered great pain, but managed to maintain remarkable self-control. In her final days she left her last bit of wisdom.
This is the great practice, to control oneself in illness and to sing hymns of thanksgiving to God.
Practice
Time to get Advent honest (part of Advent is about honesty, remember?).
While religions throughout the ages have focused much on external behaviors, Syncletica understood that internal temptations were a far greater danger to the soul, especially those which sought to mask themselves behind pious behaviors or demonstrations. This was one of Jesus’s main complaints about the religious folks around him: their piety was really just a coverup for pride.
What is your internal temptation? Pride? Anger? Self-criticism? Self-righteousness? Lack of empathy? Greed? Envy?
Whatever it is, acknowledge it while also being gentle with yourself. The opportunity in Advent is honesty and transformation, not self-flagellation. After identifying your “poison”, spend time in prayer, asking God’s assistance in releasing it in the year to come. Set an intention not to be perfect, but to be present to your stumbling blocks so that you might learn how to step gingerly around them in the year to come.
Holiday Happenings at Life In The City
Dec. 18, 11:15 am: Fourth Sunday of Advent service.
Dec. 21, 7:30 pm: Blue Christmas, an intimate service for the longest night of the year.
Dec. 23, 7:00 pm: Our annual Christmas Eve-Eve service.
Dec. 25, 11:15 am: Celebrate Christmas morning with your church family.
Jan 1, 11:15 am: A quiet, contemplative service to welcome 2023.
Feedback
This is a first draft of a book that will go to publishers in 2023. If you spot typos or have suggestions, leave them in the comments below or email Greg Durham at greg@lifeinthecityaustin.org.
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Read the Introduction to The Heart Moves Toward Light: Advent With The Mystics, Saints and Prophets.
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