Resistance Podcast #241: Liturgical Asceticism: What Were Those Monks Doing in the Desert?

About this sermon

What were those monks doing in the desert—and why does it still matter? In this talk we follow John Cassian and the Desert Fathers to the beating heart of Christian asceticism: purity of heart (apathéia) as the scopus (immediate aim) that leads to the telos (ultimate end): the Kingdom of God. Along the way we unpack Evagrius’ eight thoughts becoming the West’s seven deadly sins, St. Benedict’s Rule, Augustine on Mary & Martha, and practical, memorable sayings from the early monastic tradition. You’ll hear crisp definitions of pride, vainglory, avarice, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy, and sloth—plus the antidotes: humility, poverty of spirit, chastity, meekness, temperance, charity, prudence, and obedience. We look at why asceticism isn’t self-harm but healing that prepares the soul for beatitude—training desire to want what God wants to give. If you’re curious about Cassian’s Institutes & Conferences, Evagrius, The Ladder of Divine Ascent (John Climacus), or how the Beatitudes shape daily prayer and fasting, this is your roadmap. Ideal for Lent prep, RCIA, Oblates, seminarians, clergy, and anyone who wants a concrete way to battle logismoi and grow in virtue. #DesertFathers #JohnCassian #Evagrius #RuleOfStBenedict #SevenDeadlySins #VicesAndVirtues #Apatheia #PurityOfHeart #Monasticism #ChristianAsceticism #MaryAndMartha #Augustine #JohnClimacus #LadderOfDivineAscent #SpiritualWarfare #CatholicSpirituality #OrthodoxSpirituality #Beatitudes #Virtue #Lent 00:00 Intro & setup 00:52 Audio/room update & new mic 01:54 What were the monks doing in the desert? 02:02 John Cassian: Institutes & Conferences 03:04 St. Benedict’s Rule: “Only the Alphabet” of monastic life 05:05 Apathéia = Purity of Heart (fear of the Lord, deep calm in love) 06:17 Scopus vs. Telos (farmer, merchant, soldier) 12:10 Asceticism’s immediate aim → purity of heart; ultimate end → Kingdom 22:19 Mary & Martha: Augustine & Cassian—why contemplation is the “better part” 28:59 Asceticism as preparation for beatitude (not self-harm) 37:32 Chesterton: the saint as antidote 38:11 Concise definitions of the capital vices 45:50 Humility vs. pride & vainglory (desert sayings) 46:00 Avarice & holy poverty (parchment book story) 53:15 Chastity, custody of the eyes, battling logismoi 57:43 Wrath, meekness, and the jug story 1:04:07 Gluttony: “Too soon, too rich, too eagerly” 1:09:19 Envy: sorrow at another’s good, joy at another’s misfortune 1:12:08 Sloth/acedia: boredom with the good 1:17:13 Prompt obedience (Benedict) as remedy 1:19:20 Conclusion: Lent as a generous annual “pause” https://www.cuapress.org/9780813221175/on-liturgical-asceticism/ https://www.audible.com/author/David-W-Fagerberg/B001HOGDNG https://smile.amazon.com/Liturgical-Asceticism-David-W-Fagerberg/dp/081322117X?sa-no-redirect=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758

Topics

• Suffering & Trials