Monastic Cell

by Fr. Paschal Scotti O.S.B.

The cell is not just where the monk sleeps and puts his things. In the monastic tradition, it is much more than that. It is the arena of spiritual combat and the furnace of purification.  As Abba Moses said: "Go, stay inside your cell, and your cell will teach you everything."  The Father of Monks, the great St. Anthony, remarked that "As fish die if they stay too long out of the water, so monks who hang around outside their cells." It is the place where you will face your deepest fears and battle your inner demons, where you will wrestle with your appetites and conquer your disordered desires. You will see your true face, and, God willing see the Face of God. The spiritual purpose of the cell is to gain that graced inner stillness and quietude, called by the Desert Fathers hesychia, which is the fruit of spiritual watchfulness (nepsis), purity of heart, and constant prayer.   

Go, stay inside your cell, and your cell will teach you everything
- Abba Moses