A Maximum Understanding of the Body of Christ by M. C. Ingraham - HTML preview

Paraphrased from, “The Desert Fathers”, by Helen Waddell. It is the story of five persons, each of no lesser virtue than the great desert monk St. Paphnitius, who was ordered by Christ to seek out the other four. The desert monk Paphnitius excelled in the life of the spirit, about the year 400, and thought to himself, “Which of the saints am I like?”. Christ answered him, telling him to seek out four specific others, and to know that they were his equal in holiness. Paphnitius first encountered a thief turned beggar/singer. The beggar revealed that as a thief he had saved a virgin from defilement, and later given his own profits for the release of strangers from debtors prison, then he gave up the life of banditry. Paphinitius then met a village leader and his wife. Finally he encountered a rich and pious merchant who gave much to charity and lived in pious humility.

If they are all equal in holiness (if different in form), then the proposal is that they have equally strong love of God. The beggar/thief makes as much moral effort as Paphnitius, even if his accomplishment may appear less than the venerable monk St. Paphnitius. The thief likely started his journey from a great disadvantage.

Concerning the 30 year celibacy, the sex they had was completely whole, it had no self seeking. For whatever reason, they decided to stop child bearing after two children, and therefore had no more conjugal relations. Some saintly couples have many children and others none, or few. They may sense God’s individual calling for them. To those perfected, sex would not be viewed as more spectacular than breathing, or any other function.