He also said: "Just as a fish that lingers too long on the shore perishes, so monks who delay returning to their cells or who quarrel with lay people lose their ability to concentrate. Therefore, as a fish returns to the sea, so we must return to our cells: lest, by staying too long outside, we forget our inner vigilance".
For the desert monks, the cell was the centre of all life. It was a defined area where they lived, worked, prayed and ate their meals. They rarely and reluctantly left it, seeing the permanence of the place as one of the means of attaining holiness.
The cell offered a certain space of freedom from distractions that made it difficult to concentrate on the things of God.
The comparison used by Saint Anthony is reminiscent of the description of a living environment, specific to certain organisms. For fish it is water, for monks it is a cell.
It is possible to be outside the right environment, but only for a short time. If it is prolonged, there are negative consequences.
The question that arises in me after reading this Apoftegma is: What is my environment? What conditions help me to develop optimally?
In other words. In which places am I most distracted? What harms me most?
In other words, what is my purpose? Where is it?
I know that I will not be able to live like the monks, like Saint Anthony. I don't have the opportunity to lock myself up in a small cell, completely cut off from the world. But perhaps I should create a kind of substitute? To find my place, a time when I can concentrate on my relationship with God. A fixed ritual through which my inner alertness and focus will grow.
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