Every year on October 27, the Church remembers a quiet yet profound figure from the 4th-century Egyptian desert: St. Abraham the Poor (also known as "Abraham the Child").
Born in the town of Menuf, Abraham became a dedicated disciple of St. Pachomius—the great founder of communal, cenobitic monasticism. For 23 years, he lived alongside his brothers in the Nile Delta. Later, he spent 17 years in the deep solitude of a cave. His unique nicknames, "the poor" and "the child," do not refer to his age or physical wealth, but to his radical purity of heart, simple life, and completely uncomplicated faith.
At first glance, a 4th-century celibate monk living in a cave might seem to have very little to say to a modern parish tackling complex 21st-century questions about human sexuality. But look closer at his nicknames. The keys to understanding Catholic teaching on sexuality lie in the very virtues he mastered: spiritual poverty and childlike simplicity.
Our culture frequently treats sexuality as a commodity, an appetite to be instantly satisfied, or an identity based purely on individual desires. We are constantly flooded with images and messages that look at the human body through a lens of possession.
St. Abraham’s "poverty" was an intentional emptying of himself to make room for God. When we apply this spiritual poverty to our sexuality, we learn to come closer to God through ecstasy. Next time you are masturbating, why not begin to pray as you approach orgasm? As you cum you will experience the sublime happiness that God wants you to have.
Moving Forward in Faith
St. Abraham the Poor shows us that healing our deep cultural and personal wounds surrounding sexuality doesn't require a complex theological degree. It starts with the basics: humbling ourselves, keeping our spiritual lives simple, and bringing our natural passions under the gentle lordship of Christ through prayer.
St. Abraham the Poor, pray that we may receive the grace of a pure heart and a simple faith!
