In a previous post I mentioned Father Lazarus, a hermit on the mountain of St. Anthony. His life is one of detachment, silence, and solitude. Those things are not about absence but rather presence. They are practices and ways of life that open us to the very heart of God. They are interior conditions that we can each cultivate regardless of the exterior environment or geography in which we live.
Below is a two-part interview of Father Lazarus.
Interrupting the Silence 
I really appreciated these videos. They give us a good view of Coptic monasticism, which is descended from “the original version”. They also made me realize (which I already knew) that I’m not meant to be a hermit!
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Joe, I am glad you liked them. There is something for me that is attractive about that lifestyle. I doubt that I will ever become or am called to become a hermit, at least in external circumstances, but I seek to nurture and give expression to an interiorized monasticism in the midst of an active life.
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OK– The life is beautiful — but, please, if I ever decide I’m called to be an anchorite, let it be someplace with trees!!
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Thanks for sharing this vidoe. God is every where, in our life.
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Christian Spokesperson, Fr Athanasios Paul Thompson comments on the film, The Last Anchorite:
I lived the solitary experience twenty years ago. Both Fr Lazarus and I were taught by the great Orthodox patriarch, H.H. Shenouda III, having journeyed to the desert regions of ancient monastic formation in Egypt. After visiting Athos in Greece and various monasteries in North America I lived in the original place of monasticsm as did my brother, Fr. Lazarus, the subject of the film. This documentary captures the mood and vocational life of ancient Orthodoxy. Some of its scenes cry out to my own soul to be renewed in the beauty of Coptic desert spirituality. I recommend this documentary. Peace!
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Please someone tell me me how to find the music in the film???
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