Confession and Self-Examination: The Desert Mothers on Humility and Honesty

The Desert Mothers, though fewer in number than the Fathers, offer equally profound wisdom on self-examination. Amma Theodora taught: "Neither asceticism, nor vigils, nor any kind of suffering are able to save. Only true humility can do that." She warned against the temptation to use spiritual disciplines as a source of pride rather than as tools for transformation.

Amma Sarah, who lived sixty years by the river Nile, was once taunted by demons: "You have overcome us, Sarah." She responded: "It is not I who have overcome you, but my Master, Christ." Even in the moment of spiritual victory, Sarah refused to claim credit -- a model of self-examination that guards against the subtlest sin of all: spiritual pride.

Practical application: After any spiritual success -- a meaningful prayer time, a generous act, a fast completed -- immediately give credit to God: "Lord, any good in this came from You." The Desert Mothers teach that the most dangerous moment in the spiritual life is the moment of spiritual accomplishment, when pride whispers that we deserve the credit.