Day 5: Desert Father: Abba Poemen 📍 Valley of the Kings | Exodus: Pilgrimage of Freedom | Magdala

Day 5: Desert Father: Abba Poemen - The Heart 📍 Valley of the Kings 🎵 Music: The In Between | Song by Matt Maher 🎼 Instrumental music by Diego Antonio Welcome to this land that is truly desert, truly Egypt! Here at this burial place of at least 62 Kings is also the home Abba Poemen. Poemen, meaning “shepherd” lived as a hermit until about 400-450 A.D. A Desert Father, who was known as a shepherd rather than for his austerity because of the way he guided people, takes us right to the cardio or “heart” of the spiritual life! So far in our Virtual Pilgrimage, we have been speaking about the hearts of the people who we encounter on this pilgrimage – from the Pharaoh to the people who had been enslaved in Egypt to Moses himself. Their lives remind us how God was working on their hearts and about the amount of time that this process of softening of hearts takes. So, let us also join in this process which is exemplified in the lives of the Desert Fathers, the Desert Mothers, who came to barren land to show us to: “Teach your mouth to say what is in your heart”; “To do good to others, so that your heart becomes much lighter” (Abba Poemen). ✝️ Bible Reference: Exodus 6; Ezekiel 36:26 🙏🏻 Every day during Lent at UTC+02- 6:30 P.M., you can join the Livestream Mass. Mission broadcast! ➡️ Subscribe and receive exclusive content 👉 https://bit.ly/exodus-signup ℹ️ To learn more about Magdala click here 👉 https://bit.ly/magdala-eng 🫶 Would you like to collaborate with our projects? Donate here 👉 https://bit.ly/magdala-donate ----- 00:00 Introduction 00:27 Welcome to the Valley of the Kings! 01:01 Who is Abba Poemen?: Going to the desert seeking the Lord 02:04 Abba Poemen and he heart 03:39 “If you have a heart, you can be saved” 06:00 Our hearts can get hardened over time: The desert mothers and fathers were witnesses of the long journey the heart must take to connect again with God. 07:25 God’s desire for our own Lenten Exodus Journey: “A new heart I will give you… I will give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 26:36 08:10 “Life comes from the heart”: The Egyptian thinking about the heart 10:05 Conclusion: What is in our hearts? ----- © Copyright of New Gate to Peace Foundation 2023