Two Desert Fathers, Two Insults: Abba Moses and the Humility He Said He Hadn't Reached
What the video says
The video contrasts two desert fathers' reactions to being publicly humiliated and expelled from church. Abba Moses, formerly a violent and vengeful man, was thrown out of church with a racially charged insult, yet he did not retaliate. When asked if this angered him, he replied, 'I am not like Abba John,' pointing to an even higher standard of humility.
The video then tells the story of Abba John the Short, who was slapped and kicked out of church by an elder, yet went to his cell and prayed, later showing no recollection of the offense at all—angels were seen praising God around him. The point is that Abba Moses, despite his fearsome past, acknowledged he had not yet reached the complete forgetfulness of insults that Abba John had attained.
Key moments
- Abba Moses, once a vengeful man who would kill over stolen goods, was kicked out of church with a racially charged insult ('You black man, there's no place for you here'), yet he did not retaliate.
- When asked if the humiliation angered him, Abba Moses replied, 'I am not like Abba John,' deferring to a greater example of humility.
- Abba John the Short was slapped across the face and kicked out of church by an elder who called him a runt with no place there.
- Abba John simply went to his cell and prayed; his spiritual fathers saw angels praising God around him through the window.
- When the elders apologized for the elder's treatment of him, Abba John had no recollection of the incident—he had completely forgotten the insult in his heart.
This episode explores a striking pairing of stories from the Desert Fathers about how two saints responded to public humiliation at church. Abba Moses, once a violent and vengeful man, was thrown out of church with a racially charged insult, yet he did not retaliate. When asked whether the humiliation angered him, he answered, 'I am not like Abba John'—deferring to an even higher standard of humility.
The episode then recounts the story of Abba John the Short, who was slapped and expelled by an elder, went quietly to his cell to pray, and was seen with angels praising God around him. When the elders later apologized, Abba John had no memory of the offense at all—he had completely forgotten the insult in his heart. The contrast is the heart of the episode: even a saint of Moses' stature, transformed from a life of violence to meekness, recognized that complete forgetfulness of insults was a level of holiness he had not yet attained.
The discussion invites viewers to consider how humility and meekness are measured not merely by restraint from retaliation, but by the heart's ability to let go of offenses entirely. The episode is presented as part of a series on the saints, holiness, and meekness, drawing on classic desert monastic tradition to challenge modern assumptions about dignity, grievance, and forgiveness.
Main points
- Abba Moses, formerly a vengeful man, was expelled from church with a racially charged insult and did not retaliate.
- Asked if the humiliation angered him, he replied, 'I am not like Abba John,' pointing to a greater example of humility.
- Abba John the Short was slapped and thrown out of church by an elder, then simply went to his cell and prayed.
- Angels were seen praising God around Abba John, and he later had no recollection of the offense.
- The episode contrasts restraint from retaliation with complete forgetfulness of insults as stages of humility.