A brother at Scetis committed a fault. A council was called to which Abba Moses was invited, but he refused to go to it. Then the priest sent someone to say to him, ‘Come, for everyone is waiting for you.’ So he got up and went. He took a leaking jug, filled it with water and carried it with him. The others came out to meet him and said to him, ‘What is this, Father?’ The old man said to them, ‘My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I am coming to judge the errors of another.’ When they heard that they said no more to the brother but forgave him.
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. The Alphabetical Collection, translated by Benedicta Ward, SLG, (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1975 [1984]) 138-139.
A vow of conversation 
November 28, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Always liked this story. The version I read had him piercing a bag of sand.
November 29, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Sand might have been an easier thing to waste in the desert. 😀
Either away, a very beautiful story.
November 29, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Yes, I seem to remember the sand version as well, now that you mention it. And it is both striking and beautiful, now if only I could practice it!