It happened once upon a time that a certain desert father, who had given up all comfort and devoted himself to constant wandering in his search for the knowledge of God, came to a small group of monks who lived in caves in the hills, where they passed their time in prayer and meditation.

The monks greeted the visitor with all the warmth due to a fellow seeker, and took him to the cave where the abbot, the most senior member of their group, was seated in silence. There they all sat before him, and waited.

After a long time, one of the monks said to the abbot, “Father, here is a visitor, a servant of the Lord. Perhaps you will bless him with a word of spiritual instruction.”

The abbot roused himself from his meditation and said, “If he cannot learn from my silence, what can he possibly learn from my words?”