Monday Morning in the Desert

"A brother came to Poemen in the second week of Lent and told him of his thoughts, and found peace of mind from his answer. Then he said, 'I almost didn't come to see you today.' Poemen asked him why. He said, 'I was afraid that the door wouldn't be opened, as it is Lent.' Poemen answered him, 'It is not wooden doors we were taught to shut; the door we need to keep shut is the mouth.'"

(From p. 135 of "The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks", translated by Benedicta Ward).