When a sailor voyages in the midst of the sea, he watches the stars

But a monk watches prayer | because it sets him right and directs his course to that harbor toward which his discipline should lead. | A monk gazes at prayer at all times | so that it might show him an island where he can anchor his ship and take on provisions | then once more he sets his course for another island. | Such is the voyage of a monk in this life | he sails from one island to another | that is, from knowledge to knowledge | and by his successive change of islands | that is, of states of knowledge | he progresses until he emerges from the sea | and his journey attains to that true city | whose inhabitants no longer engage in commerce | but each rests upon his own riches. | Blessed is the man who has not lost his course in this vain world, on this great sea. | Blessed is the man whose ship has not broken up and who has reached harbor with joy! | A swimmer dives naked into the sea until he finds a pearl | and a wise monk, stripped of everything, journeys through life until he finds in himself the Pearl, Jesus Christ | and when he finds Him, he does not seek to acquire anything else besides Him. | A pearl is kept in a vault | and a solitary’s delight is preserved within stillness. | A virgin is harmed in gatherings and crowds of people | and the mind of a monk in conversation with many men. | A bird, wherever it may be, hastens back to its nest, there to hatch its young | and a monk possessing discernment hastens to his cell, there to produce the fruit of life. | A serpent guards its head when its body is being crushed | and a wise solitary guards his faith at all times, for this is the origin of his life. | A cloud obscures the sun | and much talk obscures the soul which has begun to be illuminated by the divine vision of prayer. | Homily 48, p. 366