Abba Moses bristled as the priest delivered the message: “One of the monks at Scete has lapsed in his vows. We’d like you to come and give counsel as we determine his penance.” Though unsettled at the request, Moses regarded these men as his brothers in Christ, so he complied.

As a reformed thief who came to faith while hiding out in a monastery, Moses the Black was an imposing figure. Initially known for his ability to take on whole gangs of bandits singlehandedly, Moses became an adamant pacifist and turned his strength to the work of the monks— prayer, fasting, cooking, and whatever other work was needed to sustain their order. Moses initially struggled with his desires and his formerly violent ways, but with teaching and time, his dedication to God helped him work through his past. As the years went by, the peace he exuded as a monk overshadowed his former turbulent reputation, and the monks grew to respect his wisdom. By the mid 4th Century, the infamous bandit Moses had become the famous teacher Abba Moses the Black.

When the monks of Scete sought his help in determining their brother’s punishment, Abba Moses saw a teaching opportunity. As he prepared to depart, Moses picked up a nearby basket of grain (though some versions of the story say it was full of sand or water), punched a small hole in the bottom, and slung it over his shoulder. As he approached the gathered monks, the basket’s contents trickled along behind him, and when one of the monks finally got up the nerve to ask about the basket, Abba Moses explained:

I trail behind me my manifold sins where I cannot see them, and I come to judge my brother.

Moses’s words convicted the monks, who dropped all charges against their brother and reinstated him. No doubt, Moses considered his own journey as he picked up that basket, and his actions remind us to consider our own pasts as well. Moses knew he had been forgiven of many past mistakes, so who was he to judge someone else’s? Who are we?