Poemen was an Egyptian monk in the fourth century renowned for his discretion and moderation, his teachings on ascesis (spiritual discipline) kept many from excess, and encouraged others.

Abba Poemen said: “If three men meet, of whome the first fully preserves interior peace, and the second gives thanks to God in illness, and the third serves with a pure mind, these three are doing the same work.”

He also said: “Vigilance, self-knowledge and discernment; these are the guides of the soul.”

It was said of Abba Poemen that if he was invited to eat against his will, he wept but he went, so as not to refuse to obey his brother and cause him pain.

[sayings taken from Sayings of the Desert Fathers (1984)]