There is something particularly attractive about a person who pursues what they love. Monasticism was pioneered by exactly this kind of person: St. Anthony the Great. St. Anthony loved God to the extent that his soul was drawn to seek Him alone in the Egyptian desert. He added to his virtues of humility and honesty the knowledge of God, to this knowledge he increased in self-control and asceticism, to self-control steadfastness in his way of life, to steadfastness godliness, to godliness kindness to his many visitors, and to kindness love for God and all the brethren who wished to imitate his life.
His story began in 251 AD when he was born in Qamn Al-Arous, a part of the Beni Suef district in upper Egypt. He was raised in the faith by two wealthy and devout Christian parents. His admiration and reverence for God were very evident from a young age. When it was time to attend Church, the child Anthony would run before his parents to the service. He was not like an ordinary child whose customary attendance would be broken by childhood amusements.
The Flight to the Desert
Union with the Holy Trinity is the goal of a monk. Through prayer the monk develops a relationship with God and this is the source of his motivation and power to replace old habits with new ones i.e. repentance. As the monk grows in prayer, his senses are more attuned to the presence of God and eventually, as his heart is purified, he receives the gift of perpetually feeling God’s presence.
General Guide for Discerning a Monastic Vocation
At the age of 18, he lost both his parents and was left with his younger sister. His inheritance left him with great possessions and land.
He then contemplated how the apostles left all they had and followed Christ the Saviour. He also reflected on how the early Christians sold all their possessions (Acts 4:35) and laid them at the feet of the apostles. While thinking about these things, he entered the Church during the reading of the Gospel. He heard the Lord say to the rich man (Matthew 19:21),
"If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."
Anthony went out of the Church immediately, as if the passage was intended for him.
He gave his 300 acres of land over to the poor villagers who worked on the land and the rest of the possessions were sold, and having amassed a large sum of money, he gave it to the poor, reserving a small portion for his sister's sake. He left his sister in the care of a house of virgins as she desired and devoted himself to obedience to a spiritual father near his Church.
His Victory Over Temptation
Young Anthony lived near the Nile and spent his time praying while subduing his carnal desires. When thoughts of boredom attacked him, he began crying out to God. An angel appeared to him as a human, wearing a long robe draped with a cross belt around his waist and chest and a cap on his head, and he was sitting and weaving palms. The angel stood up to pray, then returned to his work, and the process was repeated. Finally, the angel told him, "Do this, and you will find rest for your soul." This uniform has become the monastic uniform, and manual work has become one of the necessities of monastic life to keep the monk from falling into boredom.
The saint settled in this wilderness, living in a cave on Mount Qalzam, northwest of the Red Sea, and practicing the life of solitude. The devil repeatedly tempted Anthony with the love of money, vain glory, the various pleasures of life, and the difficulty and labour of virtue. But the devil couldn't stand seeing such determination in a young man and attempted to carry out against him what he had learned to do against others.
Through Anthony's constant prayers, the enemy realized he was too weak for Anthony's determination and great faith. So, he began to tempt him with images of beautiful women and sometimes in the form of terrifying beasts.
In the year 305 AD he had to break his seclusion to meet disciples who came to him longing to be trained by him, so he assisted and guided them.
Saint Anthony died in 356 A.D. at the age of 105, but the two monks who buried him, Marcarius and Amatas, never revealed where he was buried.
Saint Athanasius, the patriarch of Alexandria, wrote his life while he was in Rome during his first exile. It was very influential in spreading the ideas of monasticism throughout the Christian world.
May the prayers and supplications of Saint Anthony the Great, the Father of the Monks, be with us. Amen.
St. Anthony the Teacher
In 305 AD, began to break his seclusion for the sake of meeting those seeking to be his disciples. They longed to be taught by him, so he assisted and guided them in the life of the desert.
We have his letters which he wrote to some of his disciples and various sayings by him. We also have the great work about his life written by St. Athanasius.
Sayings of St. Anthony
- To say that God turns away from the sinful is like saying that the sun hides from the blind.
- To say that God saw the snares that the enemy spread out over the world and I said groaning, "Who can get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility turns away from the sinful is like saying that the sun hides from the blind."
- When you lie down on your bed to sleep, remember with thanksgiving the blessings and the providence of God.
- Whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the holy Scriptures; in whatever place you live, do not easily leave it. Keep these three precepts and you will be saved.
- Our life and our death is with our neighbor. If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ.
Commemoration of St. Anthony
Saint Anthony died in 356 AD at the age of 105. The two monks who buried him, Marcarius and Amatas, never revealed where he was buried.
Saint Athanasius, the patriarch of Alexandria, wrote his life while he was in Rome during his first exile. It was very influential in spreading the ideas of monasticism throughout the Christian world.
We celebrate the Feast of St. Anthony every year on January 30th (22 of Touba).
May the prayers and supplications of Saint Anthony the Great, the Father of the Monks, be with us. Amen.
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