My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
+
ON 17th JANUARY WE CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF OUR MOST HOLY MONASTIC FATHER ANTHONY THE GREAT
The venerable Anthony the Great was born in Egypt of noble parents known for their piety. He was brought up at home and had no dealings with outsiders.
When our Saint was about twenty years old, his parents died, leaving him in charge of the house and his sister. He did not alter his habit of attending church frequently, and while listening to the Holy Scripture, often meditated on how the Apostles renounced everything to follow the Savior. He kept turning over in his mind how, in the book of Acts, many had sold their possessions and "brought the money, and laid it at the Apostles" feet to provide for the poor (Acts Ch.4). One day, while reflecting on the earnest faith of the first Christians and the "hope which" was "laid up for" them "in heaven", he went to church and heard Christ's words to the rich young man: "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and come and follow Me: and thou shalt have treasure in heaven" (Matthew Ch. 3). Anthony considered this an admonition directed to him personally by the Savior and straightway sold his inheritance. The proceeds were considerable, and the poor received nearly all since Anthony kept back only a small sum for his sister, who was young and sickly. He committed his sister to the care of virgins whose character and way of life were well known to him, with the understanding that they would betroth her to Christ and rear her in piety. Then, free of the world and its snares, he devoted himself to a life of asceticism.
In those days there were as yet few monasteries in Egypt, and no solitary had penetrated the trackless desert, but whoever wished to serve Christ and save himself retired to some solitary place near his own village to practice virtue. Near the settlement where Anthony lived, there was an old recluse who had retired from the world in his youth. Anthony was edified by him, decided to emulate his way of life, and began withdrawing to various isolated locations nearby. Whenever he heard of other solitaries, he sought them out as a bee seeks flowers, and finding them, never left until he had collected the sweet nectar of edification.
Having made a good beginning, the blessed one daily intensified his labors. He toiled at his handicraft, basket-weaving, in obedience to Saint Paul, who said, "If any will not work, neither should he eat" (Matthew Ch. 6). With his earnings, he bought bread for the poor. From the Holy Scripture, he knew how much it behooves us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians Ch. 5); therefore, he sent up continuous entreaty to the Lord. So deeply impressed in his mind were the words of the Gospel that his memory served him instead of books.
Anthony's evident holiness quickly won him the love of the ascetics whom he visited. He observed and imitated the virtues of each. From one he learned self-restraint, from another how to console the brethren, from another meekness, from another how to keep vigil, from another to heed holy books with the utmost attention, from another how to fast, from another to sleep on bare earth, from another patience, and form another humility. Having derived as much profit as possible from all the monks in the region, Anthony finally secluded himself in a cell and applied himself wholeheartedly to putting into practice what he had seen. So doing, he soon became well-known in the vicinity, and the neighbors and other monks began visiting him frequently. The elderly regarded him as a beloved son, the young as an esteemed brother, and all agreed that he had early attained a high level of sanctity.
Anthony's success incited the envy of the hater of Christians, the devil, who devised schemes to prevent our Saint from achieving salvation. Satan called to the blessed one's remembrance his former possessions, care of his sister, and nobility of origin, as well as various tasty foods and other vain pleasures of the world. He also pointed out the difficulty of attaining virtue, the arduousness of the path to holiness, the frailty of the body, and the long struggle that lay ahead.
Anthony battled constantly against the vicious attacks and even beatings from demons. The Saint testified that the blows the demons delivered surpassed man's ability to endure, but that the compassionate God, Who never forsakes those that hope in Him, intervened to save him from death.
Our wondrous holy Father occasionally would descend from his mountain to visit the brethren, and since God had revealed to him that he would soon die, he told them the last time he came down, "I will not see you again in this life. I am a hundred and five years old and am ready to go to my rest." The brethren wept, mourning over the elder as though he had already reposed, but he used the opportunity to exhort them to virtue." "Regard each day as your last, guard your souls form vile thoughts, and emulate the Saints. Keep a distance from the ungodly. Preserve the tradition of the holy Fathers and adhere steadfastly to the pious and blameless faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which you have learned from the Holy Scripture and in which I have nurtured you."
Saint Anthony did not wish to be glorified by men even after his death, but was determined to meet eternity in seclusion; therefore, after healing the monks farewell, he returned to his beloved dwelling upon the mountain. After several months, he fell ill. Two of his disciples had been living with him for the last fifteen years, serving him in his old age, and he summoned them and explained, "I am about to "go the way of all earth". The Lord has called me, and I am anxious to see heaven...Put your hope in Jesus Christ, trust in His name with your whole heart, and you will see the evil spirits flee. Amend yourselves, and you will certainly be rewarded in heaven. Then he fell asleep in the Lord and was numbered with the Holy Fathers. Obedient to his command, the monks wrapped his body and committed it to the earth. Till this day no one knows where it lies. The Saint's disciples gave the sheepskin and old cloak to Athanasius, who accepted them with pleasure. He counted them his greatest treasures, for whenever he looked at them, he remembered Anthony's face.
Thus did the venerable Saint Anthony live and die. His fame spread throughout the whole world, as did devotion to his memory. He was glorified for his virtuous life and not because he wrote books, was of the most distinguished stock, had received a brilliant education, had mastered the refinements of rhetoric, or had amassed perishable riches. In him was fulfilled the word of the Lord: "Them that honor Me I will honor" (I Kings Ch. 2). The Saint did not live in a populous city where men could observe him, but in the most remote location possible, deep in the desert. Yet the inhabitants of Spain, Africa, Italy, Illyricum, and Old Rome all knew of him, not because Saint Anthony desired it (for he purposely hid on the mountain), but because the Lord wished to utilize him as a lamp to illumine all. Everyone who heard about the elder longed to attain the virtues, and marveling at his life, praised the Heavenly Father, to Whom, with His Only-Begotten Son and All-Holy Spirit, is due honor, glory, thanksgiving, and worship unto the ages. Amen.
Besides those recorded in the Life written by Saint Athanasius the Great, additional edifying stories about the godly Anthony have reached us.
The venerable Saint Anthony, great among the Fathers, overcame every demonic temptation. He regarded the evil spirits as beneath contempt and never succumbed to their tyranny. Frequently he beheld Angels and devils with his physical eyes, witnessing how they concerned themselves with human affairs, each striving to incline men to their side. Being extremely advanced in virtue, he heaped scorn upon the evil spirits and taunted them for having fallen from heaven and become inheritors of eternal hell-fire. Saint Anthony dealt harshly with the adversaries, having attained a high degree of dispassion and the utmost perfection, and become a vessel of the Most Holy Spirit.
Not in vain do we relate this story, brethren, but so that you may be assured of God's goodness and compassion. If He is ready to accept the devil's repentance, then how much more that of man, for whom He allowed His blood to be shed? Are you a sinner? Then repent. Do you consider that you are not a sinner? Then you will be tormented forever in Gehenna, more severely than the demons, not because you have indeed sinned (for we have all transgressed, except God alone), but because you refuse to repent. Beseech the Judge to show mercy before it is too late, for death awaits us all. If you die without repentance, having pleased Satan by iniquities of every sort, you will be hurled into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. If, however, flee sin and please God by repentance and confession before your end, you shall inherit indescribable blessings. Turn to the Merciful Judge and render yourself worthy of exaltation and a dwelling with Angels, where ineffable felicity abounds and there is eternal joy. May this be the lot of us all through Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom be glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
___________________________
DIVINE SERVICES FOR THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY THE GREAT:
Orthros (Matins) at 9:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
____________________________
"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos
+++
With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George