(a.k.a. St. Antony the Great, Saint Antony the Abbott, St. Antony of the Desert)
Patriarch of Monks & Founder of all Religious Life
Feast Day: January 17 (Western Calender) or Tobi 22 (January 30) Eastern/Coptic Calenders
Born: Year 251 AD, in Herakleopolis Magma, Egypt.
Died: Year 356 AD, on Mount Colzim, Egypt.
Biography
In the year 251 C.E., Anthony was born into an upper class Christian family near Heraclea, in Upper Egypt . He had an unremarkable childhood and adolescence, which was abruptly shattered in 271 with the death of his parents, who left him with the care of his unmarried sister. He subsequently attended mass and was transfixed by the Gospel's depiction of the Christian path of renunciation: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Matthew 19:21). Taking these teachings to heart, Anthony decided that he too wanted to embark on this path of devoted practice. So, he gave his wealth to the poor and needy and placed his sister with a group of Christian virgins (a proto-nunnery), freeing himself from personal and financial obligations, which, in turn, allowed him to devote his entire energy to the path of renunciation that had so captivated him.
Anthony's anchoritic (from the Greek: "to withdraw") lifestyle was remarkably harsher than that practiced by his ascetic predecessors, as he was one of the first to attempt living in the
desert proper, completely cut off from
civilization. Specifically, he chose to head directly into the arid alkali-plains region called the Nitra (in Latin) ( Wadi al-Natrun today), about 95 kilometers west of Alexandria, some of the most rugged terrain of the Western Desert. His flight from society was motivated by a desire to imitate Christ's forty-day sojourn in the desert.
During this time, the Vita (written by Saint Athanasius) describes the contest between Saint Anthony and the Devil , who "afflicted him with boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of women." It was only through a drawn-out battle and a steadfast reliance on the power of prayer that Anthony was able to emerge unscathed. After these trials, he sealed himself into a tomb, relying on some local villagers to provide him with food and water. Again, the Athanasian account states that the monk was confronted by the Devil, who physically assaulted him and left him for dead. When his patrons from the local village came to visit, bringing their gifts of bread and water, they were shocked by the dire straits that the holy man was in. So, they quickly crafted a litter and carried him out of the desert to a local church.
After Anthony recovered, he made a second effort, going even further into the desert, to a mountain by the Nile called Pispir (now Der el Memun), opposite Arsinoë in the Fayyum. Here he enclosed himself in an abandoned Roman fort, where he remained for some 20 years. According to Athanasius, the devil wasted no time in resuming his assault against the now segregated Anthony, though his attack took a rather different form:
And the place was on a sudden filled with the forms of lions, bears, leopards, bulls, serpents, asps, scorpions, and wolves, and each of them was moving according to his nature.... Altogether the noises of the apparitions, with their angry ragings, were dreadful. But Antony, stricken and goaded by them, felt bodily pains severer still. He lay watching, however, with unshaken soul, groaning from bodily anguish; but his mind was clear, and as in mockery he said, 'If there had been any power in you, it would have sufficed had one of you come, but since the Lord hath made you weak you attempt to terrify me by numbers: and a proof of your weakness is that you take the shapes of brute beasts.' And again with boldness he said, 'If you are able, and have received power against me, delay not to attack; but if you are unable, why trouble me in vain? For faith in our Lord is a seal and a wall of safety to us.' So after many attempts they gnashed their teeth upon him, because they were mocking themselves rather than him.
When confronted with his unflappable faith, the demons were said to have vanished.
While sealed in the fort, Anthony only communicated with the outside world through a crevice just large enough to accept the food brought to him by pilgrims. Though he never saw these supplicants, his words of support and consolation, plus his reputation as a spiritual adept, gradually drew a crowd of devotees, who (over his twenty years of seclusion) formed a makeshift community around the abandoned fortress.
In approximately 305, Anthony finally ceded to requests that he emerge from his confinement to instruct the community. When the door to his cell was opened, those present were shocked: though they had expected him to have wasted away or gone insane in his solitary confinement, he emerged healthy, serene, and enlightened. After this point, he took a brief hiatus from his extreme eremtism, choosing instead to serve as a teacher for the community:
For five or six years [after his emergence,] he devoted himself to the instruction and organization of the great body of monks that had grown up around him; but then he once again withdrew into the inner desert that lay between the Nile and the Red Sea, near the shore of which he fixed his abode on a mountain where still stands the monastery that bears his name, Der Mar Antonios. Here he spent the last forty-five years of his life, in a seclusion, not so strict as Pispir, for he freely saw those who came to visit him, and he used to cross the desert to Pispir with considerable frequency.
In the years that followed, the Roman Empire's persecution of Christians reached new heights, especially under Emperor Maximinius. Wishing to demonstrate the depth of his commitment to the faith, Anthony traveled to Alexandria, in hopes that he could become a martyr. While there, he ministered to those who were imprisoned for the sake of Christ and comforted them. When the governor saw that Anthony was confessing his Christianity publicly, not heeding the potential consequences, he ordered the saint to leave the city immediately. This warning had no effect, as is evidenced in the Athanasian vita :
Antony gave so little heed to the command that he washed his garment, and stood all next day on a raised place before them, and appeared in his best before the governor. Therefore when all the rest wondered at this, and the governor saw and passed by with his array, he stood fearlessly, shewing the readiness of us Christians. For, as I said before, he prayed himself to be a martyr, wherefore he seemed as one grieved that he had not borne his witness. But the Lord was keeping him for our profit and that of others, that he should become a teacher to many of the discipline which he had learned from the Scriptures. For many only beholding his manner of life were eager to be imitators of his ways. So he again ministered as usual to the confessors, and as though he were their fellow captive he laboured in his ministry.
After the Maximinian persecution ceased, Anthony returned to his desert fortress to resume his ascetic devotions. While he willingly addressed the renunciants who had gathered, he was plagued by a sense that he was letting his own spiritual discipline atrophy. As a result, he departed from his followers and traveled deeper into the Eastern Desert of Egypt. After three days of travel, he found a spring of water and some palm trees, where he chose to settle. He described this location as his "inner monastery." However, Anthony did not allow his personal spiritual quest to overrule that of his fellow seekers, so, on occasion, he would return to his previous dwelling (in the abandoned fort) to offer them instruction.
After years of steadfast worship and instruction, Anthony realized that the end of his life was nearing. So, he summoned his most devoted followers around him—including his successor Marcarius—divided up his meager possessions among them, and described his funeral requests to them. Specifically, he asked that they place his body in an unmarked grave in the middle of the desert, so that it would not become an object of veneration. After making his preparations and uttering a brief prayer, he died. It is thought that he had lived for 105 years.
Though he spoke only his native language, Coptic, Anthony's sayings were primarily promulgated in Greek translations and in the Athansian Life of Saint Anthony the Great . This document, which was read throughout the Christian community, also popularized the legendary accounts of the ascetic's life. Finally, many sayings attributed to him (and stories told about him) are found in various collections of sayings of the Desert Fathers.
Source: www.newworldencyclopedia.org
Prayers to Saint Antony of Egypt
O’ Glorious Saint Antony, who upon hearing only one word of the Gospel didst forsake the riches and the ease of thy family, thy native land and the world, in order to retire into the wilderness; who, in spite of thy heavy burden of advanced age and the ravages of severe penance, didst not hesitate to leave thy solitude to rebuke openly the impiety of heretics and to restore wavering Christians to a firmer hold upon their faith with all the zeal of a confessor desirous of martyrdom; who through thy conquest of self and the excellence of thy virtues was endowed by Our Lord with miraculous power over animate and inanimate nature; do thou obtain for us the grace to be ever zealous in the cause of Christ and His Church and to persevere even unto death in our imitation of thee, in our belief in revealed truth, and in our keeping of thy commandments and the counsels of the Gospel; to the end that, having faithfully followed in thy footsteps here on earth, we many be enabled to become sharers in thy heavenly glory through all the ages of eternity. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be three times .
Sequence: Pia Voce Praedicemus
Let us piously proclaim the praises of Antony, and celebrate his name in sacred hymns.
Let us honour God's Saint; and God, the author of all, be honoured in His Saints! Antony despised, in obedience to the Gospel, the beauty, and riches, and honours of the world.
He fled into the desert, that he might not run at an uncertainty, in the race of this life. Wonderful was his life. He was the celebrated hermit. But, soon does the crafty enemy
Wage war against him. The combat is fierce and oft renewed: but he is not vanquished by the devil's attacks.The demons scourge him with many blows, and his flesh is cruelly torn by the angry enemy.
But, a light shone down from heaven; and the sweet voice of God was heard speaking from above: "Because thou hast bravely fought in the combat, thy name shall be published in every country.
" The whole earth shall proclaim thy glory. Thou shalt be invoked against the disease of the Fire." This, O Antony! we see fulfilled, and the world resounds with thy name.
The devout servants of God call on thy name, and fervently pray to thee for help and protection. Sometimes, again, it is in the appearance of a beautiful woman, and sometimes under the form of a piece of gold,
That the devil lays snares for the holy man: but, after all thy daring, O crafty tempter! thou art defeated in the fight. Yea, vain are his thousand frauds and tricks; and all hell falls back bemoaning that one single-handed man has repelled them.
R oaring with rage, the enemy trembles before this venerable soldier, whose hand so roughly deals its blows. The brave combatant resists these mighty enemies, and yet he wears no breast-plate such as soldiers use.
H is drink is water, his bed the ground; these were his arms, and by these he conquered. Herbs were his food; the palm-leaf gave him raiment; and his companions were the wild beasts of the wilderness.
H e restrained lust by assiduous prayer, frequent labour, and short sleep. He confutes the Arians and the profane Philosophers; he visits Paul the Hermit, nor was the journey fruitless or vain;
F or he found him alive, and then saw his holy soul mounting up to heaven, and buried his body. O Antony I thou art now in glory, with the Blessed, in the kingdom of light; show thy affectionate pity on us, who are here weighed down by the burden of the flesh.
Stretch out thy hand, lest the death of terrible hell seize upon us. Defend us from the burning distemper, and assist us to gain heaven when our life is spent. Amen
Prayer:
We unite, great Saint! with the universal Church, in offering thee the homage of our affectionate veneration, and in praising our Emmanuel for the gifts He bestowed upon thee. How sublime a life was thine, and how rich in fruit were thy works! Verily, thou art the Father of a great people, and one of the most powerful auxiliaries of the Church of God. We beseech thee, therefore, pray for the Monastic Order, that it may re-appear in all its ancient fervour; and pray for each member of the great Family. Fevers of the body have been often allayed by thy intercession, and we beg for a continuance of this thy compassionate aid--but the fevers of our soul are more dangerous, and we beg thy pity and prayers that we may be delivered from them. Watch over us, in the temptations, which the enemy is unceasingly putting in our way; pray for us, that we may be vigilant in the combat, prudent in avoiding dangerous occasions, courageous in the trial, and humble in our victory. The angel of darkness appeared to thee in a visible shape; but he hides himself, and his plots from us; here again, we beg thy prayers, that we be not deceived by his craft. May the fear of God's judgments, and the thought of eternity, penetrate into the depth of our souls. May prayer be our refuge in every necessity, and Penance our safe-guard against sin. But above all, pray that we may have that, which thou didst counsel above all--the Love of Jesus--of that Jesus, who, for love of us, deigned to be born into this world, that so He might merit for us the graces wherewith we might triumph--of that Jesus, who humbled Himself even so far as to suffer temptation, that so He might show us how we were to resist and fight. Amen
From the Sedro of the "Quorbono" of the Maronite Rite (........Mass of St. Anthony of the Desert)
"O Christ our God, You taught us the way of true perfection and happiness. You encouraged those who follow You to sell what they have, give to the poor and to take up the cross. When blessed Anthony heard these words, his heart was inflamed with love for You. He left the world, renounced nation and family and accepted Your easy yoke. He entered monastic life with his companions: mortification, abstinence and self-denial. By turning away from everything, he turned to You alone; and by dying to himself, he lived for You alone. For this reason we honor his memory and say: Blessed are you, holy Anthony, father of monks and example of religious life; tall cedar on the slope of Mount Lebanon, you have become a prophetic word echoing in the world .Blessed are you, holy Anthony; you became a lampstand for the Light of the world. By that Light, many have been guided in the way of religious life Blessed are you, Holy Anthony, morning star in a world of darkness. Your light made evil fear and caused sin to drawback in fright. How glorious is your Lord, now and forever."
Amen.
Litany of Saint Antony the Great
First of all monks, your name they hail,
Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Charity has gained such heights for you,
Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Wonderworker known for favors gained, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Humbly you obeyed with strength and love, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Shield for those who came to seek your aid, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Healer of all ills and guide for souls,
Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Spring and treasure house of charity, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Ever shining star and lamp of light, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Table of the Law and Gospel book , Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Guide of those in doubt and ignorance,
Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Lamp of those who walk in darkness now, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Light of Holy Mother Church, your merits shines , Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Peace for those who dread the enemy, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Gladness for the sad, strength for the tried, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Faithful to your word and ever true, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Sun of monks and nuns and start for all, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
Temple arch who holds the power of God, Great St. Antony, we beg your prayers
V. Pray for us, Great Saint Antony
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ
Let us Pray:
Father Antony, you equaled Elias in his zeal and followed John the Baptist in his holy way of life. You peopled the wilderness and established the world on the firm foundation of your prayers. Intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls. Amen
Troparion (TONE 4) Melkite Catholic Divine Liturgy for St. Antony
Source: www.communityofhopeinc.org
PRAYER TO ST ANTHONY THE ABBOT
Dear God, St. Anthony the Abbot accepted your call to renounce the world and to love you above all things. He faithfully served you in the solitude of the desert by fasting, prayer, humility and good works. In the Sign of The Cross , he triumphed over the Devil. Through his intercession, may we learn to love you better; with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, all our strength and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. St. Anthony the Abbot, great and powerful saint, grant us also this special request [...]. We ask this through our lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. One God forever and ever, Amen.
Source: www.villavallelonga.com
