St. Antony, the Father of monks, was born in Egypt in 251 of pious parents who departed this life while he was yet young. On hearing the words of the Gospel: "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21), he immediately put into action. Distributing to the poor all he had, and fleeing from all the turmoil of the world, he departed to the desert. The manifold temptations he endured continually for the space of twenty years are incredible. His ascetical struggles by day and by night, whereby he mortified the uprisings of the passions and attained to the height of dispassion, surpass the bounds of nature; and the report of his deeds of virtue drew such a multitude to him...
When Christians were being persecuted and put to death under Maximinus in 312, he hastened to their aid and consolation. When the Church was troubled by the Arians, he went with zeal to Alexandria in 335 and struggled against them in behalf of Orthodoxy.
So passing his life, and becoming an example of virtue and a rule for monastics, he reposed on January 17th in the year 356, having lived altogether some 105 years.
The life of Saint Antony is mostly known by his biography written by St. Athanasius, The Life of St. Anthony
Apolytikion:
O Father Anthony, you imitated the zealous Elijah. You followed the straight paths of the Baptist and became a desert dweller. By prayer you confirmed the universe. Wherefore, intercede with Christ our God to save our souls.Kontakion:
Forsaking the uproars of life O venerable one, you completed your life in quiet, fully imitating the Baptist. Therefore, we honor you with him, O Anthony, Father of Fathers.
I love the desert fathers on Scripture. As a minimum they memorized the Psalter and the Gospels. St. Anthony said, in response to a question 'what must I do so as to please God,' 'whatever you do or say, have before you an example from Holy Scripture.' This is not proof texting; this is unceasing prayer of a broken and contrite heart that looks up to the Lord and receives from the Spirit the passages of Scripture appropriate to the course of thought or action.
ReplyDeletePaul Tournier mentioned this habit in one of his books on Christianity and Psychology, and the praying, holiness, evangelicals with missionary emphasis have often preserved the Orthodox practice better than many Orthodox, though I do not know of a Saint who has not also been deeply steeped in the reading of Scripture.
I remember early adventures in trying to discern the 'voice' of the Lord, and the tenativeness with that; but through time one finds that the voice of the Lord becomes more discernable. And as the Fathers say, especially St. Ignatius 'those who know the voice of Jesus must go on to know the Stillness so as to be perfect.' The voice is an aspect of the energies of God. But the Son and the Spirit both work to bring us back to the Stillness of the Father. therefore let us labour to enter into this rest....is the Scripture that comes to mind!