St. Anthony the Great of Egypt

St. Anthony the Great of Egypt

"The holy and illustrious in everything, Mar Anthony, prince of the monks"January 11th is the commemoration of the dukhrono of St. Anthony the Great +356 according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church.Mor Anthonios was born in Upper Egypt to wealthy Christian parents who passed away when he was just 18, so he raised his young sister as well. Once when he was in church he heard the Gospel of our Lord being recited, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have & give to the poor, & you will have treasures in heaven; & come, follow Me" (Matthew 19:21). Suddenly feeling that this commandment was directed towards himself, Anthony sold all his ancestral properties & donated it to the poor & needy. He took his sister & placed her in the care of Christian virgins.He went to the outskirts of the city to live an ascetical life, worshiping God in solitude. Anthony practiced a very strict form of asceticism; he toiled with his hands to provide for the poor, he fasted daily eating only bread & water at sundown, slept on the floor & dealt with the terrain of the mountainous region. The devil became envious, afflicting him with boredom, laziness & the phantoms of women. Anthony overcame the devil's snares by the power of the Lord, but not before being brutally attacked. His friends found him later, & rushed him to the church to recover. The devil again resumed his war against St. Anthony, only this time the phantoms were in the form of wild beasts, wolves, lions, snakes & scorpions. They appeared as if they were about to attack him or cut him into pieces. But the saint would laugh at them scornfully & say, "If any of you have any authority over me, only one would have been sufficient to fight me." They disappeared as though in smoke, for God gave him victory over the devils. During the course of his solitary life, he came to the group of faithful only twice; once during the persecutions of Maximos, & the second instance was to help Mor Athanasius against the heresy of Arius. Even as he grew famous, Anthony remained humble, teaching the true virtues of Christian faith. To those who approached him for healing, he said, “Healing is from God. Healing is not of men” adding that it is the will of God to heal according to His time & plan. Anthony knew his time of death, he instructed his fellow ascetics, “Love Jesus, trust in Him, keep away from worldly pleasures, examine ones own life & repent, never boast if you can live without sin, never take pride if God answers your prayers or murmur if your prayers are not answered. Keep away from Arius & his followers. Don’t be afraid if you see the authorities protecting them. Their victory will not last, it is to perish.” Anthony insisted that his body not be buried with pomp in the cities, but to be entombed in an unmarked grave. He requested that his headdress, bedsheets, & dress made of sheepskin to be handed over to Mor Athanasius, & his staff to be given to Mor Makarios. At the age of 105 Mor Anthonios stretched himself on the ground & gave up his spirit. The hagiography is provided by St. Athanasius of Alexandria.Biography courtesy of, 'Martyrs, Saints and Prelates of the Syriac Orthodox Church'Oh Mor Anthonios! Plead for us before God's throne of grace. Amen.BL14503