Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great.
Hebrews 13: 17-21; Luke 6: 17-23.
Read Luke 6: 17-23
Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great (251–356) is revered as the father of Christian monasticism. Born into a wealthy Christian family in Egypt, Anthony heard the words of Christ proclaimed in the Gospel at a Liturgy as if Christ spoke them to him directly: “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor.” Leaving behind his inheritance, he withdrew into the desert, where he lived a life of prayer, fasting, repentance, and spiritual struggle in the purification of the heart. Through decades of ascetic life, Anthony became a guide for many disciples and a living witness to the Gospel.
Christ teaches that blessedness is gifted to the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful, and the persecuted. Anthony lives this blessed life, showing that true happiness is not found in comfort or praise, but in wholly orienting and giving ourselves over to God. His life in the desert shows us that the otherworldly joy of communion with God is found when we turn away from the false promises of the world and toward the Kingdom of God.
St. Anthony left us some teachings, which are found in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. He says: “Expect temptation until your last breath,” (Alphabetical Collection, Anthony 7). The blessed life is not free from struggle, but is shaped by a humble perseverance through temptations and trials.
He shows us that the Beatitudes are not ideals beyond reach, but are a lived reality, which requires a humble perseverance oriented towards the Kingdom. The blessed life Christ proclaims is possible when the heart is purified through repentance and wholly given to God.