You may have heard of the phrase “the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” This month’s saint was born during a time of turmoil when Christians were being persecuted by the Roman Empire. Moved by God’s direction, he chose to retire into isolation to live a life of prayer and reflection. Even then, he could not escape the relentless spiritual attacks launched at him by the devil. He was known as one of the earliest desert hermits who preached the Word by, ironically, staying where he was. As we will see, St. Anthony of Egypt’s life shows us that the devil is indeed a real being, but with God’s grace, we can overcome the attacks and temptations of “the accuser.”
Anthony was born in the village of Coma, Egypt in the year 251 to parents who were wealthy enough to pay for him to study Christianity and be authentically raised in the faith. They imparted in him the importance of controlling passions, regular Church attendance, and obedience to authority. All of this would help to form him in preparation for what God had in store for him. It all started with the death of his parents when he was about eighteen years old.
The young man had inherited his family’s wealth and was responsible for the care of his younger sister. One day, when he was at mass, he heard the reading of Matthew 19:21 where Jesus tells the rich young man to sell his possessions and follow Him. Anthony was moved to immediately go out and sell everything he had except for he needed to take care of him and his sister. Yet, deep down, he realized that he had not fully obeyed Jesus’ words. It was when he reflected on Matthew 6:34, where Jesus told his disciples not to worry about tomorrow for it is not guaranteed, that he gave away the rest of his money. He made sure his sister was taken care of by enrolling her in a community of perpetual virgins, who were the early examples of what we would known today as convents.
As for Anthony, he had encountered St. Paul of Thebes, who is considered to be one of the first Christian hermits, and became his disciple. After he had taken care of duties, Anthony retired away from the village to live a life of prayer, fasting, and manual labor in service of the Lord. And yet, he would not be allowed to live a quiet life in seclusion. The demons pestered and assaulted him both in mind and body. At one point, he was actually physically wrestling with the devil!
The evil spirits did not want him to remain in a life of prayer so they tried to tempt him to leave this life. They tried to use things like his love for his sister, desire to connect with family and friends, doubt that he could have used his money for better purposes, and ambition to discourage him. When that did not work, the devil would pretend to be defeated and try to appeal to Anthony’s vanity by praising him for being so disciplined that he could overcome all the evil being thrown his way. Yet, the hermit, remembered his parent’s teachings and would cling even tighter to Jesus during these times.
In addition, Anthony had a process of strengthening his willpower through strict control over what he consumed with his senses, frequent fasts, structured prayer, and living very simply. Eventually, he felt that he needed even more solitude so he moved further away from where he was and stayed in an old underground tomb where he was brought food by his friends at intervals. But the devil was not done with him. In a very intense struggle with several demons, Anthony was left on the ground barely hanging on to life until he was discovered by one of his disciples brining food to him. As they nursed him back to health, the hermit was reassured by God that he was not fighting by himself and that he would never be alone. This experience was popularized in a lot of artworks including a famous one from a young Michelangelo.
At the age of fifty-five, Anthony emerged from isolation and founded a monastery which proved to be a challenge since it required a lot of socialization and organization. He refused to allow this discourage him and cherished the private moments he had in prayer. The abbot used his knowledge to advise his fellow monks to wake up each morning with an expectation that they could die before the day was done. Then, when it was evening, they were to reflect on the possibility that they may not wake up the next morning. This practice was the help them develop a habit of gratefulness so they do not take each day for granted. It was also to encourage them to devote their body and soul into everything they do on a daily basis. Anthony believed that it was not just enough to give up everything in service of God, but it was important to do His work with zeal.
Though Anthony would have preferred to live away from society, he could not ignore his bishop’s request for him to travel to the city of Alexandria, Egypt to address the Arian heresy which asserted that Jesus was not God and was instead a created being. Anthony would travel around in public to confront the Arians because they had chosen to dissent from the Catholic Church out in the open so they would receive the same treatment. The elderly hermit preached boldly that Jesus is the same as God the Father. To say that Jesus is not God would be no different from the non-believers who worshipped creation rather than the Creator. His relentless evangelization and miraculous works converted many non-believers who were curious about Jesus’ role in the salvation.
This was a big deal because Alexandria was part of the Greek empire at the time and it was a famous place where a lot of secular thinkers lived. Naturally, this meant that Anthony was regularly challenged by philosophers who were shocked by his humble lifestyle. He was able to cut through a lot of their arguments by asking simple questions. When they asked where he acquired such wisdom, he replied by telling them it was through regular prayer and observing nature. While these men were very well read and great speakers, Anthony boiled life down to following God and serving His people. Once this was understood, everything else should proceed from there. He went on to tell the thinkers that their rhetoric comes from human beings while faith comes from God. If they wanted to follow the greatest ideal, they should pursue faith. Even if they disagreed, his solution was clear and practical.
Yet, when it came time for him to return to isolation, Anthony informed an influential duke of Egypt, who did not want him to leave, that “as fish die if they leave the water, so does a monk if he forsakes his solitude.” By now, his fame had spread across many borders where even Constantine wrote to him directly asking for his prayers. A responded by assuring the Holy Roman Emperor that he would pray for him and offered him two pieces of advice. The first was the reject the ways of the world and be constantly reminded that God will judge each of us on our individual actions at the end of time.
As he approached his death, Anthony decided to impart some final words of wisdom to his monks. The hermit noted that the devil fell because of the sin of pride and, as such, uses that same tactic to drag us down to his level. This was why it was important to spend our time in prayer to reflect and ask God to reveal the truth about ourselves including our gifts and weaknesses. The devil attacks our soul through confusion, fear, sadness, and disturbance. Yet, if we regularly pray to God, we can see how He works in our life and root out anything which may be keeping us from following Christ. Finally, he stressed the importance of the sign of the cross and proclaiming the name Jesus Christ because that was what dispelled the devil when it tried to trick him into thinking it was a messenger from God.
St, Anthony was one of the earliest Desert Fathers, who were Christian hermits that practiced asceticism in the Egyptian desert by following Jesus’ life of poverty, service, self-denial, and prayer. Below are three points which could help us reflect more on his amazing life.
Wisdom comes from a firm foundation. By today’s standards, St. Anthony’s parents would be considered too controlling and the saint was even derided by the Greek philosophers in Alexandria for not being well read. Yet, he was able to clearly articulate his beliefs and defend his faith when challenged. St. Anthony was able to outsmart them because he had a firm understanding of the purpose of life. The Greeks had a lot of arguments and theories to draw from, but the hermit wanted them to realize that these were useless without a central truth. St. Anthony’s parents knew what was good, true, and beautiful so they instilled those values into their son. They probably learned through trial and error that wisdom first begins with establishing a firm foundation to build one’s knowledge.
Treasuring things in your heart. When St. Anthony said, “as fish die if they leave the water, so does a monk if he forsakes his solitude,” it can remind us of the story in the Gospels after the finding in the temple where it mentions that Mary cared for Jesus and “treasured all these things in her heart.” It is important to take the time to pray and reflect at the end of the day because it gives us time to settle down and see how God is working. The hermit saint took it a step further by urging his followers not to take each moment for granted which allowed them to have a deeper appreciation for God’s blessings and it motivated them to life to the fullest.
Tactical retreats. St. Anthony is remembered for being a Desert Father who paved the way for future Christian hermits, but he would emerge from his isolation many times to minister and preach the Gospel. When God called him the first time, it was to provide aide and comfort to the persecuted. When he arrived, he was very effective because he was energized and well formed to support his fellow clerics. The second time St, Anthony was called, it was to address the spiritual needs of the people and defend against false teachings. His example shows us the importance of having a disciplined and regular prayer life because it prepares us for evangelization. The Catholic Church offers retreats so that we can have that time to unplug from society and be present with God in nature. Even if you cannot make it to a formal retreat, taking a short break to sit on a bench and just observe nature can refresh our spirits as well.
If you ever find yourself in need of St. Anthony of Egypt’s intercession, here is a good prayer:
“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 neighbors 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.”
Stay awesome and blossom 🌱
By: anh Daniel
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