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6 RANDOM THOUGHTS Voicesfromyesterdayand today... By Peachy Maramba ST. ANTONY the ABBOT of EGYPT (251-356) Founder of Christian Monasticism January 17 (09) St. Antony, the first Christian monk, is the best-known of the desert fathers as he is the founder of the monks of the desert for whom he first formed a rule. Thus be came to be called the "Patriarch of Monks" and "Father of Monastic Life." He was born at Coma near Memphis in Upper Egypt in 251 of well-to-do and virtuous Christian parents. When they died and left him orphaned he was only 18 years of age. He was left with a considerable estate and the care of a younger sister. Six months after their death upon hearing the Gospel text of Jesus instructing a rich young man to: "Go sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven", Antony knew what he had to do. Taking the scripture seriously, he promptly sold all his worldly possessions and donated the proceeds to the poor. He only kept what little he felt he needed for their sustenance. However when he heard another Gospel verse telling him: "Do not be anxious about tomorrow" he did precisely that. He immediately sold what little he had left. After arranging for his sister to live in a convent and after providing a dowry for her, he was now ready to dedicate himself entirely to God. Life in the Desert Since at that time monasteries were few, after getting advice and inspiration from various solitary holy men, Antony set out in 272 for the desert to live a life of solitude while pursuing a life of prayerfuI austerity. He set out to weed out all that was ugly in himself. He lived as a hermit in a series of huts and caves finally settling in a ~omb in a cemetery near Koman (some say ill an underground cave). Here he lived a life of prayer, penance and the strictest austerity which he imposed upon himself limiting himself only to bread which friends occasionally brought him and water taken once a day. Besides spending his time praying and fasting Antony devoted himself to manual labor (gardening and making of mats) and meditation on the scriptures. Still he suffered great bouts of boredom and loneliness, not to speak of hunger, thirst and lack of sleep. There was also a host of external battles with the elements. But worst of all, he had to contend with devastating psychological warfare against the Devil who terrified him with strange noises and appeared to him in various guises some hideous, some alluring. Combats the Devil According to tradition, the Devil, who did not wish Antony to continue as a Servant of Jesus, appeared many times to Antony to tempt and lure him away from his religious devotion. Sometimes the Devil took the form of attractive lustful women who tempted him to enjoy the company of the women of Memphis. Sometimes the Devil appeared as wild animals such as lions, crocodiles, snakes and scorpions. The temptations of Anthony and the psychological and spiritual ordeals that he was confronted with were so vividly told that they became legendary and famous that they are often used as a theme in art and literature. Antony became noted for his combats with the hosts of evil. Antony was so subjected to temptation of worldliness, pleasure, complacency, sloth and pride that the lesson we learn from Antony's experiences is that "anything which presents itself as a substitute for total concentration on God may be a disguise behind which the devil is lurking." However it is thanks to an angel who appeared to him in his visions that he was able to prevail over the foe by counter-acting these sufferings and temptations with work and prayer and fasting that the angel advised him to do. Through his struggles he became not only wise and strong but even joyful. Life on Mt. Pispir After 15 years of this life and after wanting even greater soiitude, Antony retreated to an abandoned fort atop of a mountain by the Nile called Mt. Pispir (now Der al Memum). Seeking even more rigorous austerity he ate only what people threw over the walls to him. Over the next 25 years he continued this life of solitude, prayer and austerity. He Parish Bulletin never saw another human being for many years - probably only once in six months when a man brought him some bread. Soon a community of ascetics who were inspired by his magnetic example formed around the base of the mountain. No longer requiring complete isolation, in 305 AD after 20 years on the mountain, Antony emerged to organize them into a loosely organized monastery, which was to become the first Christian monastery. Here he taught them "to reflect every morning that perhaps they might not live till night, and every evening that perhaps they might never see the morning; and to do every action as if it was the last of their lives." Not only that, Antony even served as abbot to this early monastery, and the first Abbot to form a rule for his monks. Eventually he set up a network of similar communities. This is why he is called the "Patriarch of Monks." Life on Mount Kolzim At the height of the persecution of Christians by Emperor Maxirnin in 311, Antony even went to Alexandria to help those who were sent for trial or execution and to give encouragement to them. He only returned to the desert when the persecution subsided. After organizing another monastery at Pispir, Antony left to retire again - only this time to a cave on Mount Kolzim near the Red Sea. He went to Alexandria once more in 355 to join those combating Arianism such as St. Athanasius, his close friend and later his biographer. He spent the rest of his life receiving visitors and dispensing advice until his death on January 17, 356. It is amazing that this very ascetic holy man lived to a ripe old age of 105. In spite of his fasting and extreme austerity, he remained very healthy (with not a single tooth missing) - his face "illuminated by compassion andjoy!" The story of his life written by his good friend St. Athanasius widely publicized the example of St. Antony as an ideal Christian. Not only was he an early and celebrated champion of the ascetic life but a pioneer of Christian moriasticism. A monastery - Der Mar Antonios - now stands on the mountain by the Red Sea. It bears his name. The monastic rule that bears his name was compiled from writings and discourses attributed to him. It is still observed by a number of Coptic Syrian and Armenian monks. He is revered as Patron of hospital (turn to p.7)
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Page 1 and 2: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER! Christmas part
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Page 5: January 13, 2013 5 (A Night to Reme

Christmas

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