NOW MORE THAN EVER: St Anthony the Great

Last updated on: January 17, 2007 at 8:05 am by Fr. Joseph Huneycutt

NOW MORE THAN EVER: St Anthony the Great 2007-01-17T08:05:00-06:00 Fr. Joseph Huneycutt

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Any circumstance in which a man finds himself unwillingly is a prison for him. So be content with whatever circumstances you may now be in, lest by being ungrateful you punish yourself unwittingly.

— St Anthony the Great

Stolen from The Daily Lives, Miracles and Wisdom of the Saints and Fasting Calendar – 2007 (January 17th).

If you google temptation st anthony, you’ll find lots of things (viewer beware).

Like this.

And the famous one from Dali.

There’s this one (which resembles the proto-type from many sci-fi films, think Men in Black).

And its variation which I like to think of as “I don’t think so, Bro” (referring to the artist).

But, given the struggles of St Anthony, I believe his holy prayers — and our imitation of his virtues –are needed now more than ever.

The Enemy of the race of man troubled the young ascetic with thoughts of his former life, doubts about his chosen path, concern for his sister, and he tempted Anthony with lewd thoughts and carnal feelings. But the saint extinguished that fire by meditating on Christ and by thinking of eternal punishment, thereby overcoming the devil.
Source

According to Athanasius, the devil fought St Anthony by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of women, which he overcame by the power of prayer, providing a theme for Christian art.
Source

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. (Apolytikion)

There’s often talk of a Patron Saint of the Internet. Who better than St Anthony?

Some quotes from Wikiquote …

A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, “You are mad; you are not like us.”

Our life and our death are with our neighbour. If we gain our brother we have gained God; but if we scandalise our brother, we have sinned against Christ.

I no longer fear God, I love him.

Do not be afraid to hear about virtue and do not be a stranger to the term. For it is not distant from us nor is it external to us; its realisation lies within us and the work is easy if only we want it. The Greeks leave home and cross the seas in order to gain an education, but there is no need for us to go away on account of the Kingdom of God nor need we cross the sea in search of virtue. For the Lord has told us, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” All that is needed for goodness is that which is within, the human heart.

I saw all the snares that the enemy spreads over the whole world and I said, groaning, “What can get through such snares?” Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility.”

The above image is taken from here … which notes: “St Anthony … was greatly tormented by hallucinations, in the form of demons and erotic visions, which he resisted with prayer.”

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