Feast of St Anthony the Great
Categories: hymns, monasticism, feast-days, spiritual-writings
Date: 16 January 2008 22:59:07
Troparion:
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.
Kontakion:
Forsaking the uproars of life O venerable one,
you completed your life in quiet, fully imitating the Baptist.
Therefore, we honour you with him, O Anthony, Father of Fathers.
A Happy Feast Day to all Anthonys, particularly a dear friend Anthony living in the San José area.
Abba Anthony is one of the, and probably the most celebrated, Desert Fathers. The Desert Fathers, who also include various Desert Mothers, were often sought for wisdom and guidance and their sayings were recorded and have been passed down throughout history. You can read some of them on the OrthodoxWiki articles The Paradise of the Desert Fathers and The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. I can also recommend the book The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks, compiled and translated by Benedicta Ward.
From Word from the Desert, a few sayings of Abba Anthony below. A blessed Feast to all.
Someone asked Abba Anthony, "What must one do in order to please God?" The old man replied, "Pay attention to what I tell you: whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes, whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the holy Scriptures; in whatever place you live, do not easily leave it. Keep these three precepts and you will be saved."
Abba Anthony said to Abba Poemen, "This is the great work of a man: always to take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath."
Some brothers were coming from Scetis to see Abba Anthony (the Great). When they were getting into a boat to go there, they found an old man who also wanted to go there. The brothers did not know him. They sat in the boat, occupied by turns (in their conversation) with the words of the Fathers, Scripture, and their manual work. As for the old man, he remained silent. When they arrived on shore they found that the old man was going to the cell of Abba Anthony too. When they reached the place, Anthony said to them, "You found the old man a good companion for the journey?" Then he said to the old man, "You have brought many good brethren with you, father." The old man said, "No doubt they are good, but they do not have a door to their house and anyone who wishes can enter the stable and loose the ass." He meant that the brethren said whatever came into their mouths.