Reading= Eph 6

Reading= Eph 6:10-18
Gospel = Mk 10:28-31

Sanctoral Cycle

St. George Maronite Catholic Church

Jan 17

ANTHONY THE GREAT, FATHER OF THE MONKS
Proper of Memorials:

Anthony The Great

of the Desert

Anthony was born approximately 251 in Coma, today known as "Kuma Al Arouss." His father and mother died when he was eighteen years old, and he was left with a sister whom he loved very much. One day he entered a church and heard a voice saying: "If you wish to be perfect, go sell all you have, give it to the poor and follow me." He felt that these words were directed to him, so he went and sold all that he had. He gave his sister her share and the rest he gave to the poor. At twenty years of age he went to a hermit and became his disciple. He spent his days and part of the night in prayer and manual labor and ate only one meal a day.
Anthony suffered a great deal from temptations, telling him to return to his sister and the world, and also from impure desires. With prayer and penance, he overcame them all. For this reason, he became the patron saint of those who are tempted. After following the counsel of other religious, he decided to go into the desert by himself. The only food he took with him was a supply of bread for six months. Every six months a brother would visit him and bring him a supply of bread, dates and water. People became aware of his presence and began to visit him to ask for his blessing and receive counseling from him. He left this place and went to the edge of the Nile close to Fayoun and there he built monasteries, while he himself remained in the hermitage. He later became the superior of the monks. He visited the various monasteries and invited the monks to do penance and to observe the directives he gave them.
In 311 great persecution began against Christians. Anthony told his monks to pray as he went off to Alexandria. He wanted to offer his life for the Lord, but he soon realized that the daily martyrdom of life is precious in the eyes of God, so he returned to his hermitage.
Many people were coming to ask him for graces and miracles. Anthony began to fear that he would fall into pride, so he left without telling anyone and went into the desert to Thebes. To accomplish this he traveled with an Arab caravan. When he reached the point where he wished to stay, he thanked them and asked if on their way back they could bring him some food and seeds to plant. They promised they would do this and Anthony lived off the things he planted. When the monks found Anthony, they insisted he return with them. His sister who had not seen him for fifty years, came to visit him along with many other religious who were living with her. Soon after his return to the monastery, he requested his monks to allow him to return to Thebes in seclusion.
Anthony was well known for his miracles during his life; Anthansius and Heronimous speak of Anthony curing the sick and restoring sight to the blind.
When Anthony knew that the end of his life was coming, he called the two disciples that were close to him, Macarius and Amathas and asked them to bury his body in secret. He died on January 17, 356, at the age of 105.
The body of St. Anthony remained in his grave for 200 years. In 1561, under the emperor Justinian, his bones were transferred solemnly to the Church of St. John the Baptist in Alexandria and later taken to Constantinople. Prince Jocelyn took Anthony's remains to France and interred them in the Benedictine Abbey of La Motte St. Didices. His remains were transferred to the city of Aries, where they rest today.
Anthony is very popular among the Eastern Churches, especially in the Middle East. The monastery of St. Anthony still exists today and belongs to the monks of the Coptic Orthodox Church, who have revived the anchoritic life of St. Anthony