ALL SAINTS MARGARET STREET

Evensong Sunday 15th January 2006 – St Anthony of Egypt

Fr Ivan Aquilina

Deir Qaddis Antonyus, or in English the Monastery of St Antony, is situated on the Red Sea Shore huddled next to a mountain. The mountain contains the site were St Antony lived as a hermit in the desert, 270 meters below is the monastery, more a town than a monastery with some five churches in it. It is quite a stark contrast to its surroundings. The Monastery looks white and fresh; it is surrounded by Palm trees and gives the impression of cleanliness and refreshment. The surrounding area is part of the desert, bleak, dusty brown, no vegetation and hostile.

This scene really reminds me of what we are called to be: beacons of love in the midst of a hostile world. Oasis of peace and depth in the midst of a shallow and noisy world. However, I do not intend to dwell on that today, I would like to speak about St Antony of Egypt (by the way not the saint we invoke when we loose things that is St Anthony of Padova) who halloed with his presence this part of Egypt 1700 years ago. I want to do this as on Tuesday it is his feast day.

Who is St Antony of Egypt? Born to noble parents in Egypt he grew up in a Christian environment together with his younger sister. At the age of eighteen both his parents died leaving him with considerable wealth and the care of his sister. One day on entering the church for Divine Liturgy he heard the gospel when it says that if one wants to become perfect he needs to sell all his belongings and give them to the poor. This is what Antony did. He saw that his sister was well provided for and well looked after and as for his part he sold everything, distributed the money to the poor and embraced poverty himself. Following this, as some other Christians were doing, he retired to the desert living in solitude. At first he sought the guidance of another Christian who had a long experience of this life but gradually he became the Master himself. Crowds of people would go to live near him. This led him to go deeper and deeper in the desert, living as a hermit as much as he could and responding to the crowds as much as he could. During the tenth and last Roman persecution he went down to the city to assist Christians hoping also to win the crown of Martyrdom; however, that was not to be. Constantine, the first Christian emperor used to write letters to Antony, seeking advice. Antony died at the age of a 105 surrounded by two of his disciples in the year 356.

The main source of information about Antony is his life written by one of his disciple-friends: St Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

There are three things from his life that I would like to offer tonight as help in our discipleship.

The first comes form the introduction to his life by Athanasius. Athanasius is writing to monks outside Egypt who want to know more about Antony in order to imitate his life. Antony’s ideals became very popular and his following of Christ was taken immediately as a model. Now Antony never sat down to write about his ideal or to talk about it. The only thing he did was to live the Gospel in his own way. He did not go to endless debating chambers advertising his new way of being Church. He just lived in simplicity and in faithfulness to the Gospel of Christ. This genuine holiness was infectious; everyone wanted to do the same. I think this aspect of his life teaches us today that more than thinking and debating the most urgent thing is to get on with living the Gospel in our own situation. Our example. if genuine and faithful, will enable others to join in the following of Christ. So I think our first lesson is less talking and worrying and more doing: let us live the Gospel now.

The second comes form one of his journeys. Antony was worried about finding his way to a reasonable place deeper in the desert. After praying about it he met a group of non-Christian nomads, those same tribes that hundreds of years later were the main propagators of Islam. He was not afraid to mix with those who were so different from him and he did not try to preach at them or feel superior to them. He just joined in as a fellow traveller. His humility and joyfulness did the rest, they started asking questions and he was able to enter into respectful dialogue with them. When they arrived to his new place they gave him many loaves of bread to keep him going. Not enough, whenever they travelled they took the detour to spend some time with him and make sure that he had sufficient provisions. This side of the grave we shall never know if they became Christians or not, what we know is that by his gentleness and humility he won over new friends and opened for them a dimension which before meeting with him was not available for them. What I see here, in this day and age of the BNP and so much talk about those who are different from us is the need for gentleness and humility of seeing in everyone the face of Christ.

Finally I reflect about one of his many sayings: “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.”
First is the living in the Presence of God, surrounded by His love all the time, we live in God as fish live in water. Secondly making sure that our life is modelled on the Holy Scriptures not trying to squeeze scriptures to fit our way of living. Finally of not being quick to run away from were we are as we are called to sanctify by our presence and prayers all the situations of life that God allows us to be in.
St Antony the Great lived 1700 years ago in such a different context, his holy living still speaks to us today, may we, by his intercession, live the life of the Gospel and continue to follow in the footsteps of Christ.