Posted on 01/17/2005 7:51:49 AM PST by Salvation
"St. Anothony tempted by a lump of gold"
Fra Angelico
"The meeting of St. Anthony and St. Paul in the wilderness"
Matthias Grunwald, 1512-16
Father, you called Saint Anthony to renouce the world and serve you in the solitude of the desert. By his prayers and example, may we learn to deny ourselves and love you above all things.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
For today's Feast of St. Anthony:
Apolytikion (Fourth Tone)
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 (Second Tone)
Forsaking the uproars of life O venerable One, you completed your life in quiet, fully imitating the Baptist. Therefore, we honor you with him, O Anthony, Father of Fathers.
Thank you for those prayers.
January 17, 2005
St. Anthony of Egypt
(251-356)
The life of Anthony will remind many people of St. Francis of Assisi. At 20, Anthony was so moved by the Gospel message, Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor (Mark 10:21b), that he actually did just that with his large inheritance. He is different from Francis in that most of Anthonys life was spent in solitude. He saw the world completely covered with snares, and gave the Church and the world the witness of solitary asceticism, great personal mortification and prayer. But no saint is antisocial, and Anthony drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance. At 54, he responded to many requests and founded a sort of monastery of scattered cells. Again like Francis, he had great fear of stately buildings and well-laden tables. At 60, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed Roman persecution of 311, fearlessly exposing himself to danger while giving moral and material support to those in prison. At 88, he was fighting the Arian heresy, that massive trauma from which it took the Church centuries to recover. The mule kicking over the altar denied the divinity of Christ. Anthony is associated in art with a T-shaped cross, a pig and a book. The pig and the cross are symbols of his valiant warfare with the devilthe cross his constant means of power over evil spirits, the pig a symbol of the devil himself. The book recalls his preference for the book of nature over the printed word. Anthony died in solitude at 105.
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You are very welcome. The Liturgy today was well attended.
Thank you for your great words..St Anthony has been my hero for many years!
".St Anthony has been my hero for many years!"
Certainly +Anthony, a saint who struggled physically with demons on an almost daily basis, is well worthy of hero status, especially in today's world.
Now I finally know about the pigs!
That was really a strange story, wasn't it?
And I laughed at the picture -- sure enough a pig. LOL!
BTTT on the Feast of Saint Anthony, Abbott, January 17, 2006!
BTTT on the Feast of Saint Anthony, Abbott, January 17, 2007!
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