Monastic History: Origins of Monasticism (Part 3 of 3)

Antony of Egypt (251-356 AD) cont.

 

Retreating deeper into the desert, symbolizing his deepening combat with the devil, Antony came upon an old abandoned fortress where he spent the next twenty years of his life cloistered in spiritual combat. Though he had locked himself in the fortress, his reputation for holiness drew many people into the desert, seeking him for spiritual wisdom. At this point in the story, the author, St. Athanasius, partially begins to reveal his underlying

St. Antony of Egypt, Desert Father

intentions for writing the text; for, he tells us that when Antony emerges from the fortress for the first time, his skin is beautiful, his eyes are bright, and his teeth are white (this typically is not the expected image of an ascetical man who has been locked up in a fort for many years). However, contrary to the heretical Arian sects and the dualistic/neo-platonic views of the body prevalent in his time, Antony’s beautiful bodily appearance is intended to show that holiness heals the disharmony of body and soul, and brings us back to a preternatural state. Antony’s appearance seems to personify humanity before the fall of Adam and Eve. Therefore, since God created the physical world and called it “good”, and because Christ Himself took on our human flesh through the Incarnation, for Antony (and Athanasius), the body is not seen as “evil”, deserving to be punished, as the Arians believed, but rather, the body is good!

In addition to giving us a natural aversion to the heresy of Arianism, during Antony’s life, a time in which monasticism was widely practiced but not properly structured, St. Athanasius presents Antony as a prototype for monks, a model for emulation. Overall, Antony is a model for a monk’s spiritual formation; he is a model of discipline and holiness. For Antony, the focus of monasticism is not the Arian torture of our “evil” human bodies but rather, it is the primacy of charity and a complete focus on Christ, acknowledging our own weakness and inability to do anything without Him; victories of the ascetical life are victories of Christ conquering within us, body and soul. In this white martyrdom, the motivation and focus should be “for the kingdom of God”. Therefore, the greatest glories of the ascetical life are not merely ascetical prowess but the litmus test of charity.



To read the Life of Antony, by St. Athanasius: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2811.htm

Monastic History: Origins of Monasticism (Part 2 of 3)

Antony of Egypt (251 – 356 AD), Father of Monasticism & Model for Monks

The Life of Antony, written by St. Athanasius, begins with a brief account of Antony’s home life. Though he was born into a wealthy peasantry, Antony’s parents died young, leaving him as the main care taker for his seven year old sister. However, this was not a long term duty for Antony who soon entrusted his sister to the care of a group

St. Antony of Egypt

of Consecrated Virgins in order that he might set out to the edge of society, seeking an ascetical master (an Appa) to teach him the contemplative / ascetical life. While this might seem to be a radical decision, leaving everything, including his sister behind, Antony’s decision was not merely based on a whim; rather, it was a response to a personal call that he heard in Church on two different occasions: the first occasion, Antony heard the Gospel call him to sell everything and “follow Me;” on the second occasion, he heard the Gospel tell him “Do not be anxious about tomorrow”.

After his initial detachment and flight from the world, Antony underwent many temptations in his early ascetical life such as temptations of self indulgent concerns, bitterness, and lust. At times, Antony even questioned his motivation for leaving the world and his sister behind. However, the greatest of the temptations, the temptation of spiritual pride, came in the form of the devil disguised as a little Ethiopian boy trying to trick Antony into admitting that he had mastered the spiritual and ascetical life. Nevertheless, in all of these trials, Antony kept vigil, fasting and praying, triumphing over all of the temptations, not through his own strength but through the grace of Christ.

Following this last temptation of spiritual pride, Antony fled even further, going into the desert, the domain of demons, where he lived in old abandoned tombs. In the desert, Antony experienced trials similar to those of the martyrs in the coliseum; at night, animals of every type came and tried to terrify him and physically assault him. At one point, a friend of Antony found Antony’s seemingly lifeless body. The man carried Antony back to the city and brought him to the Church. Waking up, Antony returned to the desert tombs, questioning God: “Why have you abandoned me?” Upon this question, Antony experienced God in a descending beam of white light. Like before, the triumphs of Antony over temptation were not achieved by him, but rather by Christ in light.

For more information about the Life of Antony, Part 3 of Origins of Monasticism will be posted on September 9.


To read the full Life of Antony, by St. Athanasius: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2811.htm

Monastic History: Origins of Monasticism (Part 1 of 3)

Withdrawal From the World

The word “Monasticism” is derived from the Greek term “Monachos,” meaning “sole,” “single,” or "alone".  Since the earliest days of Christianity individuals and small groups of people have chosen to withdraw from the world in order to live in the

Desert Father: Abba Scisoes

solitude of the desert and the fringes of society.  Although this initial flight from the world could be attributed to various reasons, such as the early Christians’ attempt to avoid persecutions or heavy taxes, it soon became the means by which men and women sought “White Martyrdom,” the daily dying to self and the complete giving of one’s self to Christ. 

   

Developing more or less at the same time in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt and Cappadocia, as well as in the West, Monasticism was not a phenomenon that sprang up overnight as a finished product.  In fact, early Christian Monks had very different attitudes about what the ascetical life should entail.  Overall, although monastic life was widely practiced, it was not properly structured.  However, it did not take long for a model to arise.  In the Life of Antony, written by St. Athanasius, Antony is presented as a prototype for monks, a model for emulation.  Although Antony of Egypt (251-356 AD) was clearly not the first monk to live in the desert, due to his discipline and holiness of life, he is regarded as the founder and father of monasticism. 

For more information about the Life of Antony, Part II of Origins of Monasticism will be posted on September 5. 

     

Pittsburgh native and friend of St. Vincent Archabbey becomes Cardinal

Vatican Exhibit coming to Pittsburgh

Click here for article and more information

Catholic Apologetics

Ever been asked to explain the Immaculate Conception or the Assumption?  Click here for a great link regarding these topics.

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

From:  www.americancatholic.org

Most Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides.

The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins.

Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.

Comment: Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, August 5; Sts. Peter and Paul, November 18), this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope's cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.

Quote: "What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36>).

SPO Outreach Program

 
140 Catholic college students from around the country spent 10 days in Christian community at Saint Paul's Seminary Archdiocese of St Paul/Minneapolis studying Pope John Paul II call for a new springtime in the Church brought about by a new Evangelization. Father Fred Byrne, O.S.B. (St. Vincent Archabbey Vocation Director) was on hand at the event and brought with him 6 St. Vincent college students to participate in the event.