TODAY is the Feast of St. Antony, Abbot (January 17)

[DemBones DemBones]

I love this quote from St. Antony, Abbot, and think of it often:

"Men will surrender to the spirit of the age. They will say that if they had lived in our day, faith would be simple and easy. But in their day, they will say, things are complex; the Church must be brought up to date and made meaningful to the day's problems. When the Church and the world are one, then those days are at hand."

I think he's right that if the Church and the world are ever one, then "those days" (the Last Days) will be at hand. But what especially interests me is that he foresaw how people would "surrender to the spirit of the age" and how they would rationalize their surrender. St. Antony lived from 251-356, yet his prediction is true in 2005.



"St Antony is the originator of the monastic life. He was born in Egypt: when his parents died, he listened to the words of the Gospel and gave all his belongings to the poor. He went out into the wilderness to begin a life of penitence, living in absolute poverty, praying, meditating, and supporting himself by manual work. He suffered many temptations, both physical and spiritual, but he overcame them. Disciples gathered round him, attracted by his wisdom, moderation, and holiness. He gave support to the victims of the persecutions of Diocletian, and helping St Athanasius in his fight against the Arians."