Born of wealthy parents into a life of easy luxury, St. Anthony of the Desert could have lived a life of leisure.
Instead, he chose a life of radical poverty and paved the way for thousands of Christians who would follow his footsteps into the monastic life.
Born in 251 A.D., Anthony saw firsthand the heroic lives and martyrdoms of the early Christians. Inspired by their piety, Anthony desired to live as they did: wholly devoted to Christ.
He heard these words from the Gospel of Matthew in church: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” After that, he left everything behind to live a life of prayer, fasting, self-denial, and labor.
St. Anthony began to look for spiritual mentors to help guide him in the Christian way. Trusting in God and relying on the power of prayer, St. Anthony wandered the desert, looking for people living out a similar vocation and learning from their virtue.
He eventually felt called to unite himself with God entirely through private silence. He removed himself from all society and became the first Christian to live a life of consecrated solitude. He occasionally left his hermitage for pressing matters, once to encourage persecuted Christians and another time to support Pope Athanasius against the heresy of Arius.
Despite the intensity of his fasting and harsh lifestyle, St. Anthony lived until the age of 105!
Although we are not all called to a life of solitude, we are all called to a life devoutly tethered to prayer. The Jesus Prayer, a simple recitation of “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” is an ancient devotion that comes to us from the Eastern Church. Short but powerful, it can be said countless times throughout the day and is the perfect way to pray unceasingly. This set of wooden Chotki Prayer Beads, complete with a tapestry pouch with the Jesus Prayer embroidered on it, is a great tool to begin to pray this transformative prayer. Available today from The Catholic Company!
