Happy Feast of St. Anthony!
New to Celebrating St. Anthony’s Feast
Last year I thought I’d try to do a monthly “Lives of the Saints” style article. I didn’t keep that up all year, but with the new year I thought maybe I would try again.
When searching for which Saint I wanted to research and write about this month, I found it coincidental (or rather Providential) that St. Anthony, the desert father, was among the list of January names. Not only that, his feast landed on the exact day that I was hoping to have an article for.
Just recently, my brother asked if I had heard about the Desert Fathers in a Year series. I hadn’t. I thought it sounded like a great idea for Catholics to learn about and I like the “in a year” trend going on. Yet, I didn’t even finish Bible in a Year or Catechism in a Year. So I didn’t think it was for me.
Then I saw St. Anthony’s feast land on the exact day I was looking to write for. I felt called to look back at that text from my brother. When I saw that Desert Fathers in a year was weekly rather than daily, I thought, “I can do that” and quickly caught up on the three episodes released so far.
About the Desert Fathers
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the Church took off around the world through the work of the apostles. Initially, Christians were not looked at favorably, being persecuted and martyred by the Romans. Only a few hundred years later, life for Christians was no longer as radical or life threatening.
So in the late 200s, a movement began of desert fathers, led by Saints like Anthony. These people gave up their possessions and concerns of the world. They went to the desert seeking a life of holiness, radically dependent on God. By moving to the desert, these first monastics were able to devote their entire selves to prayer and fasting.
About St. Anthony (Antony) the Abbot
One of the first of those ascetics to move out into the desert was St. Anthony.
Distinguishing him from the other Anthony, he also goes by Anthony the Great, Anthony the Abbot, and other titles.
We are lucky to know all about St. Anthony, thanks to St. Athenasius, who wrote his biography in 360 A.D..
Life of St. Anthony of the Desert
After the death of his parents, a 20 year old Anthony was left with 300 acres and wealth to manage. Soon after, he heard Matthew 19:21 read at mass. Jesus’ words to “sell all you have” inspired him to do just that. Making sure that his sister would be cared for, Anthony then gave away land, wealth, and his life in devotion to God.
Initially, Anthony sought out mentorship from other hermits, learning for years before setting out on his own isolation.
Between the ages of 36 and 56, he ate only bread and water. He spent entire nights on his knees in prayer, days in manual labor, and gained a reputation from those who knew of him as radically holy and extremely joyful despite having so little pleasures.
As he aged, many were drawn to learn from Anthony, and so he founded the first monasteries where others could learn the life of sacrifice and prayer for the good of their soul and for the Church.
Legacy and Inspiration
The life of St. Anthony was so inspiring that just reading excerpts of his biography contributed to the deeper conversion of St. Augustine and other saints who highly recommended it.
The first monasteries paved the way for the thousands of monasteries that exist around the world today. These great communities pray for the world and help monks and nuns live a more perfect life serving Jesus and His Church.
Everyone can learn something from the life of prayer, sacrifice, and spiritual battle that Anthony and the Desert Fathers lived.
Desert Fathers in a Year (DFIAY)
Among those inspired by St. Anthony and the Desert fathers, are Bishop Erik Varden and the Exodus90 team at DesertFathers.com.
My Thoughts on Desert Fathers in a Year
As I mentioned, I initially didn’t want to do a “in a Year” commitment in 2025. But St. Anthony’s life convinced me to join. I knew I wanted to learn about him for his feast day on the 17th, and Desert Fathers in a Year was just starting, so I thought I would tune in to see what they had to say about him.
Initially I liked the video style and Bishop Varden’s calm way of talking and teaching in each of his 10-15 minute reflections, but I saw that they also had panel discussions about each reflection. The round table videos dive deeper into the week’s reflections with a group of men who spend time applying the reflection to see what it means for us.
Learning About and Learning From
Surely with a podcast or video series, you would expect to learn about the topic, but what I find with Desert Fathers in a Year, is that they are going beyond learning about, they are learning from. The difference being that they are only briefly talking about Anthony and the fathers, then taking it a step further and applying the lessons to our own lives today.
This is not just a study of saints. Rather, DFIAY is a discussion and program for striving to live a better life.
Lessons from Anthony from DFIAY so Far
After the second episode of DFIAY, I felt that I needed to start keeping a notebook of some of my takeaways. Here is an example of some to give an idea of what you might learn if you join in listening:
- Although we might not be called to live in the desert, we can still live radically by loving God and our neighbor.
- Holiness is possible
- Change your perspective on temptations: they can be opportunities rather than frustrations
- God can use even contradictions for Him
- Examen our lives regularly
Keeping the Desert Fathers with You this Year
Whether you choose to join in on the Desert Fathers in a Year series or not, there is a lot to learn from St. Anthony and his monastic companions.
As with all of the saints, their lives are more than stories, they are examples of some way we can change our lives.
Bishop Varden said it well in one of the reflections: “Anthony turned out well, so can you.”
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