Jan. 17: Memory of Our Father Saint Anthony the Great.
Celebrate St. Anthony the Great Parish in Piana degli Albanesi .
After Constantinian era, the bloody martyrdom of Christians became very rare, this form of heroic sanctity of the early days of Christianity, took over a path of holiness professed by a bevy of new Christians desiring a deeper spirituality, to belong only to God and then to live alone in the contemplation of the divine mysteries.
This was the great spiritual movement of 'monasticism', which will in the following centuries several changes and ways of being, from the Hermitage in community life, expanding from East to West and becoming the great spiritual plant on which it rested the Church, together with the apostolic hierarchy.
Although it was probably the first to establish a hermit and ascetic life in the desert of the Thebaid, s. Antonio it was certainly the most exciting and well-known example, and is considered the founder of monasticism.
Knower deep spiritual experience of Antonio, was s. Athanasius (295-373) bishop of Alexandria, his friend and disciple, who wrote a beautiful and truthful biography.
Antonio was born around 250 from a wealthy farming family in the village of Coma, Qumans present in Egypt and was orphaned at 18-20 years of parents with a wealth of resources to administer, and a younger sister to be educated. Attracted
dall'ammaestramento Gospel "If you want to be perfect, go, 'sell what you have and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me", and the example of some hermits who lived around the villages of Egypt, in prayer, poverty and chastity, Antonio wanted to choose this road, and sold its assets, entrusted his sister to a community of virgins, devoted himself to the ascetic life in front of his house and then outside the country.
Looking for a lifestyle penitent and without distraction, asked God to be illuminated and so far just saw a hermit like himself, who worked sitting weaving a rope, then stopped he got up and prayed, then back to work and again to pray; was an angel of God showed him the way of work and prayer, which is two centuries later, the Benedictine rule "ora et labora" of Western monasticism.
Part of his job he needed to get food and partly distributed to the poor, says s. Athanasius, who prayed constantly and was so careful reading of the Scriptures, that he remembered all his memory and replaced the books.
After some years of this uplifting experience, in full youth began to test him very hard, filthy thoughts tormented him, attacking the doubts about the advisability of a life so lonely and not followed by the mass of men nor the clergy, the instinct Meat and attachment to material goods that were dormant in those years, returned arrogant and uncontrollable.
sought help from other ascetics, who told him not to be afraid but to go forward with confidence, because God was with him and advised him to get rid of all the links and things, to retire to a place more lonely.
So just covered by a rough cloth, took refuge in an ancient rock-cut tomb of a hill, around the village of Coma, a friend brought him every once in a while 'bread, the rest had to make do with fruits of forest and grass fields.
Here, the first temptation took over terrifying visions and noises, in addition through a period of terrible spiritual darkness, but all passed persevering in faith in God, doing His will day by day, as he had taught his teachers.
When Christ finally proved illuminating, he asked: "Where were you? Why do not you appeared from the beginning to end my suffering? ". He answered: "Antonio, I was here with you and watched your fight ...."
discovered by his countrymen, who like all the Christians in those days, flocked at the hermits for advice, help, consolation, but at the same time disturbed their solitude and meditation, then Antonio moved farther out into the Red Sea.
the mountains of Pispir there was a fort abandoned, infested with snakes, but with a spring source and Antonio moved here in 285, remaining there for 20 years.
Twice a year came down from the top of the bread in this new solitude followed the example of Jesus, led by the Spirit which he retired in the wilderness to be tempted by the devil "was a common belief that only the solitude, allow the human creature to cleanse all the bad tendencies, personified in the biblical figure of the devil and become a new man. Certainly only
mentally healthy people could face an asceticism so austere as that of the hermits, and some could not we all ended up going out of their minds, sharing their fantasies by divine illumination or temptation.
was not the case of Antonio, attacked by the devil with the temptations that woke him in the middle of the night, apparently giving tips for greater perfection, pushing the physical and mental exhaustion and disgust of the solitary life, but instead buy and resisting with God's help, the "discernment of spirits", Antonio was able to recognize the false appearances, including ones that simulate the angelic presences. It was
time when many people who wanted to devote himself to life as a hermit, came tearing down the fort and Antonio came out as inspired by the divine breath, he began to console the afflicted obtaining healing from the Lord, freeing the possessed and teaching new disciples.
They formed two groups of monks who gave birth to two monasteries, one east and one on the left bank of the Nile River, Monaco each had his solitary cave, but in obedience to an older brother experienced in the spiritual life at all Antonio gave his advice on the way to the perfection of the spirit united to God
in 307 came to visit the Monaco hermit s. Ilarione (292-372), which he founded in Gaza in Palestine the first monastery, by sharing their experiences about life as a hermit, in 311 Anthony did not hesitate to leave his hermitage and went to Alexandria, where the rampant persecution of Christians, ordered by the Roman Emperor Maximinus Daia († 313), to support and comfort our brothers and sisters in the faith himself, and eager for martyrdom. Perhaps because
inspired respect and awe even the Romans, he was spared, its exits from the hermitage multiplied to serve the Christian community, he argued with his influential presence the friend the bishop of Alexandria, s. Athanasius who fought the Arian heresy, wrote in a letter to his defense Emperor Constantine, who not of much account was kept, but it was important among the Christian people. Back
peace in the empire and to escape too many onlookers who came in the fortress of the Red Sea, he decided to retire to a place more isolated and went into the desert of the Thebaid, where he began to cultivate a small vegetable garden for subsistence and of those disciples and visitors, came to him for help and looking for perfection. He lived in the Thebaid
until the end of his long life, he could bury the body of the hermit s. Paul of Thebes with the help of a lion, for this is considered the patron saint of gravediggers.
In recent years, received two monks with him that the handling extreme old age, died at 106 years, on January 17 of the 356 and was buried in a secret location.
Her presence here had attracted many people eager to spiritual life and many chose to become monks, so the mountains of the Thebaid (Upper Egypt) and monasteries were built in the desert was populated by monks, the first of that multitude of men who consecrated East and West, he embarked on that journey began, extended and adapted to the needs of the times.
His disciples to the Church handed down his wisdom, collected in 120 and 20 such letters in Letter 8, s. Antonio wrote to his "Ask with a sincere heart that great spirit of fire that I have received, and it shall be given you. "
561 was discovered in his tomb and relics began a long-time travel from Alexandria to Constantinople to France in the eleventh century Motte-Saint-Didier, where a church was built in his honor.
in this church to venerate the relics, crowds flocked to the sick, especially cancer of ergotism, caused dall'avvelenamento of a fungus found in rye, used to make bread.
The disease was known since antiquity as the 'ignis sacer' that caused the burning, to accommodate all the sick who came, he built a hospital and a Brotherhood of men, the old hospital order degli ‘Antoniani’; il villaggio prese il nome di Saint-Antoine di Viennois.
Il papa accordò loro il privilegio di allevare maiali per uso proprio e a spese della comunità, per cui i porcellini potevano circolare liberamente fra cortili e strade, nessuno li toccava se portavano una campanella di riconoscimento.
Il loro grasso veniva usato per curare l’ergotismo, che venne chiamato “il male di s. Antonio” e poi “fuoco di s. Antonio” (herpes zoster); per questo nella religiosità popolare, il maiale cominciò ad essere associato al grande eremita egiziano, poi fu considerato il santo patrono dei maiali e per estensione di tutti gli animali domestici e della stalla.
In its iconography appears in addition to the pig with the bell, even the staff of the hermits in the shape of T, 'tau' last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and then alluding to things past and destiny.
the day of his liturgical feast, the stables are blessed to bless and bring pets in some countries of Celtic origin, s. Antonio took over the functions of the deities of rebirth and light, LUG, the guarantor of new life, which were dedicated boars and pigs, so s. Antonio was represented in various works of art at the foot of a wild boar.
patron of all those involved in the processing of pork, live or slaughtered, is also the patron saint of those who work with fire, as firefighters, as healed from that fire was metaphorical and herpes zoster, but according to popular legend relates that s. Antonio went to hell, to contend for the soul to the devil and some of the dead while his pig inside sgaiattolato, created confusion among the demons, he lit the fires of hell with his stick to 'tau' and carried out with the pig recovered and gave it to humanity, igniting a pile of wood.
For thousands of years and still today, every turn in the countries on 17 January, the so-called "Focarazza" or "strains" or "beacon s. Antonio, which had a purifying function, and fertilizing, as all the fireworks that marked the transition from winter to spring imminent. Then collected the ashes in the brazier of home once served to heat the house and with a special bell made from strips of wood to dry the wet towel.
is invoked against all skin diseases and fire. Revered throughout the centuries, his name is among the most common of Catholicism, even if in devotion onomastics has been ousted from the thirteenth century. the same name by the great saint of Padua miracle worker.
