BOOK TWO
BOOK TWO
Antony’s Teachings
CHAPTER FIVE
What a Monk’s Vocation Is
WHEN he had need to cross the canal of Arsenoe (the need was his visitation of the brethren), the canal was full of crocodiles. And simply praying, he entered it with all his companions, and they passed through unhurt.
He returned to the monastery and continued the same holy and generous labors. He preached constantly, increasing the zeal of those who were already monks and stirring many others to the love of the religious life; and soon, as the word drew men, the number of monasteries became very great; and to all he was a guide and a father.
One day, when he had gone out and all the monks came to him asking to hear a discourse, he spoke to them as follows in the Egyptian tongue:
The Scriptures are enough for our instruction. Yet it is well that we should encourage each other in the Faith and stimulate each other with words. Do you, therefore, bring what you know and tell it like children to your father; while I, as your elder, share with you what I know and have experienced. First of all, let one same zeal be common to all, not to give up what we have begun, not to be faint-hearted in our labors, not to say we have lived long in this service, but rather as beginners to have greater zeal each day. For the whole life of a man is very short, measured beside the ages to come, so that all our time is nothing compared to eternal life. And in the world, every merchandise is sold at its worth, and men barter like value for like. But the promise of eternal life is bought for a trifle. For it is written: The days of our years … are threescore and ten years. But if in the strong they be fourscore years: and what is more of them is labour and sorrow. (Cf. Ps. 89:10). If, then, we spend the whole eighty years in the religious life, or even a hundred, we shall not reign for the like space of a hundred years, but in return for the hundred, we shall reign through ages of ages. And if our striving is on earth, our inheritance shall not be on earth, but in Heaven is our promised reward. Our body, too, we give up corruptible; we receive it back incorruptible.
Therefore, children, let us not faint, nor weary, nor think we are doing much: For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed to us. (Cf. Rom. 8:18). Neither let us look back to the world, thinking that we have renounced much. For the whole earth is but a narrow thing compared to all Heaven. If, then, we were lords of the whole earth, and renounced the whole earth, that, too, would be worth nothing beside the kingdom of Heaven. As though a man should make light of one bronze coin to gain a hundred pieces of gold, so he that owns all the earth, and renounces it, gives up but little and receives a hundredfold. If, then, the whole earth is no price for Heaven, surely he who has given up a few acres must not boast nor grow careless, for what he forsakes is as nothing, even if he leave a home and much wealth.
There is another thing to consider: if we do not forsake these things for virtue’s sake, still we leave them later on when we die—and often, as Ecclesiastes reminds us, to those whom we would not. (Cf. Eccles. 2:18). Then why not leave them for virtue’s sake and to inherit a kingdom?
Therefore let none of us have even the wish to possess. For what profit is it to possess these things which yet we cannot take with us? Why not rather possess those things which we can take away with us—prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, understanding, charity, love of the poor, gentleness, hospitality? For if we gain these possessions, we shall find them going beforehand, to make a welcome for us there in the land of the meek.
With these thoughts let a man urge himself not to grow careless, especially if he considers that he is one of God’s servants, and owes service to his master. Now as a servant would not dare to say, “Today I do not work because I worked yesterday,” nor would count up the time that is past and rest in the coming days; but each day, as is written in the Gospel (cf. Luke 17:7–8), shows the same willingness, in order to keep his Lord’s favor and avoid danger; so too let us too daily abide in our service, knowing that if we are slovenly for one day, He will not pardon us for the sake of the bygone time, but will be angry with us for slighting Him. So have we heard in Ezechiel (cf. Ezech. 3:20); so, too, Judas in one night destroyed all his toil in the foregone time. (Cf. John 6:71–72).
Therefore, children, let us hold fast the religious life and not grow careless. For in this we have the Lord working with us, as it is written, God cooperates unto good with everyone that chooseth the good. (Cf. Rom. 8:28). And to prevent negligence, it is well for us to ponder on the Apostle’s saying: I die daily. (1 Cor. 15:31). For if we also so live as dying daily, we shall not sin. What is meant is this: that when we wake each day, we should think we shall not live till evening; and again, when we go to sleep, we should think we shall not wake, for our life is of its nature uncertain and is measured out to us daily by Providence. So thinking and so living from day to day, we shall not sin, nor shall we have any longing for anything, nor cherish wrath against anyone, nor lay up treasure on the earth; but as men who each day expect to die, we shall be poor, we shall forgive everything to all men. The desire of women and of evil pleasure we shall—not meet and master—but we shall turn away from it as a fleeting thing, striving always, and always looking to the Day of Judgment. (Cf. Luke 12:5). For the greater fear and the danger of torment always break the delight of pleasure and steady the wavering mind.
Having made a beginning and set out on the way of virtue, let us stretch out yet more to reach the things that are before us. Let none turn back like Lot’s wife, especially as the Lord has said: No man setting his hand to the plough and turning back is fit for the kingdom of heaven. (Luke 9:62). Turning back simply means changing one’s mind and caring again for worldly things.
And when you hear of virtue, do not fear nor feel the word strange; for it is not afar from us, not something that stands without; no, the thing is within us, and the doing it easy, if only we have the will. The Greeks go abroad and cross the sea to study letters, but we have no need to go abroad for the kingdom of Heaven, nor to cross the sea after virtue. For the Lord has told us beforehand: The kingdom of heaven is within you. (Luke 17:21). Virtue, therefore, needs only our will, since it is within us and grows from us. For virtue grows when the soul keeps the understanding according to nature. It is according to nature when it remains as it was made. Now it was made beautiful and perfectly straight. For this reason Josue, the son of Nave, commanded the people: Make straight your hearts to your ways. (Cf. Josue 24:23). For the straightness of the soul consists in the mind’s being according to nature, as it was made; as, on the other hand, the soul is said to be evil when it bends and gets twisted away from what is according to nature. So the task is not difficult: if we remain as God made us, we are in virtue; if we give our minds to evil, we are accounted wicked. If, then, it were a thing that must be sought from without, the task would indeed be hard; but if it be within us, let us guard ourselves from evil thoughts and keep our soul for the Lord, as a trust we have received from Him, that He may recognize His work, finding it as it was when He made it.
Let us fight also not to be mastered by anger nor enslaved by concupiscence. For it is written that the anger of man worketh not the justice of God. (James 1:20). And concupiscence, having conceived, bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is completed, bringeth forth death. (Cf. James 1:15).