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The Calling as an act of Will Submission

Saint Antony was called to monasticism. It is worth pointing out, that contrary to what the Synaxarium says, and contrary to the local sayings, Athanasius tells us that Saint Antony heard the gospel, but did not leave for the wilderness immediately. This is reflective of Antony ’s desire to be sure of God’s will for Him. He acted on what was a sure sign (he sold his possessions immediately after hearing that gospel verse in Matthew 19:21 ), but he did not leave until the Lord confirmed His calling. This also came to Him, as Saint Athanasius tells us, through the Holy Gospel during another Liturgy, “ Take therefore no thought for the morrow” (Matthew 6:34). This was a sure sign to him that God wanted this path for him, and so he accepted God’s will.

Without knowledge of where this path would take him, he followed. Without understanding the nature of his calling or what it entailed, he left all and followed him. In fact, the very message of the gospel was an indirect call to submission – that is the Lord says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), and then later, in the gospel which Saint Antony was called, the Lord says “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me…” (Matthew 19:21 – emphasis mine). He desired perfection because perfection is what God’s will for us was, God’s will was our perfection, and so Antony made His will the Lord’s. He surrendered to the Lord anything that he could have thought to keep, his family, his life, his many possessions, his land, all were secondary to seeking out God’s will.

Now, though Antony knew he was called, he knew very little of practical asceticism, but he did not rely on himself to learn, “ like the prudent bee”, Saint Antony set out to learn from those who had experience. This in itself would be another confirmation of God’s will for him, since he sought earnestly their advice, and learned from their piety and asceticism. Had the Lord spoken through these men and told Antony that he should return to the world, Antony would obey. In the sight of men and God he was loved, so much that people called him “God-beloved”. This was an immediate reward, though Antony was not seeking it, for seeking first the Kingdom of God .

It was because Antony submitted to His will, that Saint Athanasius could say that “the Lord was working with Antony ”, for the Lord does not work toward that which is evil, but that which is pleasing to Him. It was because the Lord was working with Antony that he, like anyone else fighting with the Lord on his side, could say in a victory that it was “not I but the grace of God which was with me”.

The Physical Attacks as a sign of Self-Denial and Reliance on God

Theophan the Recluse gives us a test to see whether someone is self-reliant or not:

“ If, when they grieve at their downfall, reproaching and abusing themselves for it, they think: “I shall do this and that, the consequences of my downfall will be effaced and all will be well once more,” this is a sure sign that before the downfall they trusted themselves, instead of trusting God.

From this we can see how perfectly our beloved father had denied himself. After taking residence in the empty tombs, Saint Antony was ‘cut with stripes’ so severely by the devil that it was thought that he was dead. He was brought to the church and laid before the sanctuary. As soon as he returned consciousness, he returned to his dwelling – stubborn to make sure nobody took from him what God desired. “I flee not from your stripes,” he said, “for even if you inflict more nothing shall separate rues from the love of Christ.” So much had he denied himself, that he saw the savage attacks as insignificant to the comforts he had in his Redeemer. Because he was sure that this was God’s will, he was surrendered to whatever consequences it might entail, even his own life. So great was his trust in the Lord, that he in boldness said, “'If you are able, and have received power against me, delay not to attack; but if you are unable, why trouble me in vain ? For faith in our Lord is a seal and a wall of safety to us.' '” He recognized that nothing could happen except by the will of God, and happily he accepted this. Nothing could show more his perfect self-denial, his perfect trust in God, and the non-existence of his lower human will.

Further still, he exemplified his dramatic words through his actions – he endured all kinds of beatings even to the brink of death, only because he knew that His Lord was permitting it to happen. Their continued physical attacks were brutal as well, but because Saint Antony had surrendered his will and placed his hope in Christ, the Lord was not ‘forgetful of his wrestlings’ when he lay in his cell apparently dying. When the heavens opened and the light came down upon him, strengthening him and sending away the demons, Saint Antony had every right to ask his God, 'Where wert thou ? Why didst thou not appear at the beginning to make my pains to cease?’ Because he had put his trust in him with an honest heart, Saint Antony could look to the Lord with this boldness and require of him an answer. The result of this perfect submission and denial was a relationship of love – for the Lord did not leave Antony unanswered, or unrewarded, “'Antony, I was here, but I waited to see thy fight; wherefore since thou hast endured, and hast not been worsted, I will ever be a succour to thee, and will make thy name known everywhere.” The one who is in His hands has the promise of aid, the one who denies himself will be honoured by God.