**~`+`~JAN 17th*FEAST DAY OF ST ANTHONY THE GREAT~`+`~**

St. Anthony of The Desert
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St. Anthony of the Desert (c. 251–356),
a religious hermit and monk,
is known as the founder of monasticism. His rule of order
was one of the first to create guidelines for monastic living.
He became a monk at age 20 and withdrew
into total solitude
on a desert mountain near the Nile River.
Saint Anthony's only food was bread and water,
which he never tasted before sunset, and sometimes only
once in two, three, or four days.
He wore sackcloth and sheepskin,
and he often knelt in prayer from sunset to sunrise.

Here, in the desert, he overcame extreme temptations
of the devil, and emerged about 20 years later from total
seclusion to instructnearby hermits
in the ways of monasticism.
He demonstrated the power of Christ to
touch lives by healing
the sick, providing spiritual guidance,
casting out demons, and preaching. Many were attracted
to monasticism by his example.

Athanasius's Life of St. Anthony perpetuated his story
and inspired waves of monks who civilized and evangelized
Europe and the Near East.
With the end of Christian persecution in 313,
Anthony established a monastery between the Nile
and the Red Sea.This same monastery exists today.

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Here are a few of his famous sayings to monks.
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"Let it be your supreme and common purpose
not to grow weary in the work
you have begun, and in time of trial and affliction
not to lose courage and say:
Oh, how long already have we been
mortifying ourselves! Rather, we should daily begin anew
and constantly increase our fervor. For man's whole life
is short when measured against the time to come, so short,
in fact, that it is as nothing in comparison with eternity. . . .

Therefore, my children, let us persevere
in our acts of asceticism.
And that we may not become weary and disheartened,
it is good to meditate on the words
of the apostle: 'I die daily.'
If we live with the picture of death
always before our eyes, we will not sin.

The apostle's words tell us that we should so awaken
in the morning
as though we would not live to evening, and so fall asleep
as if there were to be no awakening.
For our life is by nature uncertain and is daily
meted out to us
by Providence. If we are convinced of this and live each day
as the apostle suggests,
then we will not fall into sin; no desire will enslave us,
no anger move us, no treasure bind us to earth;
we will await death with unfettered hearts."

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St. Anthony of the Desert
***-Amen-***
*****************************************************************

*©*2013*~`all rights reserved by USA Copyright Laws!

~*~♥~*~

*©**2014*17th of JAN*'FEAST DAY OF ST.ANTHONY'
Reserved Excerpts '....
~*Never Ending Circle Of Love Manuscripts' *~
....angelic*heavenly*star...
a.k.a.~'MJB'~

***`+`***
`I am but a star in the heavens above
guiding over you in God's eternal love
I once was a soul like you on earth now
a heavenly star in miracle of rebirth..
'in celebration of eternal life ~ 08/03/1972
~*~*********************************************~*~

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~` `~JAN 17th*FEAST DAY OF ST ANTHONY THE GREAT~` `~

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