St Anthony, Abbot

"Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord." Ps 89

No matter how far Anthony went into the desert, people followed and found him. Though unlettered, he was gifted with so much wisdom, that many were drawn to him, hoping to absorb some of what he had learned in silence and solitude. Reputed to have lived for twenty years in a single walled room, Anthony grew in faith and devotion. While some thought that the isolation he sought would drive him crazy, Anthony grew more quiet and serene because he had found God and himself in the silence.

Obviously, not everyone is drawn to the life and lifestyle of St Anthony, but Anthony does teach everyone a basic truth of life. When we learn how it is that God wants to work in us, we have only to follow God's promptings to be at peace. Some will be drawn to God by a life of total involvement with the world. Others will find themselves and God in a life among the poor or as missonaries. A few will be drawn to the heremetical life like St Anthony. Where we arrive in life is not the issue. How we get there is.

If we want to be a peace as believers, we must let God lead us and show us how it is that we must live in order to know God and serve others. Thomas Merton once wrote that those who come to the monastery to escape the world will soon find themselves back in it. Monks enter the monastery because God calls them to engage the world through prayer and work, and know, after a time, that though they may be tempted to find a simpler or easier path to God, they will only be happy doing what God wants them to do.

Today, pray for the grace to be totally open to whatever God wants for you.

Have you ever met someone whose lifestyle at first confused you but whose peace taught you to follow God no matter the cost?