Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot
The aspect of today’s Gospel that struck me immediately is that Jesus’ earthly ministry had barely begun before the Pharisees and others were plotting his death. Today’s account of Jesus healing the man with the withered hand, on the Sabbath, in the synagogue, comes in Mark chapter 3, even before Christ had appointed all twelve Apostles. In the first two chapters of Mark, we find Jesus’ baptism and his 40 days temptation by satan in the desert, followed by many healing miracles in rapid succession. Immediately, the religious leaders begin questioning Jesus about his behavior – already they’ve accused him of blasphemy, questioned why he eats with “sinners” and why his disciples don’t fast; accused him of violating sabbath laws prohibiting work, and now in today’s account we find them waiting for him in the synagogue, hoping to “catch him in the act” of violating another legal requirement. Sure enough, Jesus heals a man on the sabbath and so they begin to plot to take his life.
Satan was not able to seduce Jesus in the desert and so the forces of darkness took another tact – influencing the religious leaders for evil and blinding them to the presence and work of God in their midst. Jesus experienced fierce, relentless, and sustained opposition from the beginning of his earthly ministry. Christ did not react defensively whenever he was attacked. He wielded the offensive weapons of truth, love, grace, mercy, and compassion. These divine virtues informed his response to everyone, including his opponents. Jesus only ever acted out of love, compassion, grace, mercy, and truth.
What about us? We face opposition on a daily basis from many fronts and in many forms. We shouldn’t be surprised by that. Following Christ means that our lives mirror his and our feet walk his paths. Pause for a moment and think about where, how, and from whom you experience opposition. What has your reaction and/or response been to those individuals and situations up until now? Might God be calling you to reframe some of your responses so that they conform more to the example of Christ? What interior motivations of yours might need to be healed, converted, or transformed so that you can demonstrate purer love, compassion, grace, mercy, forgiveness?
Today is the Memorial of St Anthony, Abbot, fourth century father of Christian monasticism. He is also known as Anthony the Great, Anthony of Egypt, and Anthony of the Desert, among other titles. I’m reading a wonderful book by Thomas Keating, Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation. Keating lifts up St Anthony’s life as a paradigm for the Christian spiritual journey. Anthony was willing to allow God to dismantle his false self and the unconscious emotional programs and subsequent unhealthy coping mechanisms that can be obstacles to following Christ and growing in spiritual maturity. He also confronted the cultural conditioning that keeps a person trapped in conformity to group norms and worldly attachments and hinders the true self coming to freedom in Christ. A significant part of Anthony’s story involves him doing battle with satan – literally taking the offensive and going to fight with satan on his turf – in the tombs and in the desert. Anthony’s brutal war with the devil in the desert spanned twenty years! Can you imagine battling evil aggressively and continually for twenty years?! Through his surrender to God and sustained prayer and trust, Anthony took the desert away from the enemy and it became home to thousands of monks living in community.
So, today, whether you’re facing opposition from others or situations that make it difficult to live out the Gospel, or whether you’re battling the forces of evil, I pray that you (and I) receive the graces and gifts of courage, fortitude, and perseverance that we need from God. Jesus shows us how to extend compassion, mercy, grace, and forgiveness, even when it’s extremely difficult. We can look to the example of St Anthony, as well. Keating wrote, “To each of his temptations Anthony gave the same basic response: determination to persevere in the spiritual journey, trust that God would give him the grace to do so, and incessant prayer. Each of these three dispositions is an exercise of faith, hope, and love.” Let us press into these theological virtues today with deep gratitude and confidence. St Anthony, pray for us!
Elizabeth Wells