Counsels of St. Anthony

He also said, “Some have worn out their bodies by asceticism, but they lack discernment, and so they are far from God.”

Today we celebrate St. Anthony the Great. He is considered one of the Fathers of monasticism. As great a fellow saint as St. Athanasius wrote about St. Anthony’s life and considered him a person worthy of imitation. He believed in fasting, prayer, and the reading of Scripture. He fought demonic influences in his life and had much sage advice to those who came to visit him.

But, what he was not, was a person who saw ascetic practices as somehow a way to win God’s favor. Ascetic practices were and are valuable, but in the saying of St. Anthony quoted above, we see the balance that is present in his life. You see, non-ascetic individuals and groups are correct to point out that the danger of asceticism can be a fall into the mentality of forcing the door to heaven to open.

Asceticism does have an important part to play in our growth as Christians, but that part is not that of forcing a door to heaven to open, but rather to force us to confront ourselves and our demand for the ultimate control of our lives. Asceticism teaches us to control our passions and to better listen to Our Lord. It was Our Lord, himself, who warned us that without the insights and self-control provided by asceticism we would be unable to triumph over the devil. This is found in the classic passage in which the disciples are unable to cast out a demon. Our Lord warns them that this type does not come out without prayer and fasting.

I do not believe that Our Lord is saying that prayer and fasting will somehow turn us into some type of spiritual battery that stores up divine power for the next demonic confrontation. Rather, he is saying that ascetic practices allow us to let us come to know our utter dependence upon the Lord and his grace and forgiveness. It also lets us come to know our utter depravity and sinfulness. It is only when we come to know ourselves and Our Lord in correct relationship to each other that we can look at the demonic and see it for what it truly is. It is only in the humility that comes from seeing ourselves truly that we can approach the Lord to ask that this demon be removed.

More than one Church Father and Mother has commented that it is by humility that the devil is defeated. And, it is in humility that the strongest demons are cast out. All too often the failed exorcist goes in with the arrogance that “greater is He who is in me than He who is in the world.” The one who successfully fights against the devils of this world is the one who humbly goes in having submitted himself or herself to Our Lord. For, then the devil has nothing in the life of the believer which to use to resist him or her, and the devil is forced to leave.

As you might have guessed by now, I am not merely talking about exorcisms. Exorcisms are the least of the battles against devils. Rather, I am talking about that inner fight that we all have that we must win if we wish to truly grow in Christ. St. Paul reminds us that, “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.” It is that battle we need to nobly, and ascetically, fight.

I may be forgiven in Christ, but that does not excuse me from the war to bring my inner being into consonance with the forgiveness I have received. St. Paul, who is often quoted by some to justify “once saved always saved” was one of the Apostles who most spoke about the war that must be waged inside of us. It is true that Romans 8 speaks of the Holy Spirit who helps and supports us, but over and over St. Paul exhorts us to choose to carry out the deeds of the light, to choose the ascetic journey, to be humble and win the battle to be like Jesus. There is no true justification without sanctification. The journey of practical asceticism is a necessary part of our growth in Christ.

One final point from today’s saying. Just because you follow the way of asceticism will not make you either wise nor righteous. It is not a set of rules that guarantee growth. An asceticism without prayer, Scripture, and true worship lacks discernment and leaves you far from God. Scripture without prayer, true worship, and asceticism simply makes you equivalent to the demons, who, as St. James said, also believe that God is One. Prayer without the other three often simply turns you into a whiny unfocused baby who babbles out what he or she wants without concern for the deeper things of the Spirit. Lack of participation in true worship separates you from the fellowship of the Body of Christ and removes you from receiving His Body and Blood, which leaves you as nothing more than a clanging cymbal.

But, maturity in the life of Christ will never happen without the practice of a practical asceticism. As with the disciples, you will be unable to defeat the devils that so trouble you or to defeat your passions.