1/17/2018 - St Anthony of the Desert, Abbot - Wednesday of the 2nd week of Ordinary Time - 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20

      We celebrated one of the Desert Fathers earlier in the week – Paul the Hermit.  Today we celebrate the most celebrated of the Desert Fathers – Anthony of Egypt, who was born in the middle of the 3rd century.  St Athanasius of Alexandria, Doctor of the Church and Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, wrote a biography about St Anthony of Egypt, making him very popular in the Early Church. Anthony sold his large inheritance at the age of 20 and moved to the solitude of the desert. The movement of the Desert Fathers that Anthony of Egypt and the other desert hermits exemplified the way these early Christians felt called to live out the simplicity and silence of their faith.  It reminds all of us how important our prayer life is to our faith, how we are to search out those quiet moments where we are to find God’s presence.  

      The Desert Fathers felt called to go back to the simple, bare-boned roots of the Christian faith.  In that context, we hear the story of David in Goliath, in which a confident professional warrior sees a young boy approaching him to fight.  Goliath curses David in the name of his gods and describes how he is going to destroy him and leave his flesh for the wild animals to eat.  David, on the other hand, came into this meeting with Goliath having confidence that the Lord would protect him and keep him safe. David tells Goliath that he comes against him in the name of the Lord, in the name of the God of the armies of Israel whom Goliath has insulted.  While David has confidence in God, he also does his part. He doesn't just sit back and let God do all the work. David had work to do as well.  But, instead of the weapons of an ancient warrior, David brought stones and a sling that a shepherd in ancient Israel would normally carry to protect his flock. Think of the times that we also go through our journey of faith feeling vulnerable and ill equipped, needing to put our trust in the Lord. 

          When we approach goals and problems in life, we are called to see God's presence and will in what we are undertaking.  Nothing is impossible for God, but when we try to take matters in our own hands and ignore God's will and God's path for us in our lives, we will realize that we cannot do it alone and on our own initiative no matter what the battle is.