Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Revelation of St. Anthony the Great on the Monastic grace

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Icon of the Holy Angelic Hosts (Icon courtesy of www.eikonografos.com used with permission)

Revelation of St. Anthony the Great on the Monastic grace (amateur translation)
St. Anthony said: “I entreated God to show me what help the Monk is granted for his monastic grace, and He showed me a large fiery candle and a multitude of armed Angels, who surrounded the Monk who tried to help save him. And I heard a voice from the Holy Spirit which told the Angels: 'Do not depart from him throughout his life.'

“When I saw such great help, I sighed and said to myself: 'Woe to you, Anthony! How much help God has sent you to protect you, and you are negligent!'

“Again I prayed and said: 'Lord, how does the Devil cheat and mislead the Monk, when he is surrounded with such help?' And I heard again that voice say to me: 'You should know that the Devil does not have power to conquer the Monk because with my incarnation I chopped-up his power, but each is conquered by his negligence and inadequate care.'

“And I said: 'Lord, I wonder, are all Monks granted this help?'

“And the Lord showed me a great mass of Monks, and each of them had his own personal help which I had seen the first time, in other words, a great fiery candle and around it an army of Angels. When I saw these I said: 'Blessed and favored is the race of the Christians and especially blessed are the Monks who have as a help such a good Master, lover-of-man and merciful. Therefore, let us, O brothers, tend to the salvation of the soul without negligence, that we be made worthy of the Kingdom of the Heavens, through the grace and love for man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belong all glory together with the Father and the Holy Spirit unto the ages of ages. Amen”
(amateur translation of Greek text from: http://orthodoxi-pisti.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post_4029.html)

Christ is risen from the dead, by death, trampling down upon death, and to those in the tombs, bestowing life!
Truly the Lord is risen!

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