Commemorated on January 17
“One should not say that it is impossible to reach a virtuous life; but one should say that it is not easy. Nor do those who have reached it find it easy to maintain. Those who are devout and whose intellect enjoys the love of God participate in the life of virtue; the ordinary intellect, however, is worldly and wavering, producing both good and evil thoughts, because it is changeful by nature and directed towards material things. But the intellect that enjoys the love of God punishes the evil which arises spontaneously because of man’s laziness.”
Troparion & Kontakion
Troparion — Tone 4
By emulating the ways of Elias the zealot, / and following the straight paths of the Baptist, / O Father Anthony, you made the desert a city, / and upheld the world by your prayers. / Therefore, entreat Christ God that our souls be saved.
Kontakion — Tone 2
(Podoben: “You sought the heights…”)
You rejected the tumults of this life and lived a life of stillness, / emulating the Baptist in every way, most righteous one. / Therefore, we honor you with him, Father Anthony, / the foundation of the Fathers.
