Today is the feast of Antony of Egypt. Antony was the son of a wealthy farmer on the upper Nile. He was in church one day and heard the story of the rich young ruler.

After this, he decided to renounce his inheritance and at age 20, he gave all of it to the poor. He placed his sister in a community of virgins and placed himself in the care of a hermit. He moved across the Nile to a place where he spent the next twenty years. In the last fifty years, Antony emerged from seclusion to guide and counsel others in the church, even going to Alexandria. He was one of the chief apologists against the Arians.

His asceticism was rigorous. Most of what we know of Antony is collected in St. Athanasius' Life of Antony.

Antony would keep vigil to such an extent that he would often go the whole night without sleep. He ate once a day. Many times he would fast as much as 4 days. He would eat bread and salt and water. It is said that he fought with Satan himself, and was left beaten and tired, but not dead.

The Scriptures, he told his followers, were sufficient guides, armed with the power to overthrow demons.

Antony is generally considered to be the founder of the monastic movement, a movement which has been the foundation of Christian Spiritual Life for the past 1600 years.