The Valor of St. Antony: A Poem
God is with us. Always.
Seeking the Beautiful and True
If you're a new subscriber to Marvelous Wonders, welcome!
If you’ve been around for a while, welcome back!
Before we get to today’s poem about St. Antony, I’d like to take a few moments and introduce myself to everyone who has signed up recently.
My official bio for my upcoming children’s book, tells a little of my story:
“Drew Chancey is an author and poet who finds inspiration in the wondrous beauty of God’s creation and in his experiences as a husband and father. Through his writings, Drew seeks to share the goodness and beauty of the life God has given us. Drew and his wife Brittney live in Oklahoma with their children.”
As I shared in my first post here on Substack:
Marvelous Wonders is a newsletter for those seeking to:
Nurture beautiful thoughts by reading sacred poetry
Support the creation of Christ-centered art and community
These two points encapsulate my vision for Marvelous Wonders and what motivates my work as a writer. I am excited to see what lies in store for the future. It is my prayer some of the other ideas I have for fostering Christ-centered community might one day become reality.
Question: What would you like see included in Marvelous Wonders in the future? I welcome any suggestions you may have for ways I could consider expanding this newsletter.
Today, here and now, I’m glad you are here supporting me as I seek to spread hope and beauty in a world where it is often difficult to see. I pray the poetry I share here will be edifying and encouraging to you.
“Antony, I was here.”
St. Antony the Great was a monk who lived in Egypt during the 3rd and 4th centuries. He left behind great worldly wealth and went into the desert to do battle against the passions and demonic forces seeking to prevent Him from communing with God in the stillness of his heart. While the desert is not my God appointed arena, I find encouragement and strength from St. Antony's example as I seek to become more like Christ.
St. Antony's life reminds us God is with us as we struggle and strive towards holiness and He rejoices when we are victorious over our spiritual enemies. I find great inspiration from this passage from the Life of Antony by Athanasius.
“Jesus did not fail to notice His servant’s struggle but came to protect him. When at last Antony raised his eyes, he saw the roof opening above him and, as the darkness was dispelled, a ray of light poured in on him. As soon as this bright light appeared, all the demons vanished and the pain in Antony's body suddenly ceased. Furthermore, the building which had been destroyed a moment earlier was restored.
Antony immediately understood that the Lord was present. Sighing deeply from the bottom of his heart, he addressed the light that had appeared to him saying, ‘where were you, good Jesus? Where were you? Why were you not here from the beginning to heal my wounds?’
And a voice came to him, saying, ‘Antony, I was here, but I was waiting to watch your struggle. But now, since you have bravely held your own in this fight, I will always help you and I will make you famous throughout the world.
When he heard this, Antony stood up and prayed; he felt so greatly strengthened that he realized he had received more strength now than he had before he lost it. Antony was thirty-five years old at the time.1”
God is always near to us. He is present as we endure hardships, temptation, trials, and sorrows. The day will come when light dispels the darkness forever, all of heaven and earth will be remade and we will be healed by our Lord who willingly endured the suffering of the Cross and arose on the third day victorious over His enemies.
The Valor of St. Antony
I was here and witnessed your valor Assailed and tormented every hour By demonic forces and terrible shame Seeking to strip you of glory and name Naked you stood as did Adam of old Cursed by cunning serpent that fooled First man but yet could not crush his Seed For all in grave clothes by Him were freed Robed with a garment of incorruptible light Wielding the Cross to send demons to flight Given a new name in that sacred hour I was here and witnessed your valor
Thank you for reading!
I’d love to hear your thoughts about today’s poem! If you found it to be encouraging or edifying, please let me know by liking the post or leaving a comment with your favorite lines. Thank you for your continued support.
God is with us.
With gratitude,
Drew Chancey
Additional Resources
Here are some additional resources related to the topics discussed in this post.2
Anthony, the Great - Ancient Faith Store
Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great - Orthodox Church in America (oca.org)
Missed the last Marvelous Wonders post?
Athanasius of Alexandria. “Life of Antony by Athanasius.” In Early Christian Lives, translated by Carolinne White, 16–16. Penguin, 1998.
Please note: I do not receive compensation for recommending the books or resources shared here. The links included in this section are simply resources I have found helpful or edifying.
The desert saints are always fascinating to learn about. There is something so inspiring (and humbling) about a man being guided to find the living water in a habitat literally void of earthly water. Good work, Drew. Thanks for sharing your gift.