O God, who by thy Holy Spirit didst enable thy servant Antony to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil: Give us grace, with pure hearts and minds, to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
From William Harmless in [i]Desert Christians[/i] (page 57), quoting Serapion, a contemporary of Antony upon his death: “As soon as this earth’s great elder, the blessed Antony, who prayed for the whole world, departed, everything has been torn apart and is in anguish … While he was truly on earth, he extended his hands and prayed and spoke with God all day long. He did not let the Wrath descend on us.”
May God give us grace to fight Antony’s battle in intercession as well as “withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.” Rest in Peace Antony. I look forward to meeting you.