Abba Anthony said: "I saw all the snares of the enemy spread over the earth, so I groaned and said: "And who will escape them?" And I heard a voice say to me: "Humility".
Modern man is not very concerned about Satan and his powers. We have relegated him to fairy tales and legends, made him a "cool guy" from the TV series "Lucifer" or a cartoon character. We do not take him seriously.
Anthony and his ilk had a very different approach to him.
For them, Satan was a real opponent to be reckoned with. He was someone who fought for the soul of man and tried to prevent man from reaching salvation. His weapons were temptations and, in certain situations, other ways of harassing people.
The life of the desert monks, as we know it from the Apophthegms, is full of different kinds of battles against temptation. Some spectacular, others quite ordinary (if we can call it a battle for the salvation of the soul).
St Anthony's vision shows one of the most universal methods of dealing with Satan's actions: humility.
It is undervalued, especially today. Yet it remains effective.
But how does it work?
Firstly, the humble person is aware of Satan's objective power and therefore does not rely on his own strength alone in the fight against temptation, but relies on God. It is in God's grace that he seeks help, and it is by God's grace that he can prevail.
Secondly, the humble man, aware of his own weakness, does not put himself to the test. He does his best not to expose himself to circumstances in which temptation can overcome him.
Such humility was learned by the monks every day they spent in the desert. Such humility can be a life-saver for us too.
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