When a person sees a monk, they immediately notice that he is wearing a monastic hood embroidered with crosses and with a split down the middle. The monastic hood or cowl, along with other pieces of clothing formed the monastic habit which Evagrius Ponticus outlines in his work The Praktikos. Evagrius writes “….an explanation of …
The Eskeem is a Coptic word which means ‘shape’ it is a string of plaited leather with crosses in equal distances, it surrounds the chest and the back. Two big crosses are in it; one at the chest, and one at the back, then 12 more crosses. The hermits who has reached high levels of …
St. Anthony used to conquer the devils with humility. Whenever they gathered around him, he used to address them humbly, "Ye strong, what do you want with me who am weak?" and he prayed, "Save me, O God, from those who think I am of any worth though I am too weak to fight even …
But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers" (1 Peter 4:7) Many visitors who came to the Monastery, would seek him to ask for words of spiritual benefit, and Father Yostos would respond by giving them verses from the Bible. One such verse is from the …
“The land of Egypt is fertile, not only for growing fruits that perish, but for people who bear fruit according to God. Yes, other lands bring different kinds of fruit to us and we find enjoyment in them, but our pride is in our own fruits, yes, in what our land has produced, the likes …
In December 1976 when the monks of St. Antony attended the funeral service for Father Yostos they knew that an angel had departed from their monastery. For more than fifteen centuries the monastery, which was named after the great Saint Anthony and built near his cave, has been standing at the bottom of a high …
The Biography of St Anthony “Vita Antoni” written by St Athanasius in the 4th century was and still is a source of inspiration to many. St Augustine writes in his confessions. After he read the biography of St Anthony that he “neither wished nor needed to read further. At once with the last words of …
I wish today to offer you a banquet of honors for Anthony the Great, since this is an obligation encumbent on me. For who is called to honor the master more than his disciples? Besides, it is better for us to honor the saint to the best of our ability than to pass over him …
Praise is the work of angels who are always standing before the Throne of Grace praising God without tire or boredom, because it is their utmost pleasure, fullness and joy to praise their Creator. Praise in the church is the highest level of prayers and talking to God. It is actual participation with the Heavenly …
The tasbeha, or the midnight praise, is an important component of the life of the church and all of her members. For many generations, it has been prayed daily by thousands of monks in monasteries all over the world and the question that we thus need to ask is “Why?” What is the point of …
