Imitating the Saints

            There are traditionally two aspects being devoted to a saint.  Praying to them or seeking their intercession and looking to them as examples or imitating them.  St. Athanasius teaches about this second part – imitating the saints – in his biography of St. Antony.  In Athanasius’s prologue, he explains why he is writing about St. Antony.  Athanasius says:

And since, too, you have inquired of me about the blessed Antony’s way of life, wishing to learn how he began his religious life and what he was before it, and what the end of his life was like and whether the things that are said about him are true, in order to bring yourselves to imitate him; with the greatest willingness I do your bidding.  For I, too, gain much help from merely remembering Antony; and I know that you also when you hear, besides admiring the man, will wish to imitate his purpose.[i]

Athanasius attests that the example of St. Antony helped him to live well, and he believes learning about St. Antony will help us too.  Athanasius says that his primary reason for writing about St. Antony is that we will seek to imitate him. 

            Athanasius then tells the story of St. Antony in detail, recounting many events in his life and many of his instructions to other monks.  Upon coming to St. Antony’s death, Athanasius says that he thinks St. Antony’s death is also important for us to imitate.  Athanasius says, “the manner of the end of his life I ought also to tell you, and you to hear eagerly, for this also is a pattern to imitate.”[ii]  Just a few pages later Athanasius reiterates that we should study the life of St. Antony in order to imitate it.  He says:

Now, therefore, read this to the other brethren, that they may learn what should be the life of monks and may believe that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ glorifies them that glorify Him, and not only brings to the kingdom of Heaven those who serve Him to the end, but even here (though they hide themselves and seek retirement) He makes them everywhere known and spoken of for their own goodness and for the helping of others.[iii]

Athanasius is very clear that a main part of being devoted to a saint is imitating them. 

            In the instructions that St. Antony gave to his fellow monks, as related by Athanasius, St. Antony himself tells the monks to look to the saints as examples to imitate. The first time this happens is when St. Antony is instructing the monks on how to combat the demons.  It seemed that demonic assaults, including physical harm being done to the monks, was a common occurrence in those days.  Therefore, St. Antony was teaching his followers how to fight against these attacks and temptations.  St. Antony assures the monks that God will be their help and will rescue them from these attacks, but until God sees fit to rescue them St. Antony tells them to imitate the courage of the saints.  He says, “but we, learning from the Saints, must do as they did and imitate their courage.”[iv]  He then quotes two psalms which ask the Lord to deliver us from present evil (psalms 38-39 RSV).  So, St Antony is referring to the authors of scripture, particularly King David, as the saint whom we must imitate. 

            The second time St. Antony teaches us to imitate the saints is later in his life.  He is giving general advice to his followers on how to live a holy life, Athanasius mentions that this particular bit of advice was St. Antony’s general advice which he repeated many times throughout his life.  Included in this advice, St. Antony would say, “pray always, to sing the psalms before sleeping and after, to repeat by heart the commandments of the Scriptures and to remember the deeds of the Saints, that by their example the soul may train itself under the guidance of the Commandments.”[v]  Again, St. Antony tells us that we should look to the saints as examples to follow, for they have successfully lived an authentic Christian life and achieved holiness.  So, if we want to know how we ought to act and to live, follow their example.  

            A primary part of devotion of the saints is looking to them as examples.  St. Athanasius teaches us that through the example of St. Antony.  But, before we are able to imitate the saints, we need to know about their lives.  This is exactly why St. Athanasius wrote a biography about St. Antony.  We too, should read biographies of the saints and learn about their lives, without them we are simply incapable of following their example. 

[i] Athanasius, St. Antony of the Desert, Trans by Dom McLauhlin, (Charlotte, North Carolina, TAN Books, 2014), IX. 
[ii] Ibid., 101. 
[iii] Ibid., 106. 
[iv] Ibid., 34. 
[v] Ibid., 65.