Happy Feast Day! Today (January 17) we celebrate the Feast of St. Anthony, our patron. St. Anthony was born in 251 in a small village in Egypt. When he was twenty years old, his parents died. They left him a large estate and placed him in charge of the care of his younger sister. Anthony felt overwhelmed and turned to God in prayer. Gradually he became more and more aware of the power of God in his life. About six months later, he heard this quotation of Jesus from the Gospel: "Go, sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." (Mark 10:21) He took the words as a personal message in answer to his prayer for guidance. He sold most of his possessions keeping only enough to support his sister and himself. Then he gave the rest of the money to people who needed it. Anthony's sister joined a group of women living a life of prayer and contemplation. Anthony decided to become a hermit. He begged an elderly hermit to teach him the spiritual life. Anthony also visited other hermits so he could learn each one's most outstanding virtue. Then he began his own life of prayer and penance alone with God.

When he was fifty-five, Anthony built a monastery to help others. Many people heard of him and sought his advice. He would give them practical advice such as, "The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross."

St. Anthony visited Paul the hermit whose feast is celebrated on January 15. He felt enriched by the example of Paul's holy life. Anthony died after a long, prayerful life. He was 105. St. Athanasius wrote a well-known biography of St. Anthony of Egypt. St. Athanasius' feast day is May 2.

We should never become discouraged when the devil tempts us to do wrong. Remember that Jesus is right beside us. If we pray, He will help us. He will reward us for our love and faithfulness.

Due to his association with pigs, pork is a common choice in celebrating the feast day of St. Anthony. For those daring enough, here is a recipe for St. Anthony’s Stew (Olla de San Anton).

Ingredients

224g (8oz) haricot beans, soaked overnight then drained
4 Tablespoons olive oil
450g(1lb0 belly pork, cut into cubes
2 onions, chopped
2 colves garlic, crushed
1 wineglass dry white or rose wine
1 hambone
225g (8oz) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
100g (4oz) long-grain rice
175g(6oz) fennel, choppee
Salt
Pepper

Method

First, blanch the soaked beans in boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain, rinse and strain again. Put to one side.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan and chuck in the pork, sizzling it well. Add the onions and garlic and fry them all together until they are golden, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and bubble it until it has reduced down – it won’t take more than a few minutes.

Fill the pot with cold water and add the ham bone. Bring to the boil, add the beans, then cover and cook slowly for about 1 1/4 hours until the beans are beginning to soften.

Then add the potatoes, rice and fennel, continuing to cook for at least another half an hour to make sure everything is tender. Remove the ham bone and check the seasoning. This stew is in no rush to be eaten – it benefits from long, slow cooking.

– Fr. Eric