Br. Bartholomew Calvano, O.P., on the Sign of the Cross

"St. Anthony of the Desert is considered the Father of Monasticism. Not because he was the first monk but because he was the first to venture deep into the wilderness. St. Athanasius reports that although there were monks in Egypt before Anthony, they all remained near their homes. Anthony lived with an old man for a time to learn how to be an ascetic. When he resolved to head into the deep desert, he asked this same old man to join him. The old man, however, 'declined on account of his great age, and because as yet there was no such custom.' So Anthony set off into the desert alone.

"By his journey into the desert, St. Anthony models the fuga mundi (flight from the world) that characterizes true monastic life. This flight from the world is not the flight of a coward nor the avoidance of hardship or the total abandonment of all people. The monk who flees the world cares deeply for those in the world. In fact, by fleeing the world the monk enters into a spiritual combat for those still in the world. . . .

"Although he had few worldly cares, St. Anthony had many tribulations from evil spirits. The monk fights more intensely the spiritual battle that all Christians must fight. Indeed, whenever each of us, be we monk or layman, advances in holiness, the demons increase their temptations and hinder us by evil thoughts. . . . One of the helps that St. Anthony recommended in this spiritual combat is to make use of the sign of the cross."

In a recent commentary, Brother Bartholomew Calvano, O.P., reflected on the great power present in the Sign of the Cross.

To access Br. Pier’s complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: Spiritual Warfare and the Sign of the Cross (17 JAN 18)