I have many heroes of the faith, one of which is undoubtedly St. Antony of Egypt.
Antony was one of the earliest Desert Fathers, dying in 356 A.D. His life is memorialized in Life of Antony, written by St. Athanasius. It is a short document and definitely worth your time. Parts of it tell of Antony’s great battles against Satan and his minion. One such event tells how Antony goes to the tombs to pray and is viciously attacked by the demons. The brothers found him the following day and mended his wounds, but he insisted on returning to the tombs the following evening. Athanasius continues the encounter.
He was carried, therefore, by the man, and as he was wont, when the door was shut, he was within alone. And he could not stand up on account of the blows, but he prayed as he lay. And after he had prayed, he said with a shout, Here am I, Antony; I flee not from your stripes, for even if you inflict more, nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ. And then he sang, ‘Though a camp be set against me, my heart shall not be afraid.’ These were the thoughts and words of this ascetic. But the enemy, who hates good, marveling that after the blows he dared to return, called together his hounds and burst forth, ‘You see,’ said he, ‘that neither by the spirit of lust nor by blows did we stay the man, but that he braves us, let us attack him in another fashion.’ But changes of form for evil are easy for the devil, so in the night, they made such a din that the whole of that place seemed to be shaken by an earthquake, and the demons, as if breaking the four walls of the dwelling, seemed to enter through them, coming in the likeness of beasts and creeping things. And the place was, on a sudden, filled with the forms of lions, bears, leopards, bulls, serpents, asps, scorpions, and wolves, and each of them was moving according to his nature. The lion was roaring, wishing to attack, the bull seeming to toss with its horns, the serpent writhing but unable to approach, and the wolf as it rushed on was restrained; altogether, the noises of the apparitions, with their angry ragings, were dreadful. But Antony, stricken and goaded by them, felt bodily pains severer still. He lay watching, however, with unshaken soul, groaning from bodily anguish; but his mind was clear, and as in mockery, he said, ‘If there had been any power in you, it would have sufficed had one of you come, but since the Lord has made you weak, you attempt to terrify me by numbers: and a proof of your weakness is that you take the shapes of brute beasts.’ And again, with boldness, he said, ‘If you are able, and have received power against me, delay not to attack; but if you are unable, why trouble me in vain? For faith in our Lord is a seal and a wall of safety to us.’ So, after many attempts, they gnashed their teeth upon him, because they were mocking themselves rather than him.
There are so many things to learn, but mocking the devil doesn’t seem all that wise; however, that is precisely what Antony did. He laughed at the devil. St. Thomas More tells us why it is not such a foolish idea. “The devil…that proud spirit…cannot endure to be mocked.”
St. James tells us, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7b). The next time you find yourself in a spiritual battle, resist the devil and throw in a bit of mocking. The devil can’t endure it, and it will bring a bit of levity to your soul.
Candle in a Cave 