“Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as both son and brother.”

Lord God, you bestowed on Saint Anthony the grace of serving you in the wilderness as a hermit. Grant that through his intercession we may deny ourselves and love you above all things. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen