St Bridget of Sweden and St Anthony of Kiev

Visionary. Bridget was born in Sweden in 1303. From the time she was a child, she was greatly devoted to the passion of Jesus. When she was only ten, she seemed to see Jesus on the cross and hear him say: "Look at me, my daughter." "Who has treated you like this?" cried little Bridget. "They who despise me and refuse my love for them," answered Jesus.

When she was fourteen, she married eighteen-year-old Ulf. Like Bridget, Ulf had set his heart on serving God. They had eight children, of whom one was St Catherine of Sweden. Bridget and Ulf served the Swedish court. Bridget was the queen's personal maid. She also tried to advise King Magnus and Queen Blanche from time to time.

All her life, Bridget experienced visions and heard messages from God.

In obedience to them, she visited many rulers and important people in the Church. She explained humbly what God expected of them. After her husband died, Bridget left the court to become a nun. Later, she started the order of the Most Holy Saviour, also known as Bridgettines.

A very active person, she worked with the poor and sick all her life and seemed to carry on a dialogue with God.

Shortly before she died, the saint went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. At the shrines there, she had visions of what Jesus had said and done in that place. All St Bridget's revelations on the sufferings of Jesus were published after her death. She died in Rome on this day in 1373. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Boniface IX in 1391.

and St Anthony of Kiev

St Anthony of the Caves. Co-founder of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Born in Liubeck, Chernigov (Ukraine), 983. Died in Kiev, 1073. Venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church

Canon Robin Gibbons, Greek-Catholic Melkite Priest; Trustee and Chaplain of FACE writes:

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra - also known as the Kyivan Caves Monastery - is the oldest monastic complex of Rus. Founded around 1050 by St Anthony of Kiev, it became a place associated with ascetism, particularly the eremitical and coenobitic forms of monastic life, but also as a place of peace and prayer which drew people seeking spiritual guidance and healing. Under the direction of Theodosius, its third abbot, the community grew in numbers. In the Slav Orthodox tradition, its influence has been profound in many different ways - artistically, culturally, spiritually and intellectually.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is a monastic complex that houses not only world famous architectural and cultural artefacts, but also the ancient monastic cave complex and the bodies of many of the monks and other famous persons. In 1990 it was declared a UNESCO world heritage site. At present, due to the ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the monastery is under the care of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, although during the conflict it has not escaped being caught up in the disputes about church property and ownership of holy places in Ukraine.

Whilst the tragedy of the Ukraine/Russian conflict is being played out, there is another conflict that the image of the monk Anthony presents to us, namely, the deeper more insidious battle between good and evil in the hearts and lives of humankind. This is nothing new; it is part and parcel of the vocation of the early fathers and mothers of monastic tradition, who fled the societal structures and the gradual institutionalisation of the Church from the 4th century onwards. Their flight to the desert, so to speak, was not only an attempt to shake off the yoke of political power and the burdens of wealth but also a yearning to return to the primitive gospel values and life of the early community of Christians. The desert became their battle ground, and spiritual warfare became part of their vocation. But it was not a negative battle because, in Christian terms, the victory had already been won by Christ, and the weapons of this conflict were not sword, arrow and spear, but the Cross, the name of the Holy Trinity, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, with the discipline and asceticism of fasting and prayer.

The monk Anthony, who founded the monastic life at the Caves in Kiev, came from that rich tradition; he was formed in monastic life on the Holy Mountain of Athos. Here the deep foundations of monastic presence and life still reach out across the Orthodox and Christian world, and the teachings of these elders are still followed by many. The key is not so much a visual belief in the presence of physical demons but in what one might call the ability to name, call out, and talk to evil without being possessed or seduced by its many and varied forms. The demons of the human heart are ever the same, and monastics like Anthony sought to become those who could help to defeat or show a way to get through the morass of moral failings that human beings so ably create. The gift of humility is integral to spiritual warfare, as evidenced by Abba Poemen who said of Abba John the Dwarf, "that he had prayed God to take his passions away from him so that he might become free from care. He went and told an old man this: 'I find myself in peace, without an enemy,' he said. The old man said to him, 'Go, beseech God to stir up warfare so that you regain the affliction and humility that you used to have, for it is by warfare that the soul makes progress.' So he besought God and when warfare came, he no longer prayed that it might be taken away".

The conflict in Ukraine has touched the hearts of many of us, and for anyone who encounters Eastern Christianity, the sorrow is compounded by sharing the real and visible sufferings of those who are part of our faith, not least of those who have come to our country seeking refuge. By the same token, we share the sorrow of those who suffer in the Middle East, especially at this time in Gaza, the West Bank and Syria. In all these places, FACE, through its mission and ministry, and aided by your prayers and support, reaches out, to serve and administer aid to the various Christian communities who are suffering.

Thanks to the influence and teaching of Anthony of Kiev and other monastics, we can enter into a deeper relationship of communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ from the East who are suffering. And inspired by the rich treasures of Eastern monasticism, we can learn how to combat evil, in the tradition of spiritual warfare, by lighting a candle of mercy in the darkness of sin and calling out evil by truth. One of the great gifts of Athos, as of Kiev, is the practice of the "Jesus Prayer", that simple, powerful invocation of the name of Christ which asks for mercy. The abbot of Esphigmenou Monastery on Mt Athos sent Anthony to Rus with these words: "Anthony, it is time for you to guide others in holiness. Return to your own Russian land and be an example for others. May the blessing of the Holy Mountain be with you."

For us, part of that blessing is to share in the gift of humility and compassion, and, in these terrible days of conflict between Ukraine and Russia, to help to break down the pernicious influence of nationalism on religious faith; so that we may come to fight for the good of all and may attain to the greater communion that Christ desires and commands of us.

May Saint Anthony of Kiev intercede for us and help us to pray this prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner".

History

Anthony was born in 983 in Liubech, near Chernigov. As he matured he set off on a journey to Mount Athos, where he took to the monastic life. He received the monastic tonsure being called by the name Anthony, and set his life on a course of pleasing God and living an ascetic life on the path to virtue. He became known for his humility and obedience.

In time, the Abbot recognized in him a great future ascetic, and directed that Anthony should return to his homeland where many monks would come to him. Anthony visited many monasteries near Kiev, but was not able to find the strict life that drew him to Mount Athos. In time, he came upon a cave that had been dug by the priest Hilarion (later to be Metropolitan of Kiev), near the village of Berestovo. Here he began his struggle in prayer, vigil, work, and fasting, eating only a morsel a day and sometimes not eating for week.

People began to come to him for his blessing and counsel attracted by his ascetic life and some who came decided to stay with him. Anthony's fame spread throughout the land, inspiring many to the monastic life. After twelve men had gathered with Anthony, the brethren dug a bigger cave, and within it made a church and cells for the monks. As the community became larger, Anthony appointed Barlaam as abbot of the monastery and withdrew to another place to dig a new cave where he secluded himself. Nevertheless, monks began to settle around his new cave and so the Near and Far Caves monasteries were formed.

After the great Prince Izyaslav of Kiev convinced the abbot Barlaam to move to the Dimitriev monastery, the brethren, with Anthony's blessing, chose the meek and humble Theodosius, as igumen. The community of the Near and Far Caves continued to grow, reaching a population of hundred. At this time Prince Izyaslav gave the community of monks the hill where a large church and cells surrounded by a palisade was built. Thus, the renowned Monastery of the Kiev Caves came into being, the first spiritual center in the land of the Rus'.

Many miraculous happening have been recorded associated with St. Anthony, including the appearance of the Mother of God before Ss. Anthony and Theodosius in the Blachernae church in Constantinople, without their leaving their own monastery, at which the Mother of God foretold the death of Anthony. He died on 7 May, 1073, and his relics, through divine providence, remain concealed.

Our charity, Fellowship and Aid to the Christians of the East (FACE), relies on donations to deliver its mission of helping Eastern Christians to remain in their homelands - the biblical lands - where Christianity was born and first spread. Together with the local Christian communities, we aim to bring lasting change to those regions through education, healthcare, pastoral support and community projects.

We strive to preserve the heritage of the Eastern Churches so that Eastern Christians remain a living testament to the roots, legitimacy and beneficence of the Christian presence in the Middle East and the wider region.

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