Abba Antony … learned that evil is the scattering of mind and spirit away from God’s presence. When the monk’s focus is deflected away from God he or she becomes subject to the demons. The demonic influences do not drive out God; they mask the awareness of God’s presence and transformative power. Patient endurance in prayer, contemplation, and “things that have to do with the Lord” is required. Antony knew that a new moment of repentance will restore a turning toward God, who has never abandoned the monk. He also said, “For the joy and the stability of the soul attest to the one who is in your presence.” Patience is not inactivity. It is a courageous act of detachment from thoughts, temptations or acts that try to shatter the monk’s heart and drive it away from the Spirit within. Patience and trust in God’s presence gives birth to a purity or wholeness of heart which can re-harmonize the monk’s whole being in God.
David G.R. Keller
Oasis of Wisdom, p. 72
