Age-Old Questions

Saint Anthony Tempted by a Heap of Gold by the Master of the Osservanza, c. 1430s, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Robert Lehman Collection

“When the same Abba Anthony thought about the depth of the judgements of God, he asked, 'Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?' He heard a voice answering him, 'Anthony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to the judgement of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.’” -The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Abba Anthony the Great, paragraph 2)

The questions that Abba Anthony asks God are the same questions we often ask God 1,700 years later. It seems like such an obvious thing to want to know. Why do some suffer more than others? Why are some born in extreme wealth and some are born in poverty? At one time or another, we have all thought this. The response that Abba Anthony gets though is not necessarily what we want to hear.

We want to know all the answers. We want to know why the world is the way it is. Our fallen human nature wants to control and know the answers to everything, even if it is not necessary for our salvation. Abba Anthony was a monk living in the desert and was asking questions that did not directly affect him. These thoughts were distractions from his ultimate goal of being in the desert, which was union with God. He was told that “…it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.”

This does not mean that we should ignore or be indifferent towards the suffering of others, but we should not let speculative questions such as this distract us from our main goal, which is union with Christ.

In our modern technological society, we often search for news of things that is not to our advantage to know anything about.

This can become a great temptation for us. As we are looking out at others and what they are doing, we avoid looking at ourselves and purifying our own hearts and minds.

There is, of course, moderation to this depending on your state in life, and what God’s specific vocation might be for you, but it’s worth reflecting on.

How might we adjust our focus from the things of this world to those of Heaven?