When he was 18 years old Antony heard Christ’s words in the Gospel, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven.” He gave some of the land he had inherited from his parents to his neighbors, sold the rest and gave the money to the poor, entrusted his younger sister to the care of a group of Christian virgins, and went into the desert to live an ascetic life.
