Hari
OM
Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and
parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.
June 13th is the feast day of St Anthony of Padua. Saint Anthony was born
Fernando Martins in Lisbon, Portugal, into a wealthy family, and by the age of
fifteen asked to be sent to the Abbey of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, the then
capital of Portugal. During his time in the abbey, he learned theology and
Latin.
Following his ordination to the priesthood, he was named
guest-master and was responsible for the abbey's hospitality. When Franciscan
friars settled a small hermitage outside Coimbra dedicated to Saint Anthony of
Egypt, Fernando felt a longing to join them. Fernando eventually received
permission to leave the abbey so he could join the new Franciscan Order. When
he was admitted, his name became Anthony.
Anthony then traveled to Morocco to spread God's truth, but became
extremely sick and was returned to Portugal to recover. The return voyage was
blown off-course and the party arrived in Sicily, from which they traveled to
Tuscany. Anthony was assigned to the hermitage of San Paolo after local friars
considered his health.
As he recovered, Anthony spent his time praying and studying.
An undetermined amount of time later, Dominican friars came to visit
the Franciscans for an ordination ceremony and there was confusion over who
would present the homily. It was then the head of the Franciscan hermitage
asked Anthony to speak on whatever the Holy Spirit told him to speak of. Though
he tried to object, Anthony delivered an eloquent and moving homily that
impressed both groups. Soon, news of his eloquence reached Francis of Assisi.
In 1224, Francis entrusted his friars' pursuits of studies to Anthony. Anthony
had a book of psalms that contained notes and comments to help when teaching
students and, in a time when a printing press was not yet invented, he greatly
valued it.
When one novice decided to leave the hermitage, he stole Anthony's
valuable book. Anthony, discovering it was missing, prayed it would be found or
returned to him. The thief did return the book and in an extra step returned to
the Order as well. It is for this event that Anthony is considered the saint
for prayer of lost articles.
Anthony occasionally taught at the universities of Montpellier and
Toulouse in southern France, but he performed best in the role of a preacher.
So simple and resounding was his teaching of the Catholic Faith,
most unlettered and the innocent could understand his messages. It is for this
reason he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946.
Once, when St. Anthony of Padua attempted to preach the true Gospel
to heretics who would not listen to him, he went out and preached his message
to the fish. When critics saw the fish begin to gather, they realized they
should also listen to what Anthony had to say.
He was only 36-years-old when he died and was canonized less than
one year afterward by Pope Gregory He is typically depicted with a book and the
Infant Child Jesus and also with a lily.
(These were excerpted from a very fine page dedicated entirely to St
Anthony. You are encouraged to read the full version.)