St. Antony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua: 

Some interesting facts

• Born: 15, August, 1195
• Died: 13, June, 1231. He was just 36 when he died. And was not even 37 when he was canonised - on 30, May, 1232 by Pope Gregory IX.
• His Baptismal name was Ferdinand Martins de Bulhŏes.
• He was elected Provincial of his region of Franciscan friars, but he resigned very shortly  just to be able to carryout his preaching mission.
• Patron of missing things and missing persons!
• In Padua, where the Basilica stands today, he is also prayed to, by those who are looking for the right spouse to marry, or by those married couples who have problems in their marriage. The Basilica treasures the incorrupt tongue of the saint, as a relic venerated even today, as a testimony to his gift of breaking the Word.
• He was a contemporary to St. Francis of Assisi and one of the best ones at that.
• A survey reports that after the Blessed Mother and St.Joseph, St. Anthony may be the most loved saint in the Catholic World today.
• St. Anthony ...Pray for Us.

WORD 2day

13th June 2013

Righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the pharisees... today, we better look out for what Pope Francis would say in his homily... the readings of today would be very handy for the orientation that the Holy Father is repeatedly offering the Church these days... it is a call to holiness, in concrete terms of personal integrity and community witness! It is not the external showmanship, nor the imposed grandeur of a mysterious element that makes something or someone valuable; it is the simplicity of the truth that is seen plainly in one's life and ways. Keeping our faith "unveiled" is the key to understand the challenge of the readings today and the call of the Holy Father these days. Let us live our faith... should we to fall in the process now or later, it does not really matter! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! The sons and daughters of a liberating God cannot live in fear, not even the fear of making mistakes! Let us go out and live, and live our life to the full. Unveiled and Shining, Unfettered and Liberated, let us live a life of righteousness which does not consist of mere abiding by laws but consists in warm and mature relationships. A Christianity that is not translated in terms of loving, liberating and respectful interpersonal relationships, is nothing more than the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees.