ANTHONY - THE SAINT

Thursday, June 13, 2024
Anthony of Padua - a Saint of True Grandeur!

Some interesting facts

Born: 15, August, 1195. He was actually born in Lisbon, Portugal. Though he should be called St. Anthony of Lisbon, due to the great prophetic ministry he carried out in the city of Padua in Italy, he is called St. Anthony of Padua to distinguish him from St. Anthony of Egypt, who belongs to the fourth century!

Died: 13, June, 1231. He was just 36 when he died.

Saint: He 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 took the name Anthony when he became a religious.

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 till 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. In Italy he is known as "il Santo", which means, "the Saint," just bringing out the popularity that he enjoys!

Apart from Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, St. Anthony is the only other saint who is depicted with Child Jesus in his hands. The reasons are varied: one, because there was a legend that the Infant Jesus appeared to him during his prayer and meditation; another because in the 17th century a franciscan friar had a vision as such. The best of all reasons however is...
                He was so close to the Word of God, that the Word made flesh, the Son of God who was born into this world came to be with him, to be carried by him as he did all his life.

We too can hold the person of Jesus Christ in our hands, if we hold the Word close to our hearts. St. Anthony ...Pray for Us.

Holding on to the Lord

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 10th week in Ordinary time

June 12, 2024: 1 Kings 18: 20-39; Matthew 5: 17-19

Faith is, holding on. It is holding on to the Lord against all odds. Hence perseverance is the capacity to hold on for a longer time, longer than your normal patience can really hold. Amidst crises of various kinds, and specially amidst some injustice that you experience for no cause of your's, the capacity to hold on, is tested more intensely.

Today we witness some spectacular events in Elijah's lifetime. This could both be a positive lesson and a negative one at that. Positive, when we think of the greatness that God reveals right in front of the eyes of everyone. Negative, when we think of the fact that people who look for these kinds of sensational happenings to prove God, or find reasons and justifications amidst sufferings like saying 'God is angry' and 'God is displeased' and all the human absurdities attributed to God!

However, there is one formidable message that we can derive from Elijah's experience: one person's faith could save and revive the faith of an entire people... when we hold on to God, we hold our fellow persons up. So it is with us, even in our families for instance. When a person sees many in the family or all else in the family going away from God, the person's faith could prove instrumental in bring the rest of them back to God! How many today, stand testimonies to this phenomenon!

Holding on to God is not an easy thing anyway. Just because it is challenging the Lord does not go easy on that demand... he is unwaveringly stern on that call - to remain firm! It is of course, not merely calling out, "Lord! Lord!", which means to hold on to God. But it is to keep the Word of the Lord, to live by the commands of the Lord, come what may. When we do that we hold on; if not, we fall.

How prepared are we to hold on to the Lord?