Jun 13 – Memorial for St. Anthony of Padua, priest, religious, doctor
St. Anthony’s (1195-1231) wealthy family wanted him to be a great nobleman, but for the sake of Christ he became a poor Franciscan. When the remains of St. Bernard and his companions, the first Franciscan martyrs, were brought to be buried in his church, Anthony was moved to leave his order, enter the Friars Minor, and go to Morocco to evangelize.
Shipwrecked at Sicily, he joined some other brothers who were going to Portiuncula. One day when a scheduled speaker failed to appear, the brothers pressed him into speaking. He impressed them so that he was thereafter constantly travelling, evangelizing, preaching, and teaching theology through Italy and France.
A gifted speaker, he attracted crowds everywhere he went, speaking in multiple tongues. Legend says that even the fish loved to listen. He was a wonder worker. As one of the most beloved saints, his images and statues are found everywhere. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1946.
- Patron Saint Index
Is 61:1-3
Lk 10:1–9
“The kingdom of God is very near to you.”
St Anthony of Padua is a beloved saint for me, because his life represented the way in which a Christian should live. St Anthony chose to become a Franciscan because he wanted to be a martyr for Jesus. He was inspired by the example of the Franciscans who died in Morocco. Yet because of his health, martyrdom was not to be his way to glorify Christ; instead, it would be through his preaching. St Francis of Assisi recognised St Anthony’s gift of preaching and wrote to St Anthony, sharing that, “It pleases me that you should teach sacred theology to the brothers as long as – in the words of the rule – you ‘do not extinguish the spirit of prayer and devotion with study of this kind.’”
Intellectual pursuit can sometimes lead to an exercise of vainglory. The individual could feel that the possession of knowledge makes him superior over the others. Indeed, the word ‘possession’ is already counter to the vow of poverty, which all Friars have to make. The pursuit of theology is defined by St Anselm to be ‘faith seeking understanding’ — which means that the heart of intellectual pursuit in theology comes from belief in Jesus. This belief in Jesus is deepened through the spirit of prayer and devotion. St Francis was mindful that the world’s needs were complicated; there was a need to exhibit a life of simplicity but yet, there was also a need to inspire the literati and people in positions of power using vocabulary which they could understand.
It is the spirit of prayer which then helps to guide the individual and his community to live out a life of humility amidst the various vocations that an individual is called to live out. The life of a theologian was the way that St Anthony chose to live this call, but he never forgot his roots as a Friar who lived out a life of humility. He subjected himself to the orders of his superior. As we continue with our lives, may we follow the example of St Anthony and answer the call which God has called us to do, and live out that life in a spirit of humble submission to what Jesus has called us to do.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: St Anthony of Padua, pray for us.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the missionaries who continue to spread the faith of God fearlessly.
OXYGEN 
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