St. Anthony: The People’s Choice by Fr. Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

 

WONDERING GURU

 

Who does not know St. Anthony? Who has not heard about him? Which catholic has so far never attended the novena or feast of St. Anthony? To say Anthony in the morning Anthony in the noon time,  Anthony when the sun goes down may appear to be an exaggeration or may be even an aberration but looking around the countless persons, schools, colleges, bars and restaurants and of course the numerous churches and chapels bearing the name Anthony can be a justification.  Yes! He is the number one people’s choice therefore he is the saint of the masses including people of other faiths. Sometimes I feel St. Anthony is not only popular than Goemcho Saib St. Francis Xavier but we can take the liberty to say even more popular than his master Jesus himself. Since we Goans love St. Anthony so much let’s find out the Goan connection with the most popular saint.

 ·       His Portuguese Connection-Being under Portuguese rule for 450 years and having the opportunity to be a Portuguese citizen brings us very close to the saint of Lisbon.  With such a long connection with Portugal, political, social and cultural we feel St. Anthony is ours, one among us. Born Fernando Martins de Bulhoes (August 15, 1195 – June 13, 1231), Anthony of Padua and Anthony of Lisbon are one and the same. He was known for his powerful preaching, profound knowledge of the scripture, humility and undying love and devotion for the poor and the sick. He entered the Augustinian monastery in Lisbon when he was only fifteen. 

·        His Franciscan connection- When news of the Franciscan martyrs in Morocco reached him, he joined the Franciscans. He volunteered to be a missionary to Morocco. Man proposes but God disposes became true in Anthony’s life.  He became ill, and had to return. On the way back due to heavy storm his boat landed in Sicily, Italy. At that time St. Francis' the founder of the Franciscans assigned him to the province of Romagna  to teach theology. He became a preacher by accident (actually God’s plan). So Francis gave him permission to preach. His preaching had extraordinary power of conviction; it was filled with the penetrating power of the Bible. Because of his success in converting heretics, he was called the "Hammer of Heretics". The Franciscan missionaries first introduced St Anthony to Goa in the Bardez taluka. The saint’s popularity then spread to other parts of the state. Therefore in all the churches built by the Franciscans you always get to see Franciscan paintings and statues especially the statues of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Anthony.

·       His Hotspot Connection-The two most popular hotspot connection about St. Anthony are Siolim in the north and Deussa (chinchinim) in the south.  How did they become so popular? In 1600, when the Siolim church was being constructed, a serpent kept disrupting the work. A statue of St Anthony was placed at the site and prayers were offered. The next day the dead reptile was found wrapped around the statue. This miracle made the church popular at that time. Later on with the promotion of devotion to St. Anthony the popularity continued. In the south the Deussua chapel in Chinchinim is known for many miracles.  Having preached many times in this chapel I can confidently say that every Tuesday, hundreds of people come to attend mass or to pray to St. Anthony to seek favours from the saint.

 ·       His Lost & Found Connection:  “Tony, Tony, come around, something’s lost and can’t be found.” That’s the secret to call on the humble saint to find your lost things. He is more popularly known for his intercession when an item has been lost.

 ·       His flower Connection- In Goa, a lily has been named after St Anthony. It is called as St Anthony’s flower. It is a white, single or multi-petal flower. It usually either blooms in the month of June or in places where there is excess moisture.

 ·        His monsoon Connection-I remember as a kid when the monsoons were delayed too long the people of my village took out a procession with the statue of St. Anthony asking his intercession to bless our land with rain. In some villages in bardez (Aldona, Assnora) people carry stones on their heads and walk in a procession to a nearby hill singing to St Anthony pleading for rain. And if it did not rain even after praying to him, some devotees would immerse the image of the saint in a bucket full of water or lower it in a well. They would remove the statue only when it began to rain.

 ·       His Patronage & Profession Connection: He is a patron of sailors, boatmen, fishermen, travelers, mariners, amputees, oppressed people, poor people, seekers of lost articles, elderly people, expectant mothers; against sterility, harvests, mail, starvation, swineherds, animals, asses, barrenness and shipwrecks.

 ·       His Symbols and their meaning-Connection: The Holy Child on a book; the Franciscan habit, the lily; the fish; the mule; money chest and human heart; the flame of fire.  The lily represents his purity of heart and his devotion to Mary under her title “Immaculate Conception” and Queen of the Order of Friars Minor. The Franciscan habit is a reminder of his journey to the Franciscan Order. The Christ Child expresses his attachment to the humanity of Christ. The open book of the Gospels reminds us that Anthony was a great preacher of the Word. The flame is a symbol of his zeal and passion. The bread recalls his charity to the poor.

 ·       The Bread Connection In many Franciscan churches, “St. Anthony’s Bread for the Poor,” which goes back to 1263 symbolizes not only bread to eat, but the nourishment we receive from the Word of God. Bread of St Anthony (Pao de Santo Antonio)  is a charitable tradition that originated in France. The practice first began after a woman began offering loaves of bread as thanksgiving for a favour that she received. The bread would be distributed among the poor. Later, it was discontinued due to wastage. At Siolim church, the ‘Associacao de Caridade Pao de Santo Antonio’ has been in existence since 1924.

 QUOTES FROM ST. ANTHONY

1) “Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.”

2) “Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.”

3) “Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft.”

4) “Solicitude for material things distracts the soul and divides it. The devil seizes the divided soul and drags it to hell.”

5) “Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travelers lean on a staff when they begin a long journey.”

6) “The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.”

7) “Anyone, then, who desires to live chastely in Christ Jesus, must flee not only the mouse of lust, but even from its very scent.”

8) “The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common laborer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.” **

9) “Damned money! Alas! How many religious did it blind! How many cloistered religious did it deceive! Money is the ‘droppings of birds’ that blinded the eyes of Tobit.”

10) “The saints are like the stars, who, in His providence, Christ hides under a seal, lest they appear whenever they wish. Instead, they are always ready to disembark from the quiet of contemplation into the works of mercy at the time decided upon by God, whenever their heart should hear the word of command.”