St. Anthony of Padua - Spiritual Lessons

[Music] you've lost your wallet with your driver's license credit cards and money just withdrawn from the ATM quick Who you gonna call chances are if you're like many Catholics you'll enlist the aid of Saint Anthony of Padua renowned for his ability to recover everything from a missing child to a misplaced set of house keys but this is only one of the many Powers attributed to this extraordinary Saint acknowledged as one of the greatest miracle workers of all time [Music] he began his remarkable life at Lisbon Portugal in 1195 and was christened Fernando little is known of his early years experts cannot even agree on his parents names but it is generally believed that they were wealthy members of the nobility he was educated at the Cathedral School in Lisbon and at the age of 15 joined the Cannons regular of Saint Augustine in 1212 he was transferred to coimbra in order to devote himself more fully to prayer and study away from the distraction of frequent visits by family and friends in 1220 Don Pedro Crown Prince of Portugal brought from Morocco the relics of the first Franciscan martyrs seized with a new Zeal to be a missionary and Martyr Fernando left the augustinians to join The Franciscan order founded about a decade earlier in Assisi by Francesco bernadone who would become known as Francis of Assisi he took the name Anthony after Anthony of Egypt founder and father of organized Christian monasticism shortly thereafter he was permitted to go as a missionary to Morocco but God had other plans for him immediately upon his arrival he became so ill with malaria that he was forced to return to Europe the ship on which he booked passage was diverted off course by severe storms and docked in Sicily he recuperated there for several months then went to Assisi where he was assigned to The Hermitage near fourley a town outside bologna although a brilliant scholar with a profound knowledge of scripture his great humility caused him to say nothing of his Scholastic achievements he lived quietly serving the other brothers and working in the kitchen one day he accompanied some other Friars to Four Leaf for an ordination at the last minute there was no one available to preach and in desperation the superior asked Anthony to speak whatever the Holy Spirit prompted things would never be the same again although timid at first Anthony was soon preaching so eloquently and fervently that everyone was amazed thus began the aspect of his public life for which he would become the most renowned preaching when the Holy Spirit enters a soul he wrote he fills it with his fire and lets it enkindle others he had all the qualities of a successful preacher a charismatic presence clear resonant voice attractive appearance and Magnetic Personality although the franciscans were guarded in their attitude toward book learning Francis was so impressed by Anthony's newly discovered ability that he appointed him as teacher of theology to the franciscans during the remainder of his short life Anthony's achievements were astounding crowds numbering over thirty thousand flocked to hear him speak he preached so forcefully against heresy he became known as malleus hereticorum Latin for Hammer of the Heretics thousands of conversions followed his compelling sermons and miracles abounded wherever he went many of these Miracles are legendary along the coast of Rimini fish rose out of the water as he preached poisoned food offered to Anthony by his enemies was rendered harmless after he made the sign of the cross over it a young man's amputated foot was miraculously restored at Anthony's touch in 1226 after the death of Francis of Assisi Anthony eventually made his home in Padua Italy where he was greatly revered during Lent in 1231 he preached a powerful series of sermons that were to be his last shortly after Easter he became fatally ill with edema and died in virtually on June 13 1231 at the age of 36. immediately after his death he appeared to Thomas Gallo the Abbott advocelli numerous Miracles followed and he was canonized on May 30th 1232 less than a year later one of the fastest canonization processes in the church's history Pope Gregory IX who had known him personally called Anthony the Ark of the Covenant because of his prodigious knowledge of Holy Scripture 30 years later Anthony's Body was exhumed and his tongue found to be perfectly preserved it remains incorrupt to this day when Saint Bonaventure beheld this miracle he exclaimed o blessed tongue that always praised the Lord and made others bless him now it is evident what great Merit you have before God so how did he come to be regarded as finder of the Lost it all began with a cherished Book of Psalms belonging to Anthony in which he kept written notes for use in teaching theology to the Friars one day a novice suddenly deserted the monastery taking with him for reasons unknown Anthony's precious Psalm book Anthony pleaded with heaven for its return the novice soon had a change of heart and not only returned the book but rejoined The Franciscan order after Anthony's death people invoked his help in finding lost and stolen things and so many of these were recovered that he became known as the patron saint of lost articles his patronage also includes amputees animals baroness boatmen the elderly expectant mothers fishermen harvests horses Mariners Native Americans the oppressed the poor Portugal the tigua Native American tribe Travelers and is invoked against shipwrecks and starvation in paintings Saint Anthony is often depicted holding the Child Jesus this custom dates back to a legend which says that while staying at a friend's house Anthony was spied on by his host who found him in a state of rapture with a Christ child in his arms today more than 750 years after his death Anthony of Padua is one of the most popular and Powerful Saints of the church the many miracles attributed to him over the centuries earning him the title of the Wonder working Saint his feast day is June 13th so what are some lessons we can take from Saint Anthony's example in thinking about his life here's a few I came up with one Focus no doubt Fernando later to be called Anthony greatly loved his family and friends but even as a teenager he understood the value of avoiding distractions so that he could stay focused on his studies and spiritual growth how often do we let distractions keep us from doing things that are vital to our future and our development as a person distractions are much more prevalent today than they were in Anthony's day but we can still learn to be disciplined enough to know when to say no and keep ourselves focused on what is most important two humility and independence from the good opinion of other people not only were Anthony's dreams thwarted by illness and other difficulties but he was reassigned to a new location and given the most menial of chores to perform in the kitchen he probably could have asserted himself and insisted that with his Superior education he should be given more prestigious work to do but he honored his vow of obedience to his superiors and accepted with Grace and humility the tasks he was assigned he placed his future in the hands of God who knew his abilities and how to use them in today's world it seems that everyone is vying for attention and approval from others spending just a few minutes on social media makes this apparent many times people are trying to get attention for the most superficial reasons instead of earning it by actual achievements Anthony knew that in time he would fulfill his potential according to God's plan and he was patient and humble enough to wait three leaving ourselves open to the prompting of the spirit Anthony was probably terrified at the prospect of suddenly being called upon to preach publicly without any preparation he could have refused but again he cooperated with his superiors and trusted in God with the most amazing results when we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit he will do amazing things through us as well 4. God's plan differed from Anthony's but he accepted this with Grace and courage Anthony dreamed of doing great things for God to be sent as a missionary to Morocco and maybe even die for his faith he almost made it to his first goal but God knew that Anthony's Destiny would be best served by staying close to home this is a perfect example of thriving where you're planted we don't know how Anthony would have fared had he stayed in Morocco but it's doubtful that he could have achieved more greatness than he did by following God's Will and doing his best to thrive where he was planted in Italy this is a reminder to us to not get discouraged when our plans don't work out because God sees the big picture and will lead us to our destiny if we trust in him 5. guarding the tongue because Anthony was so renowned as a preacher and the Holy Spirit infused him with such great wisdom in his speech it's not surprising that after Anthony's death the part of his body that God preserved from corruption was his tongue Saint Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but only what is helpful in building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen Ephesians 4 verse 29. Saint Anthony perfectly exemplified what Saint Paul meant and it's a strong reminder to us that our words can build up or destroy edify or corrupt Anthony's incorrupt tongue is a symbol that his words were never used to corrupt but only to spread God's light and love to everyone who heard him speak 6. we don't always know for what we will be most loved and remembered many Catholics know the little prayer something's lost and must be found please Saint Anthony look around it may seem strange that given all of Anthony's remarkable achievements during his lifetime today most people know him best as finder of the Lost but I think God allows this because it makes Anthony so relatable to all of us Ordinary People to whom losing something necessary or precious is a very real concern Anthony too had lost something precious and was so upset that he pleaded with God to help him recover it Saint Anthony is one of the best loved Saints and I think that's because so many of us have called upon his help when we've lost something important and when we found it we were so grateful to him for interceding on our behalf it made him seem like a good friend this makes him more accessible than if he were known just as a great preacher and Miracle Worker none of us truly know until we die which Deeds or characteristics we will be most remembered for or which touched other people's lives the most like Saint Anthony we can only do our best to live our lives with love and kindness traditional prayer to Saint Anthony holy Saint Anthony gentle and Powerful in your help your love for God and charity for his creatures made you worthy when on Earth to possess miraculous powers Miracles waited on your word which you were always ready to request for those in trouble or anxiety encouraged by this thought I implore you to obtain for me here mentioned your request the answer to my prayer may require a miracle even so you are the saint of Miracles gentle and loving Saint Anthony whose heart is Ever full of human sympathy take my petition to the infant Savior for whom you have such a great love and the Gratitude of my heart will ever be yours amen foreign

Channel: Everyday Life Spirituality

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Keywords: inspiration, spirituality, St. Anthony of Padua inspiration, prayer to St. Anthony, Saints, St. Anthony finder of the lost, St. Anthony of Padua, spiritual lessons from St. Anthony of Padua, life of St. Anthony of Padua, st. anthony, Catholic Christian, Catholic saints

Id: v_tHqaIsh_Y

Length: 15min 30sec (930 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 02 2023