Saint Anthony is not only the Saint of Padua, he is the Saint of the whole world. — Pope Leo XIII
Preface
If ever man, if ever saint received the Holy Spirit abundantly, it was unquestionably the saint whose life we now present for the edification of the faithful.
It was by the Holy Spirit and His seven-fold gifts that Saint Anthony accomplished those great wonders which we admire in his life. Supernatural light and piety and strength were the means which God furnished him, and by which he so marvellously fulfilled his mission.
When the Saviour wished to save men, He commenced His ministry by instructing them. He preached in Judea and in Galilee, in fact He declared that His mission was precisely to preach to men. When He was about to ascend to heaven, He charged His apostles to continue the work He had begun, and insisted that they also should preach His word to men.
Yet let us not suppose that preaching consists merely in the discourses which the apostle delivered: “No,” said a great preacher, “the apostle is not only a man who knows, and who teaches by means of the word delivered; the apostle is a man who preaches Christianity with his whole being, and whose very presence is the appearance of another Christ.”
And such was Saint Anthony of Padua, to whom devotion is so widespread to-day. This amiable saint was at once both monk and apostle. To the preaching of the Gospel he added the strict observance of the severest counsels and the constant practice of fasting, of penance, and of prayer. It was by these means that he captivated countless followers: the just were strengthened, the slothful fired with zeal, sinners were converted, and heretics recognized their errors. At the comparatively early age of thirty-six years his earthly mission ended. After his death, even as during his life, wonders were wrought through his intercession. And now, after seven centuries have passed away, the great wonderworker still spreads out his blessings on those who invoke him, with such profusion as is well calculated to encourage his devout servants to continue the offering of their homage.
It is for this end that we devote these few pages, which will proclaim the virtues of this great friend of God, and the power he possesses in heaven.
To render to the saints the honor which is due them, we should invoke and imitate them. We should strive to follow the good examples which they have given us while on earth; and to do this we should read and know their lives.
Let us read especially the life of Saint Anthony of Padua, and we shall be astonished at such exalted sanctity. We cannot fail to admire the power granted by God to this wonder-worker. Devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua crossed the ocean with our fathers, and with the Virgin Mother and Saint Joseph he is invoked in almost every Catholic household, with a fervor and a piety which, we must admit, have received their fullest recompense.
Who can deny the power of Saint Anthony, especially in certain circumstances? When we read this little book, we shall learn, after the example the saint has given us, that there is everything to gain by serving God faithfully and lovingly, while there is everything to lose by abandoning Him.
We shall learn also the great advantages which follow the invocation of the saints, and how much our sorrows shall be soothed, if we only know how to form friendships in heaven.
Chapter I – Infancy of Saint Anthony of Padua
Saint Anthony of Padua was born at Lisbon, in Portugal, on the 15th day of August, 1195. His father was Martin de Bouillon and his mother Theresa de Tavera. Both were descended from a long line of ancient and illustrious ancestors, remarkable for their courage and faith and their nobility of blood.
Hardly had the illustrious Saint Francis of Assisi been called to his reward, than his place was filled, in the veneration and enthusiasm of the people, by him whom all proclaimed his firstborn, the amiable saint of whom we are speaking. Like his spiritual father, Saint Anthony was remarkable for his dominion over nature which won for him the title of wonder-worker.
The newly-born child was carried in great pomp to the sacred precincts of the cathedral, and there received the name of Fernando.
There was unbounded joy in the household: the lowly and the great ones united their congratulations, and the palace of the de Bouillon resounded with best wishes, which might seem exaggerated, to be excelled only by the reality. His mother, Donna Theresa, was most conscientious in her duties, and realized her responsibility fully. Her solicitude was very great in the exercise of her exalted mission, which for every mother worthy of the name is a sacred obligation. Being thoroughly Christian, she filled the mind of her little son with the sweet teachings of the Gospel, and being the daughter of heroes, she formed him on lofty ideals of character, and to esteem those great things which she regarded as the most beautiful possession of nobility.
This pious mother, full of devotion to the Queen of Heaven, taught her beloved child not only Mary’s power and goodness, but she taught him also to give her his confidence and love.
Fernando responded to the affection of his mother. Everything in him foretold a heart of gold and an exalted and refined intelligence. He was happy only when they spoke to him of the Blessed Trinity, the Virgin Mother, and the saints. The ardor with which he recited his daily devotions was the admiration of every one. We might say that his education was given him in the church, at the foot of the altars, and that his science was founded especially on the knowledge of religion. He learned the Latin language rapidly, and, in fact, all that was taught in the schools at the time: humanities, rhetoric, and philosophy. Everything that related to religion, ecclesiastical history, and to liturgy was for him an object of marked predilection. His devotion to study, his modesty, his sweetness, and his piety were the consolation of his preceptors and the admiration of his comrades. He was regarded as the model of all the virtues, and merited even more eulogies than were bestowed upon him.
The first miracle of which we have any record took place in the church which he was accustomed to frequent. One day, as he was kneeling on the steps of the altar, in the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Pillar and his eyes fixed on the tabernacle, this angel of the earth mingled his burning adorations with those of his brethren in heaven. Suddenly the demon appeared to him in a threatening manner, striving to turn him away from his devotions. The terrified young man remembered the power of the sign of the cross, and quickly he traced this sign on the marble steps. At once, under the impress of his pure and delicate finger, the marble softened and retained the impression of the cross. It was a thunder-stroke for the demon, who immediately disappeared. The miraculous cross is visible to this day, and pilgrims love to kiss the ineffaceable mark of the first prodigy in a life all resplendent with prodigies.
Chapter II – His Vocation
In time the young Fernando attained to manhood, the age when the passions grow strong, the moment of deceitful dreams and delusions, the critical epoch of life, the dangerous shoal on which so many beautiful souls are shipwrecked and forever ruined. Fernando was surrounded by countless snares. Being rich, and of illustrious birth and splendid personal appearance, he was exposed to all the attacks of the world, and besides he lived in a city which then, as now, was truly a place of pleasure. But he did not yield to temptation: chosen souls, like this one, are even more exposed than others to dangers, temptations, and ruin. While, it is true, he was strong to combat against himself and against the demon, his heart, however, was swayed by great trials; but God was with him and He never abandoned His servant. In those moments when he felt himself failing, he had recourse to God and the Virgin Mother, his patroness, and with tearful eyes asked their protection and assistance. One day, raised by grace above the world and himself, he resolved to delay no longer in consecrating himself to God. “O world!” he cried, “thou hast overwhelmed me; thy strengthen only a frail reed, thy riches are only a little smoke, and thy pleasures so many quicksands in which man is shipwrecked. For me, O Lord, Thy shall be my dwelling forever.” His resolution was taken, firm and irrevocable. He asked for the habit in the convent of Canons Eegular Saint Augustine, at Lisbon. He was received with open arms and the white robe of the novices placed upon him.
Fernando was happy; now he had only to think of God. But he was not allowed long to enjoy that peace which he desired with so much ardor. His parents and friends, during the year of his novitiate, tormented him constantly to return to the world. Every means were employeu: caresses, threats, flatteries, and bitter railleries. Being harassed on every side, fatigued by constant combat which detached his soul from the pure joys of the sanctuary, the young novice resolved to depart from Lisbon, and to seek elsewhere the tranquillity he could not find there. He decided to go to Coimbra, where, as at Lisbon, he was the admiration of the other religious.
In the abbey, the study of letters and the formation of the religious life went hand in hand so Don Fernando could give himself over to the pursuit of sacred science. Nature had richly endowed him. His memory was prodigious. He retained whatever he read. Being alone with God, meditating constantly on heavenly things, he soon acquired a full and complete knowledge of them. It was said that the Holy Spirit had descended on him as upon the Apostles to give him the gift of tongues, immense knowledge, and an irresistible eloquence. His preceptors did not conceal their admiration for his vast erudition, and his superiors did not hesitate to present him for sacred orders.
Moreover, the sanctity of this servant of God was already known by miracles. One day, as he was occupied near the church at some humble occupation, he heard the clock strike suddenly, which announced the time of the elevation. As he knelt on the earth, he beheld the stone walls open before him, and the priest at the altar appeared to him, holding the sacred Host in his hands.
On another day, while attending a sick brother, who laughed and cried alternately, as if afflicted nervously, the idea came to Anthony that the unhappy brother was under the power of the demon — and so it was in fact: taking his mantle from his shoulders he covered the afflicted brother, who was at once restored to perfect health.
On another occasion, while assisting the priest at the altar, he perceived the soul of a Franciscan religious suspended in the air under the form of a white dove. The soul had passed through purgatory, had paid the last farthing of satisfaction, and entered into the kingdom of the elect.
Chapter III – Saint Anthony Enters the House of the Friars Minor
In the year 1216, Saint Francis of Assisi had just sent into Portugal Saint Zachary and Saint Gauthier with some Friars Minor. King Alphonsus II. had confided to them the chapel of the holy abbe Anthony, about half a league from Coimbra, and made them erect there a convent. As they often came to collect at the houses of the Augustinians, Don Fernando soon knew them, and consequently admired the austerity of their apostolic life. He loved to converse with them, and felt in his heart an immense desire to imitate them. There was also another circumstance which influenced him, viz.: the solemn translation of the bodies of five Franciscan religious who had just been martyred at Maroc. On learning the glorious history of these five apostles, he also wished to shed his blood for Christ by propagating the faith. Day and night he longed for the palm of martyrdom, which he believed he could merit only under the habit of the Friars Minor.
After praying to God to make known to him His intentions, he imparted his desire and his resolutions to the Brothers of Saint Anthony des Oliviers, who received him with great joy.
Great indeed was the sorrow of the Augustinian Canons when they had learned his determination. The prior, in giving him the permission he could not refuse, did not conceal his disapprobation, and one of the Canons to whom he bade adieu said to him with sorrow: “Go; you will perhaps become a saint. “But Fernando answered humbly: “The day on which you learn that I have become a saint you shall be the first to give thanks to God for it.”
The new Franciscan received, with the habit of the Order, the name of Anthony in honor of the holy priest to whom was dedicated the first seraphic convent in Portugal.
When he had pronounced his vows, remembering he had entered the seraphic Order only with the desire of gaining the crown of martyrdom, he asked his superiors for permission to go to Africa to preach there the truth to the Maurians. His superiors allowed him to depart; but God, who was content with his ardent desire, had decided in His eternal wisdom that Anthony should exercise his zeal in Europe. He had scarcely reached the end of his journey when our saint fell a victim to a cruel illness which more than once placed his life in danger and forced him to return to Portugal, where he expected to find health and strength. The return was unfortunate; a violent tempest cast him on the shores of Sicily.
He then went to Messina, where the Brothers Minor had a convent; and about two months after the servant of God was fully restored to health. There was at that time an official convocation of the Fourth General Chapter of the Order, and our saint hastened to place himself at the disposition of the holy founder.
The Chapter opened at Portiuncula on the thirtieth day of May, 1221. It was a most imposing assembly; the bishop, the cardinal, and about three thousand brethren assembled from the north and south. But above and beyond all, the seraphic patriarch was conspicuous not only because of the superiority of his virtues, but because of his authority. Anthony never tired contemplating the emaciated and worn countenance expressive of humility, zeal, and love; nor could he thank the divine Master sufficiently for having called him to a warfare so providentially sent to the assistance of His Church. Saint Francis, so largely endowed with the discernment of souls, did not know this son, who was destined soon to shed lustre on the institute. He divided the labors, assigned residences, and pointed out the new missions. But in all these arrangements Anthony was overlooked. No provincial thought of claiming him. He was looked upon as a novice, as one incapable of duty. God permitted this humiliation in order to strengthen the merits of His faithful servant. He reserved him for the proper time, to place him as a bright light in a most conspicuous place.
The blessed Anthony begged to be allowed to accompany the provincial so that he might be formed or trained in the exercises of the regular discipline. Not one word of his past life escaped his lips, not the least allusion to his theological studies. To know Jesus and Jesus crucified, and to love Him—such was his desire. Touched by the exquisite candor of the applicant, the provincial granted his request, embraced him tenderly, and together they set out for Roumania.
Chapter IV – Saint Anthony Lectures on Theology
As Brother Anthony was a priest, the provincial appointed him to attend the little monastery of Saint Paul on the mountain of the same name. The convent was admirably situated on the summit of the mountain, suspended, so to speak, between earth and heaven, where no earthly sound could reach it. There the ravished soul could hear in silence and peace the great harmonies of nature celebrating the grandeur and the power of the Creator.
This was precisely what Anthony always longed for; a religious gave him a little cell built in the rock, on the side of the mountain. There it was he came, when his duties were fulfilled, to pass days and nights in perpetual meditation, interrupted only by austere practices. He lived on bread and water, and wore under his clothing a hair shirt, sharp and coarse, all of which are still preserved at Padua in a silver frame. His mortifications weakened him so much that he could scarcely stand. But if the body was weak, the soul was strong, being constantly strengthened by prayer, and prepared to combat victoriously against heresy and all the vanities of the world.
Anthony lived thus for a whole year in solitude and contemplation, submissive to the providence of God, which he never questioned for a moment.
The time, however, approached when the pious Anthony should make known the precious gifts he had received from heaven. In the year 1222, the servant of God accompanied the Friars Minor who went to Forli to receive sacred orders. It was the custom, after an ordination, to address some words to the young clerics, who had just been ordained ministers of the Most High.
The bishop of Forli requested the guardian of Mount Saint Paul to discharge this duty, or to entrust it to one of his religious. The eyes of the superior fell on Anthony, and it was he who received the command, in the name of holy obedience, to ascend the pulpit and give the customary discourse. Against his feelings he consented, esteeming himself unworthy of such an honor. Yet he must obey; and, having asked the bishop’s blessing, he prepared himself to speak. None of his assistants thought that he had studied the Holy Scriptures, or had scarcely read them; they saw him constantly engaged in the kitchen, occupied in cleansing the vessels of the convent rather than plunged in the works of high theology.
He took for his text this passage of the office for Holy Thursday, Christus factus est obediens usque ad mortem. At first his words were calm, without splendor, almost hesitating. Then he became animated, rapid, energetic, and burning. The poor monk, worn out by sufferings and privations, and of wretched appearance, spoke with the authority of an apostle and the eloquence of a prophet. With his powerful voice and superb gestures, he ruled the whole assembly. By his attitude alone he seemed to say, “Listen, children of men, for I am he who speaks in the name of the Lord.” In fact, he was heard with religious admiration. The assistants were mute with astonishment and shed tears of happiness. They saw a ray of divine intelligence shining in him, and were penetrated by a profound and holy respect. A new life had now begun for Anthony.
The public reports and the comments of his superiors were not slow in making known to the holy patriarch Francis what had been the success of the first sermon pronounced by the young religious, and also what magnificent hopes were expected from such a beginning. Almost at once he was entrusted with the difficult mission of laboring for the conversion and the salvation of souls. Anthony was then only twenty-seven years old.
From the day on which he began his painful and glorious labor until he ceased to preach, an attentive and pious multitude eagerly thronged to hear his sermons. At first he evangelized the principal cities of Roumania and Lombardy. Success crowned his efforts beyond all hope. Sinners wept and sobbed in the churches where he preached, and the most unexpected conversions were wrought by his labors. His words were like so many darts which pierced the hearts of his hearers. He gave to others of his own fulness; and it was not astonishing that, having kindled in his own soul the fire of divine charity, he enkindled it also in the souls of all who heard him.
The superiority of Anthony’s talents responded to a project cherished for three or four years by the seraphic patriarch. He wished to have an official course of theology for the special use of the Order. The venerable founder looked about him, among all his disciples, for a wise and wellbalanced mind, uniting solid piety with vast wisdom. He was still seeking when the Superior Gratien presented, in eulogistic terms, the contemplative of Mount Saint Paul as the type of the accomplished director. At once the patriarch of Assisi selected Anthony, and he was too obedient a son to think for an instant of declining the honor offered him, in spite of his extreme modesty. Well did he know that the honor was also a heavy charge. Immediately leaving the grotto of Mount Saint Paul which he loved so well, he hastened to Bologna, there to fulfil the office of preacher. In addition to his preaching he professed theology, at first in France, at Montpelier, then at Bologna, and at Padua, then at Toulouse, and in several other cities of France. Everywhere a multitude of young men, thirsting for science, gathered to hear his lessons; and his fame increased from day to day in spite of the efforts he made to remain unknown, although he did not think of himself but of the souls of his hearers.
The learned abbe of Saint Andrew said of Anthony: “Love often passes the limits in which science dwells; and this is what I have observed in Anthony, the friar minor, with whom I have had friendly relations for a long time; he had not only a very profound knowledge of human science, but by the purity of his soul and the fire of his love he has surpassed the greatest theologians, and we can say of him, as of Saint John the Baptist, he was as a lamp which burns by consuming itself. The fire of his love consumed him, and by the example of his holy life he enlightened the world.” Anthony also loved this learned abbe tenderly, and as often as he passed near Piedmont, he never neglected to visit him. At the moment of his death he suddenly appeared to the theologian, who, lost in his books, was suffering from a violent headache. Anthony affectionately embraced him and said: “I have left my work at Padua and am returning to my country.” Having relieved the headache, he vanished as a phantom. The abbe, imagining that Anthony was returning to Portugal, searched the convent, and was astonished to find that no one had seen him. Some days afterward everything was explained; he received the news from Padua that Anthony had died, and precisely at the hour when he had appeared to him.
Chapter V – Saint Anthony and the Albigenses
At this epoch the heresy of the Albigenses began to work its ravages in the south of France. Like to a contagious scourge, it spread in the cities and villages and made countless victims. Saint Francis was moved by it; his heart was bleeding at the thought of the sorrows which countless souls were preparing for themselves in eternity, and he thought he could arrest the progress of the evil. For this great mission he selected Anthony and charged him to found convents of the Order, and to preach the true faith in Provence and Languedoc. Anthony departed feeling strong in the help of the Lord.
Hardly had he arrived when he gave himself resolutely to the work assigned him. He labored incessantly, without truce or intermission, until the heresy was reduced almost to powerlessness. He was called the hammer of heresy. Conversions were frequent. Each sermon gained a great number. When he ceased speaking many men and women approached him with tears in their eyes, to ask of him, in the name of the Lord, pardon and absolution for their errors. Moreover, he spared himself no fatigue. After his daily Mass he passed his days in preaching, in catechizing, in giving wise counsel, and in absolving. So engrossed was he in these works of charity and love he forgot to eat or drink. Oftentimes he took his first repast only when night was coming on. At night he prayed, meditated, and studied. The Lord took care to confirm his words by prodigies.
One morning, while our saint was in the pulpit, the body of a young man was brought to him, who had been prematurely taken from his parents. The sorrow of the family was heart-rending. The blessed Anthony was profoundly moved, and suspended his preaching for a few moments. Then extending his hand towards the coffin, he cried out in a tone of authority, “In the name of Christ, young man, arise!” At the sound of his voice the young man stirred, tore off his shroud, and cast himself into the arms of his parents, who, needless to say, were filled with joy and gratitude.
In 1225 he preached in the Church of Montpelier, on a festival day, in presence of the clergy and a countless multitude. At the beginning of his discourse he remembered that he had been appointed to sing in the choir during the solemn Mass, which was celebrated at the same hour in the chapel of the convent, and he had neglected to delegate some one in his place. He was deeply afflicted at this forgetfulness, and regarded his conduct as an infraction of the law of obedience. He bowed his head on the pulpit, and enveloped himself in his hood, and there remained a long time motionless and silent, to the great astonishment of all present. At the same time he appeared in the midst of his brethren, sang the Alleluia, and fulfilled his duty. About one hour after he again stood up in the pulpit and continued with incomparable eloquence the sermon he had only commenced.
Great was the sorrow of our saint one day, when on entering his cell he perceived that his “Commentary on the Psalms” had disappeared. A novice who had wearied of religious life secretly took the book and had departed. Not knowing whom he might charge with the theft, as usual he had recourse to prayer, and conjured Him to whom nothing is hidden to recover his loss. At the same moment the fugitive was arrested in his flight. On the banks of a river, a hideous spectre suddenly appeared before him, and said: “In the name of the Lord, restore what you have stolen, otherwise I shall kill you and cast you into the depths of the abyss.” The terrified novice retraced his steps, made an avowal of his faults, and asked for pardon with many tears, and with such sincerity that Saint Anthony restored him the religious habit with most paternal affection. The Lord granted him personal favors, and we shall see further on how he gained the permanent and universal privilege of finding things which had been lost.
Saint Anthony preached at a station at Bourges, and so great was the multitude desiring to hear him that the churches of the city were unable to accommodate them. It was determined to assemble in the open air, at the foot of a small eminence. Suddenly the lightning flashed and the thunder groaned, and the blackened clouds spread out over the blue vault of heaven until they had obscured and hidden everything. The people were terrified and wished to flee and seek some shelter. But Anthony tranquillized them. “Remain in peace,” he said to the assistants, “not one drop of rain shall touch you.” He continued to speak as if he were in the pulpit of the cathedral. The storm raged with fury around the pious assembly, but left untouched the space they occupied.
At the arrival of Anthony the war between error and truth, appeased by the preaching of Saint Dominic some years before, was again enkindled and with more bitterness than ever. His work extended everywhere, when faith was in danger. During the year 1225 this servant of God arrived at Toulouse, where he found the Albigenses in possession of all their liberties, thanks to the protection of Count Raymond Vn. Besides, the heretics continued to teach their doctrines in the streets and byways, a doctrine which saddened the ears of the angels and shocked the faith of the Christians. Anthony at once with all his zeal began to lead these lost souls into the bosom of truth. Night and day he disputed with the heretics; in their presence he expounded the Catholic teaching with greatest clearness; he victoriously refuted their prejudices, employing such learning as was calculated to win their admiration, and a charity which found its way to their hearts and converted them.
Among the errors professed by the Albigenses was the denial of the Real Presence of Our Lord in the blessed Eucharist. One day Saint Anthony carried on a long discussion on this article of Catholic faith with an obstinate and influential heretic of the city. Being pressed by the solid and luminous reasons of the apostle, the heretic seemed to waver, even to the point of giving homage to faith. He stopped short, however, even as the Jews of old, and asked for miracles. “Prove to me by a public miracle,” he said, “that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist, as you are striving to establish, and I swear to you that I shall at once renounce my doctrines, and humbly submit myself to what you preach.” The challenge was a solemn one; another would have hesitated to accept it. But Anthony, inspired by the Holy Spirit, tranquilly replied he would accept it. Then the heretic said: “I shall shut my mule in his stable for three days, and deprive him of all food. When this time shall have passed, I will lead him into the public street and before all the assembled people I will offer him food to eat. But you, on your part, will bring the consecrated Host, and will present it to my mule. If, in spite of his hunger he turns away from the food, and prostrates himself on both knees before your sacrament, I shall be convinced, and declare myself a Catholic.” Anthony consented to this proposition and departed. He prepared himself by prayer to avenge Jesus for the outrages inflicted on Him by the impiety of the Manicheans. He asked of God to draw from the slavery of error so many simple souls, over whom the torrent of opinion triumphed, and led far from His Church. At length the day of trial came, and the heretic came to the appointed place, followed by a large number who hoped to enjoy the confusion of the Franciscan apostle. The heretic led his mule by the bridle, and also carried the food which he knew would be so welcome. During this time Anthony celebrated Mass with even greater fervor than ordinary. When he had finished he turned towards the scene where the power of Heaven was soon to be manifested. The saint held in his hands the golden ostensorium, in the centre of which reposed the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Behind him walked many of the faithful, reciting prayers and hymns, impatient to see what would happen. When Anthony was in the presence of his adversary, he stopped and recollected himself for an instant; then he imposed silence on the multitude, and turning to the mule thus spoke to him: “In the name of thy Creator, whom I truly carry in my hands, in spite of my unworthiness, I say to thee, animal deprived of reason, and I command thee, to come at once with humility and do Him the reverence which you owe Him.” At the same moment the owner of the mule presented him with food to eat. But, prodigy! the beast turned away from his food, and, obedient to the voice of the wonder-worker, fell to the earth on both knees and remained in this position immovable. The people, breathless with wonder, could not contain their enthusiasm; and cries of joy escaped from every one. The heretics were cast on the ground where they stood, while the one who had provoked the miracle fell on his knees and adored in a loud voice the august Mystery, which a moment before he had called a superstition. He afterwards became an apostle, brought back to the truth his whole family, and constructed, at his own expense, a church which he dedicated to Saint Peter. His descendants, to add to his gratitude, and to perpetuate the memory of the miracle, built a chapel on the very spot where the miracle had been wrought.
It was at Toulouse that the Blessed Virgin appeared to our saint to tell him that three days after her death she had been transported into heaven, body and soul, and that since that blessed day she was seated in glory at the right hand of Jesus, her Son. At this epoch the belief in the assumption of Mary was not so strong as to-day. Anthony felt his heart expand with love for the Virgin Mother, which was not a new thing for him, but strengthened by the visit of the Virgin he proclaimed her glory everywhere.
Chapter VI – Saint Anthony is Appointed Custodian of Limoges
A short time after Anthony left Toulouse and went to the convent of Puy-en-Velay, of which he had been appointed guardian. The city of Puy and the country round about soon knew the apostle, whose fame had already preceded him. Le Velay was not able to escape the invasion of heresy; but Anthony soon arrested the ravages of error. He employed all his energy to combat them, until he had destroyed and radically extirpated them. At the sound of his voice the true religion awakened in the hearts of these brave people, who hastened in crowds to listen to his preaching. His mission here was easy. From the beginning to the end there were constant miracles and prophecies, conversions and providential circumstances which rendered his missions most fruitful.
The first remarkable fact was the conversion of a notary, a man of lax morals and of violent character. Every time that Anthony met him in the streets the saint stopped and bowed profoundly before him. Irritated by what he regarded as a mockery, the notary avoided meeting his supposed insulter. One day, seeing the saint bending his knee before him, he angrily said: “What do you mean by these grimaces? Did I not fear the anger of God, I would pierce you with my sword.” “My brother,” Anthony replied, in a voice as calm and sweet as becomes a disciple of Saint Francis, “I desire your happiness. I wish for martyrdom, but Our Lord does not so will it — yet He has revealed to me that He has reserved this grace for you. When this blessed hour shall come for you, remember, I beg of you, him who foretold it to you.” The notary laughed uproariously at what he considered a senseless prediction. Some years after, however, Stephen III, bishop of Puy, set out with a troop of pilgrims to visit the holy places and to carry the torch of faith to the East. The notary, touched by grace and resolved to repair his scandals, joined the pious caravan. Having arrived at Palestine, he did not fear to assert his faith, and cry out to the Mussulmans that Mahomet was only an impostor. For this he was arrested and condemned to death. As he walked to the scaffold he remembered the prophecy of Anthony, and spoke of it to the Franciscans who exhorted him to be brave in his martyrdom.
On another day, in the same city of Puy, a lady of quality, about to become a mother, recommended herself to the prayers of Saint Anthony. “Rejoice,” he replied, as if by sudden inspiration; “the Lord will give you a son who shall be a member of the Friars Minor, and he shall be a martyr and illustrious in the Church.” The prediction was fulfilled literally.
His was a magnanimous soul, which stopped at no personal consideration, an intrepid missionary who did not hesitate to speak the truth to great and small, to prelates as well as to the simple faithful, when the honor of the Church or the good of souls required it. Wherever he went the people obeyed his words, sinners were reconciled, vocations became numerous, and the ardor of the apostolic life burned with all its original brightness.
In the month of September, 1226, Anthony suspended for a time his apostolical labors to assist, with the other superiors in France, at the provincial chapter of Aries. Both old and young eagerly gathered about him and regarded him as the glory of their Order. They congratulated him for the strong blows he had given to the hydra-headed heresy of the Albigenses. But Anthony was not at all flattered by their warm compliments; even as the patriarch of Assisi, his model, he referred everything to God.
Talents and heavenly favors and personal merits recommended the Portuguese wonderworker to the suffrages of his brethren. They elected him custodian of Limoges unanimously, that is to say, superior of two or three convents in the city. But Anthony was equal to the task assigned him.
A fortnight after his election, on the fourth day of October, 1226, the patriarch and founder of the Franciscan Order gave up his pure soul to God. Anthony inherited with the mantle of Francis not only a part of his authority, but his virtues, his humility, his mildness, and his zeal.
Chapter VII – The Wonder-Worker at Limoges
The city of Limoges gave the wonder-worker one of those triumphal receptions which explains the faith of that epoch. The people wished to see him, to hear him, to touch the hem of his garments. He had scarcely set foot in the city before he preached in the cemetery of Saint Paul. On the following day it was the abbey itself which claimed his presence. The Benedictines of Mount Soubase had respectfully received the seraphic patriarch, and had furnished him with his first place of prayer. Their brethren of Limoges surrounded the privileged disciple with the same veneration, and extended him equal assistance. His coming to their monastery is mentioned as an event. The guardian, however, did not neglect the direction of the religious confided to his care. He strengthened the good, enkindled ardor in the slothful, and had pity for the wavering. One of this latter class, a novice named Peter, discouraged for the moment, was tempted to return to the world. The saint was warned by a revelation of the temptation and the interior agonies of the novice. Saint Anthonywent to him and, breathing on him, said, “Keceive the spirit of strength and wisdom.” The novice at once fell to the ground as if dead, while his soul was ravished by ecstasy and transported among the splendors of heaven. When he recovered his senses he wished to speak of the heavenly wonders his soul had contemplated, but the saint hindered him. The temptation had passed away and the novice became an exemplary religious.
At Limoges his preaching excited an indescribable enthusiasm. It became necessary to preach in the open air, for no church was large enough to contain the multitudes that flocked to hear him.
To true and loyal souls who asked the assistance of his prayers, the wonder-worker refused nothing. The following is a striking example: A certain lady of Limoges who was a great benefactress of the Friars was one day severely reproached for it by her husband. In a fit of anger and jealousy he went so far as to tear out her heir. Sorrowfully she sought the wonder-worker, related what had happened, and asked him to restore her hair. The request seemed somewhat singular to Saint Anthony, and a smile which looked like a refusal played about his lips. But, touched by the tears of the lady, he cast himself on his knees, and while he prayed the hair grew again, as if under the action of an invisible hand. But what was still more remarkable, the husband, struck by this marvel, repented, was reconciled with his wife, and vowed to the Franciscans an affection which lasted his lifetime.
At Limoges the name of Saint Anthony was hailed with delight, and this admiration spread to the whole region.
All the cities of Limousin disputed the honor of the wonder-worker’s company. He yielded to their requests when he could, taxing his strength without ever considering difficulties, and sowing miracles at every footstep.
At Saint Julien he predicted that the improvised pulpit from which he spoke would be overthrown, but, notwithstanding the efforts of Satan, no serious result would follow. The prediction was fulfilled. The staging fell in the tumult at the beginning of his discourse, but no one was injured.
By a spiritual favor Saint Anthony recompensed the abbey of Solignac for the generous hospitality the sons of Saint Benedict had shown him. A poor monk of the monastery, tempted like Saint Paul by the demon of impurity, could find no rest either day or night. He opened his soul to the powerful wonder-worker, who clothed him with his tunic. The shadow of Saint Peter healed the sick, the robe of Saint Anthony was no less efficacious. From this robe, sanctified by contact with a virginal flesh, went out a virtue which appeased the storm of the senses and delivered forever the monk kneeling at his feet.
Again, there was a poor sinner so stifled by emotion and repentance for his faults that he could not speak so as to make his confession. “Go,” said the saint, “and write your sins on a sheet of parchment.” The penitent obeyed; he returned in about an hour, bringing a sheet wet with tears and containing a long list of his sins. But as fast as he declared them an angel effaced them, and when he reached the end the page was white and without stain.
Everywhere, in the cities as well as in the country, the invincible champion of God’s rights created extraordinary interest. People from all ranks of society sought him out. All sorrows, whether physical or moral, appealed to him. Every one blessed him, but especially the lonely, the homeless, the sick, and sinners.
It must be mentioned that mothers were especially anxious, and women in general were most enthusiastic about him. Endowed with religious instinct deeper than that of men, the women eagerly pressed about his pulpit to assist him in his poverty, or to defend him against the calumnies of the Manicheans. In return he consoled them in their sorrows, strengthened their weakness, blessed their children, and lavished on them the most splendid miracles. These were most touching because they referred to what was most sensitive — a mother’s sorrow.
It is related that a woman who was preparing a bath for her child, on learning that the saint had arrived in the village, hastened to hear and see him. In her haste she placed her little child in a boiler of scalding water instead of in a bath of tepid water. On returning from the sermon, she had a presentiment of her mistake. She ran, more dead than alive, and found her son in the boiling water, it is true, but smiling and without the slightest injury. In another place a lady, on returning from an instruction given by the apostle at Limousin, found her child dead in its cradle. We can imagine the mother’s sorrow at a catastrophe so cruel and so unexpected. A thought of hope, however, crossed her mind. Perhaps the powerful wonder-worker would restore her child! She returned to him weeping, but confident, and from her broken heart escaped this maternal cry: “My son is dead! Have pity on the tears of a mother!” “Go,” answered the saint, in an inspired tone, “the good Lord will have pity on you.” She believed his word, returned in haste, and found her son not only alive but in all the vigor and freshness of his young life, amusing himself with his little toys.
It was amid these wonders, and many similar ones, that the apostle went through the neighborhood of Limoges. He scattered graces and heavenly favors, even as the husbandmen sow the seed, with full hands, until the people spoke of him in their picturesque language as the sower of miracles.
And when he had finished his mission in one place ne continued his course, walking through the frost and snow barefoot, always unmindful of himself, always in search of the lost sheep. The consoler of souls, he was himself consoled by sight of the good he had done them; not infrequently he mingled with the people and shared their joys and sorrows.
One day he entered the house of a rich and pious man who had offered him the hospitality of his manor. This man hardly suspected the grace which he was about to enjoy. The gentleman assigned him a room separated from the others, that he might have more freedom in his exercises of piety and contemplation. While the blessed Anthony prayed alone in his chamber the proprietor visited the tenants of the manor. Suddenly his solicitude and his devotion for the saint prompted him to look towards the place where he prayed; through the window he saw in the arms of Anthony a child of great beauty who embraced him with tenderness. The saint, on his part, returned the caresses and kisses; and not for an instant did he take his eyes from the beautiful child. Pale with emotion, and beside himself at the sight and the beauty of the child, the gentleman asked himself whence the charming little one had come. He was not the victim of an illusion; the spectacle which he witnessed was a reality. The blessed Anthony was conversing intimately with Jesus, the Son of God and of the Virgin, who had come from heaven to console His servant. The mere mention of the name of Jesus caused his heart to beat with joy; now he conversed with Him face to face, as with a friend, and with touching familiarity. In his humility he seemed embarrassed by the miracle which had just happened. He could not, however, conceal it from his host, for the Holy Infant Jesus revealed to Anthony what the man had seen. This is why, after the Infant had disappeared, he forbade his host to reveal what he had seen as long as he lived. But after the death of the blessed Anthony the gentleman divulged the secret of the vision just recorded. He made the deposition solemnly while shedding torrents of tears.
From this time Anthony strove to show the Heart of Jesus as the principle of supernatural life; as the golden altar on which burns night and day the incense which arises in odoriferous clouds towards heaven and embalms the earth. He felt especially an insatiable desire to adore, to thank, and to annihilate himself before God and to remain alone with Him. From Chateauneuf, where he had just enjoyed the vision described, he went to Brive. There he found in the neighborhood of the city a kind of desert where he founded a hermitage like Mount Saint Paul. He dug out a grotto in the rock near a fountain of limpid water, and abandoned himself to the delights of contemplation. In this solitude he established three or four postulants who had left the world in order to be near him. After his departure he left them there. Wonders accompanied him even in the desert. His poverty there was extreme; everything was wanting except courage and the love of God. In a moment of distress the venerated guardian asked a lady of Brive to assist the little community and to send some vegetables. This she did gladly, in spite of a severe and persistent rain-storm, which was enough to paralyze the most energetic good-will; yet she charged her servant to carry the treasures of her charity to the hermitage. On her return the faithful messenger related to her mistress with admiration that she had walked all the way in the heavy rain, and that not a single drop reached her.
This fact reminds us that nothing is small which is done in a spirit of faith, and the good Lord never fails to recompense, whether it be sublime devotion or the cup of cold water given in His name.
Solitude is the home of strong souls. There the air is pure, peace most profound, and converse with God most easy. It is not astonishing that the angel of darkness, this abiding enemy of the human race, seeks to disturb the echoes, especially when he has before him apostles who take from him his victims. One evening during the prayer which follows the song of compline, the companions of Saint Anthony saw a band of thieves occupied in destroying the harvest of a neighboring field which belonged to one of the principal benefactors of the convent. They ran to warn the blessed Anthony. He said to them: “Be not deceived. This is an artifice of the demon, who strives to turn you away from the exercise of the presence of God.” Early on the following day the harvest was intact, and the religious were again witness of in what large measure the soul of their superior was adorned by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter VIII – Saint Anthony Leaves France
No one wept more bitterly for the loss of the seraphic Francis of Assisi than Saint Anthony. No one prayed with more fervor, that from the highest heaven he would still watch over his children and place at their head another like himself, a man capable of organizing and guiding an institution so necessary for the welfare of the Church. He was charged by his brethren with a special and secret mission to the Supreme Pontiff, a mission relating probably to the candidature of Father Elie, from whom was feared innovations and laxities which ought to be avoided. He left Limoges in February, 1227, for the banks of the Rhone and journeyed towards Marseilles. This voyage was rapidly accomplished, and was signalized by a marvellous act of gratitude.
When he and his companion, covered with sweat and tired out, reached a little town of Provence, a poor woman, touched by compassion, invited them to come and rest at her house. She received them as generously as Martha received Our Lord at Bethany. Impelled by charity, she placed bread and wine on the table, and ran to borrow a glass from her neighbor. But, either through inadvertence or awkwardness, the companion of the saint, in placing the glass on the table, broke it in two pieces. Then another accident still more unfortunate happened; the hostess, in returning to the cellar, saw that she had forgotten to close the spigot of the cask, and the wine had flowed on the ground. This was a severe loss for her. She could not contain her grief, and informed her two guests of what had happened. The blessed Anthony, covering his face with both hands that he might pray more easily, implored the Author of all good to have pity on the affliction of such a generous Christian, and not allow her good work to go unrewarded. His prayer ascended like an arrow to the very throne of God. Suddenly the cup and the stand of the glass were united. The poor peasant was astonished at this, but realizing that it was a miracle, and persuaded that he who could perform such a prodigy could also perform another and restore to her the lost wine, she ran to the cellar. There a new surprise awaited her. Her cask of wine was full and running over as if from the wine-press. Delirious with joy, and beside herself, she knew not how to express her gratitude. But always humble, detached from everything and from himself, the wonder-worker shrunk from the praises and the marks of veneration which he considered should be given only to God.
The prayers of a saint are powerful, and his benedictions a germ of resurrection and of life. The Albigensian heresy, a work of perfidy and violence, was to disappear, even as the darkness disappears before the first rays of the morning sun. Truth must regain its empire, and, in the words of Saint Louis, France would attain the fulness of her glory. France, on her part, is not ungrateful to Saint Anthony. She gives him a place side by side with Saint Dominic in the devotion, the honor, and the admiration she gives to her deliverers, to those chosen men whom Providence sends her in wicked times to save her from anarchy and error.
Rome, at the time when the blessed Anthony went there, was preparing to celebrate the feasts of Holy Week. These feasts are more imposing there than any place else in the world. The streets are crowded with strangers of every tongue and country. The churches are adorned with their richest decorations. What a source of pure and strengthening emotions it must have been for the son of Theresa Tavera to see Rome, to visit her in the midst of that religious pomp which surpasses everything here on earth; to go through the places sanctified by the presence of the patriarch of Assisi!
Unknown, mingling in the crowd of pilgrims, Anthony was free to satisfy every wish of devotion, and could taste of those legitimate joys which inspire great and holy memories. He could do all this quietly, and yet not without being remarked. Seeing him pray with so much fervor at the tomb of the Apostles, or kiss with respect the arena of the Coliseum — this arena stained by the blood of so many martyrs — the pilgrims asked in astonishment who was this monk of angelic appearance.
The chair of Saint Peter was at that time filled by a Pope most favorable to the Franciscans, Gregory IX, the friend, the protector, and the counsellor of the patriarch of Assisi. He was not content with merely receiving the homage and the petitions of the privileged disciple of Saint Francis; he went farther. Learning by public rumor of the virtues and the merits of the wonder-worker from Portugal, he selected him to announce to the people the indulgences of the Holy Week, and also to preach the crusade against the infidels. The order came from a source too high for the blessed Anthony to answer otherwise than by a filial submission.
This was done to stir up the masses. And he certainly did stir them by the magic of his words and by his sanctity. He led them in the bitter pathways of penance, and instituted at Rome the Confraternity of the Flagellants—a confraternity which had for its object to honor the mysteries of the Passion and to expiate the iniquities of men.
The day of Easter witnessed the renewal of the miracle of Pentecost. An innumerable multitude eagerly pressed about the saints pulpit. Greeks and Latins, Slavs, French, English, and Germans, all heard him distinctly speaking, each in his own tongue.
Saint Anthony made giant strides in the way of the apostolate. Nothing could arrest him, neither the acclamations of the pilgrims nor the wonders of art. Fortified by the blessing of Gregory IX, he left the eternal city on the day following the paschal feast, and turned his steps to Assisi.
When he beheld this little city, the home of Saint Francis, suspended like an eagle’s nest on the side of Mount Soubase, his heart beat violently. At length he could at leisure satisfy his filial devotion for him whom he invoked as a saint. To visit the Portiuncula, the cradle of the Order, Our Lady of Angels, the scene of the apparitions of the Virgin Mother, the cell which had received the last sigh of the seraphic patriarch, was one of the sweetest joys of his life. He went to the ancient city and entered the church of Saint George, where the mortal remains of the founder rested temporarily. Anthony closely pressed his lips to the stone of the tomb, and there prayed for a long time. His prayers and his sacrifices had no small bearing on the result of the Chapter General of Assisi, which chose John Parent of Florence, a man of eminent mind, of frank and loyal character, as the immediate successor of Saint Francis. Anthony was named provincial of Bologna.
Chapter IX – Saint Anthony in Italy – The Miracle of the Fishes
As soon as Anthony had regulated the affairs of his province he took up the cross and hastened to the people who had been captured by heresy in Italy, as well as in France and Germany. They were the Cathares, or Patarins, who were very numerous in Roumania and in Emilia; the Circoncis in Lombardy; the Vaudois, entrenched in the Milanese and in the mountains of Piedmont. These sects were only varieties of the same heresy with which the Albigenses connected themselves, and they made great inroads in the south of France.
Faithful to his old methods, Anthony commenced by protecting the poor people against the seductions of the Manichean heresies. The lowly were dear to him. To him they were the cherished lambs of the flock of Christ. He led them to the pastures of the true faith. He quenched their thirst at the pure and sacred sources which flowed from the opened side of the Saviour. But, like the good shepherd, he did not take flight at the coming of the wolves who raged about the flock. He went out to meet them and endeavored to subdue them.
Rimini had become the camp of the Cathares. A man less resolute than Anthony would have hesitated to enter into this discontented and rebellious city. He, however, enters it, having decided to announce the word of truth, in season and out of season, to convict the shameless sectarians of error and perfidy, and to threaten them with the judgments of God. But his eloquence, usually so attractive, from his frank and courageous manner, produced no effect. The Cathares, angered at the zeal with which he attacked them, would not yield, even so far as listening to him. They remained harder than stones; not content with refusing to give ear to his reasoning, they left him to preach by himself.
But Anthony was not discouraged. He turned his eyes towards heaven. In prayer he shed abundant tears until the inspiration of grace came to his aid. He conceived the idea of preaching to the sea, since the earth responded so badly to the appeals of his charity. By bringing man to a school of dumb irrational creatures, he wished to give him a solemn lesson. He hoped to take away from the Cathares all their influence over the people since they would not yield to manifest truth. God sustained the faith of His apostle.
Saint Anthony then went to the shore where the river flows into the sea. Standing there, between the river and the sea, he cried out in a loud voice: ” Hear me, ye fishes of the sea. It is to you that I am about to announce the Word of God, since the heretics refuse to listen to it.”
At the sound of his voice the waters trembled; the countless tribes which inhabit them hastened to range themselves as if in battle array, the smallest in front, the largest in the rear, with every head turned towards him who had called them. “My brethren,” said the wonder-worker to them, “you owe your Creator a boundless gratitude. He it is who has assigned to you as a dwelling this noble element and these immense reservoirs. He it is who provides for your refuge in tempests the depths of the waters, gives you fins to go whither you will, and furnishes you with your daily food. In creating you He has commanded you to increase and multiply and blessed you. At the universal deluge, while other animals perished in the floods, He preserved you. He honored you by selecting you to save the prophet Jonas, to furnish tribute to the Incarnate Word, and to serve Him as nourishment before, as well as after, His resurrection. Then praise and bless the Lord who has favored you among all created beings.”
Attentive, as if they had been endowed with reason, the fishes testified by their movements the pleasure they took in listening to the saint, and that they wished to render to the Most High the mute tribute of their homage. “See,” said the apostle, turning to the multitudes, “see for yourselves how creatures devoid of reason hear the Word with more docility than men created to God’s likeness.”
When the news of this wonder was reported all the inhabitants of the city hastened to Anthony. The Cathares themselves yielded to the popular enthusiasm, and were witnesses of the dominion which the apostle exercised over the sea. The spectacle touched them, and falling at the feet of the wonder-worker, they begged of him to instruct and enlighten them. Thus they came of their own accord, anticipating his own desires. At last the faithful rejoiced; the heretics opened their eyes to the splendors of the faith. During this time the fishes listened and applauded in their own way without departing. They seemed as if awaiting the blessing of the saint before resuming the liberty of their sports. He blessed them, dismissed them, and at once they dispersed in every direction, according to the instincts which guide them in the waters.
The wonder-worker remained several weeks at Rimini to reap the fruits of his victory. They were most abundant. One of the principal leaders of the sect named Bouvilla, bound for thirty years in the bonds of heresy, publicly retracted his errors. His abjuration was most remarkable, and he was followed by most of his co-religionists. Some of them, however, furious at their defeat, resolved to be avenged by poisoning their adversary. They invited the apostle to dinner, and gave him poisoned meat to eat. The saint, who knew by revelation of the infernal plot which they had planned against his life, reproached them. They were not in the least disconcerted, and adding irony to their cruelty, they endeavored to ensnare him by a dilemma from which he could not escape, so they thought, without admitting he was conquered. “Either you believe in the Gospel or you do not. If you believe in it, why do you doubt the accomplishment of the prophecy of your Master who promised that His disciples should cast out demons, and poisons should not injure them? If you do not believe in the truth of the Gospel why do you preach it? Take this poison and if it does not injure you, we swear to you to embrace the Catholic faith.” “I will do it,” replied the intrepid missionary; “not to tempt God, but to prove to you how much I have at heart the salvation of your souls and the triumph of the Gospel.” Then making the sign of the cross on the poisoned meats, he ate them without experiencing the least inconvenience; and the angels inscribed in the golden book of the elect a new victory and new names. The heretics kept their word, and, sincere and convinced, re-entered the fold of the Catholic Church.
The wonder-worker had entered Rimini saddened and in tears; he left it amid popular ovations. All the people accompanied him to the port, where he embarked for Illyria, and the reconciled Cathares were not the least enthusiastic in their acclamations. He traversed the Adriatic, landing on the shores of Illyria, and evangelized all the seashore of the gulf of Trieste, from Aquilla to Venice, passing by Goritz, Udine, Gemona, and Conegliano. Here he attacked the Patarins in their last entrenchments; there he restored to the degenerate Christians the integral faith of their baptism.
The blessed Anthony was at Gemona, near Udine. He had accepted a foundation in that city, and he himself superintended the work of construction. Seeing a peasant passing near the lumber-yard in a cart drawn by two oxen, he asked him to lend his cart to carry some bricks and lumber. The peasant answered it was “impossible.” He was not inclined to give gratuitous service. “I am carrying a dead man,” he said. He told a falsehood, for the pretended dead man was his own son who was lying asleep in the cart. Shortly after the peasant endeavored to awaken his son to tell him how he had fooled the monk-mason. But he tried in vain. He had spoken the truth without knowing it, when he said he carried a dead man. At the sight of the corpse he was seized with fear and repentance. He left his cart and oxen and ran to cast himself at the feet of the wonder-worker, conjuring him to pardon his falsehood and restore him his son. The sorrow of a father is something sacred. The saint returned with the peasant to the funeral cart, made the sign of the cross on the corpse, and gave his hand to the young man now restored to life and health. To do good to those who do evil to you is the vengeance of the saints.
On the first of the following year the apostle left Gemona and travelled rapidly through Trevise and Venice, as he was anxious to see his convent and his brethren at Padua.
Chapter X – Saint Anthony at Padua
Padua is the scene in which God wished to manifest the most abundant treasures of grace with which He had enriched the soul of His servant. Padua will bear his name in the records of the Order of the Friars Minor. From Padua he receives his name. But Anthony is not thinking of this. On looking out upon the city he thought of the ravages which the heretics had wrought in it. Then his heart was moved with compassion and yearned for the people. He wished to lead back the wandering children and warm them at the fireside of the charity of Jesus Christ.
He arrived at Padua with the reputation of a saint and