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“Tony, Tony, turn around. Something’s lost that must be found!”
I know that many Catholics have belted out this sing-song ditty in one of its many variations or recited it silently out of long engrained habit when we’ve misplaced the keys to the car or some other useful thing. I can’t say this has ever been a go-to prayer for me. But as a convert to Catholicism, I have found it to be more than just a quaint plea in times of frazzled stress over a lost object. I have been touched by the light-hearted way our faith can be expressed, not with disrespect, but with a lightness that buoys the spirit and even offers hope.
I’ll admit my own penchant for a dash of lightheartedness in my faith life includes glow-in-the-dark statuettes. My collection includes St. Anthony. This little statuette has sat on my nightstand for the last 25 years since becoming Catholic. In the middle of the night when I wake up due to thunder, an unexpected creak in the house, or far more frequently, stress from the weight of my life’s commitments, I see the strange light green glow of St. Anthony holding the Christ Child and smile. Yes, this little $2.50 tchotchke from a California Franciscan Mission gift store brings me peace.
I write this while I am in the midst of leading a week-long retreat on the spirituality of interdependence. Franciscan spirituality is not built on abstractions. Instead, we live into this path forged by Francis and nurtured in his own way by Anthony and others by being in relationship with one another, with all the ups and downs, and all the celebrations and tensions relationships offer. Through the volatility, Franciscan spirituality calls us to remain present; to stay engaged.
This is not a passive calling. Instead, it is a path to peacemaking. This can become complex when we are aware that abusive relationships or those of mere disrespect can call us into a place of self-care by retreating or monitoring engagement with care. But the calling remains.
St. Anthony was attacked and mocked by those who disagreed with him, often called heretics in the sources. Anthony chose his responses with love, care, and most of all presence.
Some of the hagiographic stories of Anthony’s life show us how he demonstrated faith to others. While he was a famous preacher, his most effective preaching that has come down to us today are found in anecdotes from this hagiography. In one story, heretics caused a ruckus with their contempt for Anthony and his preaching. Instead of arguing with them, Anthony went to a nearby shore and began preaching to the fish. As the story goes, the fish sensed his words and presence so compelling, they swam to the shore to “listen” with interest. The townspeople and naysayers alike noticed Anthony’s capacity for peaceful presence and were moved.
There are many other hagiographic stories highlighting Anthony’s capacity for bringing about peace, not by preaching, not by teaching—both skills that mark his life as a friar—but by his peaceful presence.
I am reminded of the famous Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, who was exiled from his native Vietnam during war of the 1960s. Upon arriving in the US, he found the anti-war demonstrations as unnerving as the violence of war itself. He came to understand that one cannot end violence with equally combative protest. Violence does not put an end to violence; peaceful presence does. Disrespect does not put an end end disrespect; peaceful presence does. There are accounts of Thich Nhat Hanh leading followers through the streets of New York City in a peaceful walking meditation, thus with their calm presence transforming the volatile speech and energy of anti-war demonstrators, not with words, and certainly not with counter-protests. Instead, through peace. Thich Nhat Hanh is known for planting seeds of peace by being peaceful, just as Anthony sowed seeds of peace, by being peaceful.
So, when I wake up in the middle of the night disturbed by lightning or the divisive state of our world and see a greenish glow emanating from my night table, I feel a little less anxious and a little more at peace. I am reminded of the effect peaceful presence has on others and try to be that presence come morning. St. Anthony’s peaceful way of being still impresses after 800 years. But it is up to us to heed the reminders that even a glow-in-the-dark statue of him can have and be that peace in our world today.
Questions for Reflection
✦ How do you find peace when you are unsettled?
✦ Have you ever met someone who exudes peace with their very presence? Describe their way of being.
✦ What does St. Anthony of Padua mean to you?
