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The list of human concerns for which St. Anthony of Padua is the patron is amazingly varied. This great saint has been known as the patron of lovers and of marriage, as a helper in time of birth or as a help against infertility. He was called upon against fevers, against diabolic powers, and against plagues among cattle. He was honored as the patron of mariners as well as of those who live in mountainous areas.
The array of wonders attributed to Anthony in story and legend is equally astounding in its variety.
He was in two places at the same time; after a dare by an unbeliever and at Anthony’s prayer, a donkey knelt before the Blessed Sacrament; fishes lifted their heads above the water to listen as he preached to them, after bored believers turned away. In fact, his sermons were holy events that people clamored to hear. And people were said to have walked home lighter than when they arrived. That is a testament to his understanding of Scripture and how it could be applied to the lives of everyday people.
Are all the legends surrounding St. Anthony true or false? Are they rooted in reality or are they the musings of devoted fans throughout the centuries? We may never find an answer save this: St. Anthony has helped many of us find the grace to carry on another day.
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St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Peace
“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. Read more…
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St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Stability
A quote attributed to St. Anthony of Padua gives me a measure of steadiness: “We are formed by environment and grace, by politics and prayer, by church and conscience. All God’s creatures conspire to teach us as well. We stumble. We stutter. We rise. We are lifted.”
Powerful words! They give me the permission to exhale and leave my worries to God. Read more…
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St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Community
One of my favorite stories of St. Anthony is the one about how, during the final years of his life, the friars built Anthony a treehouse in a large walnut tree not far from the friary. Anthony would climb up into it and stay there for days, weeks, or months.
Why he did so is unknown. Was it to get closer to God above? Was it to get away from the people below? As someone who often preached to enormous crowds, the latter question would be understandable. Anthony cherished time to contemplate and pray. The treehouse provided that. Read more…
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St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Well-Being
“When you look into muddy or choppy water, you will not see your face reflected. If you want the face of Christ, who looks on you, to be reflected within you, come away from the disturbance of exterior things, and let your soul be at peace.” —St. Anthony of Padua
Life can often feel like, in St. Anthony’s words, “choppy water,” and we can indeed lose our sense of bearing when things get chaotic or even hostile. Read more…
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St. Anthony, Help Me Find…Beauty
most things in life, I’ve learned as a creative and now as a father, are beautifully messy, where wheat grows among the weeds, where the transforming power of grace never ceases. It may be worth asking oneself: What am I consciously (or unconsciously) labeling as heaven or hell? How are my own labels closing off my soul from experiencing beauty in the here and now?
St. Anthony of Padua, that Hammer of Heretics, serves as a model to me that I am to preach against any dualism within myself that blocks an openness to beauty. And I pray he helps me awaken to a deeper understanding of beauty in this divine-saturated, albeit messy, reality. Read more…
