Dear brothers and sisters,
two weeks ago I presented the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi. This morning I would like to talk about another saint belonging to the first generation of Friars Minor: Anthony of Padua or as it is also called, from Lisbon, referring to his hometown. This is one of the most popular saints in the whole Catholic Church, revered not only in Padua, where he was raised a magnificent basilica, which houses his mortal remains, but all the world. Are dear to the faithful images and statues represent him with the lily symbol of purity, or with the infant Jesus in her arms, in memory of a miraculous apparition mentioned in literary sources. Antonio has made a significant contribution to the development of Franciscan spirituality, with its outstanding qualities of intelligence, balance, apostolic zeal and, mainly, of mystical fervor. He was born in Lisbon of a noble family around 1195 and was baptized with the name of Fernando. He entered the canons who followed the monastic rule of St. Augustine, first in the monastery of San Vincenzo in Lisbon and later in that of Santa Croce in Coimbra, a renowned cultural center Portugal. He devoted himself with interest and concern to the study of the Bible and the Fathers of the Church, acquiring that science and technology that put to good use in teaching and preaching. In Coimbra was the episode that marked a turning point in his life: In 1220 the relics were exposed for the first five Franciscan missionaries who had gone to Morocco, where they met with martyrdom. Their case aroused in the young Fernando desire to imitate them and to move forward on the path of Christian perfection: He then asked to leave the Augustinian canons and become a Friar Minor. His request was accepted and took the name of Antonio, he also left for Morocco, but Providence God ordered otherwise. Following an illness, was forced to return to Italy and, in 1221, participated in the famous "Chapter of Mats" in Assisi, where he also met Francis. Subsequently, he lived for a time totally hidden in a convent near Forli in northern Italy, where the Lord called him to another mission. Invited to circumstances completely random, to preach on the occasion of a priestly ordination, he showed he was gifted with such learning and eloquence, that his superiors sent him to preaching. He began in Italy and France, so intense apostolic activity and effectively induced not a few people who had separated from the Church to retrace their steps. Anthony was among the first teachers of theology of the Friars Minor, if not the first. He began his teaching in Bologna, with the blessing of St. Francis, who, recognizing the virtues of Anthony, sent him a short letter that opened with these words: "I like to teach theology to the friars." Anthony set the foundations of Franciscan theology which, cultivated by other famous figures of thinkers, came to its climax with St. Bonaventure and Blessed John Duns Scotus.
Becoming provincial superior of the Friars Minor of North America, continued with the ministry of preaching, alternating with the tasks of government. Concluded the office of Provincial, retired, near Padua, where he had gone on other occasions. After just one year, died at the gates of the City, June 13, 1231. Padua, who had welcomed him with affection and awe in life, forever honor and devotion. The same Pope Gregory IX, who after hearing him preach, he called the "Ark of the Testament," canonized him only a year after his death in 1232, even after the miracles that happened through her intercession.
last period of his life, Anthony writing two series of "Sermons", respectively entitled "Sunday Sermons" and "Sermons on the Saints," written for preachers and teachers of theological studies of the Franciscan Order. In these sermons he comments on the texts of Scripture presented by the liturgy, using the patristic-medieval interpretation of the four meanings: the literal or historical, the allegorical or Christological tropological or morals, and the anagogic, which guides to eternal life. Today we discover anew that these are dimensions of meaning of sacred Scripture, which is right to interpret the Bible looking for the four dimensions of his word. Sermons of St. Anthony These are theological and homiletic texts, which echo the lively preaching, in which Antonio offers a real journey of Christian life. The wealth of spiritual teachings contained in "Sermons," the Venerable Pope Pius XII, in 1946, Antonio proclaimed Doctor of the Church, giving it the title of "Doctor of the Gospel" because it emerges from these writings the freshness and beauty of the Gospel, they still We read with great spiritual profit. In this sermon
Anthony speaks of prayer as a relationship of love, which drives the man to talk gently with the Lord, creating an ineffable joy, which gently wraps the soul in prayer. Anthony reminds us that prayer needs an atmosphere of silence that does not coincide with the withdrawal from external noise, but it is inner experience, which seeks to remove the distractions caused by the concerns of the soul, creating a silence in the soul itself. According to the teaching of this great Franciscan doctor, prayer is divided into four indispensable attitudes, which in Latin Antonio, are defined as follows: obsecratio, oratio, postulatio, gratiarum actio. We could translate as follows: hopefully open their hearts to God, this is the first step of praying, not just pick a word, but open our hearts to God's presence, then speak affectionately with him, seeing him there with me, and then - very natural - to present our needs, then praise him and thank him. In this
St. Anthony's teaching on prayer we see one of the specific features of Franciscan theology, of which he was the initiator, that is the role assigned to the divine love as it enters the sphere of affection, will, heart, and that is also the source from which springs spiritual knowledge, which surpasses all understanding. In fact, in love, we know.
Anthony writes: "Love is the soul of faith, makes a living, without love, faith dies" (Sermones et Dominicales Holidays II Messaggero, Padova 1979, p. 37).
only soul that prays can make progress in spiritual life: that is the subject preferred the preaching of St. Anthony. He knows the flaws of human nature, our tendency to fall into sin, which calls for continuing to fight the inclination to greed, pride, impurity, and to practice the virtues of poverty and generosity, 'humility and obedience, chastity and purity. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, in the context of the rebirth of the city and the flourishing of trade, increased the number of people insensitive to the needs of the poor. For this reason, Antonio repeatedly calls the faithful to think about the real wealth of the heart, making it good and merciful, does up treasures for heaven. "O-rich - so he urges - ... befriend the poor, welcome in your homes and then they will, the poor, to welcome into the eternal tabernacles, where the beauty of peace, trust, security, peace and opulence eternal satiety "(Ibid., p. 29).
Is not this, dear friends, teaching a very important today, when the financial crisis and severe economic imbalances deplete the number of people, and create conditions of misery? In my Encyclical "Caritas in veritate remember:" The economy needs ethics for its efficient operation, no ethics whatsoever, but an ethics of the person "(n. 45).
school, Anthony Francis, always puts Christ at the center of life and of thought, action and preaching. This is another typical feature of the Franciscan theology: Christ. Gladly it covers, and invites us to contemplate the mysteries of the Lord of mankind, the man Jesus, in particular, the mystery of the Nativity, God who has become a child, was delivered into our hands: a mystery that stirs feelings of love and gratitude to God's goodness.
one hand, the Nativity, a central point of Christ's love for humanity, but also the vision of the Crucifix Antonio inspired by thoughts of gratitude to God and respect for the dignity of the human person, so that everyone, believers and nonbelievers, can be found in the crucified and his image meaning that enriches life. Anthony writes: "Christ is your life, is hanging in front of you, because you look at the cross as in a mirror. There you will find out what your injuries were fatal, which no medicine could heal, if not the blood of the Son of God if you look carefully you will realize how great are your dignity and your value ... Nowhere man can better understand what he is worth, which looked into the mirror of cross "(Sermones et Dominicales Holidays III, pp. 213-214).
meditated on these words, we can better understand the importance of the image of the Crucified for our culture, our humanism born of the Christian faith. Just looking at the Crucifix we see, as Anthony says, how great is human dignity and worth as human beings. At no other point you can understand what it's worth the man, because God makes us so important, that he sees as important, to be, for him, worthy of his suffering, so the whole human dignity appears in the mirror and look of the Crucifix to him is always a source of recognition of human dignity.
Dear friends, may Antonio of Padua, venerated by the faithful to intercede for the whole Church, and especially for those who dedicate themselves to preaching, pray the Lord to help us to learn a little of this art by Anthony. The preachers, inspired by his example, take care to combine solid and sound doctrine, sincere and fervent piety, incisiveness in communication. In this year the priesthood, we pray for the priests and deacons to carry out this ministry officials to register and update of the Word of God to the faithful, especially through liturgical homily. Whether that's an effective presentation of the eternal beauty of Christ, just as Antonio recommended: "If you preach Jesus, He melts the hearts hard, and if you plead, sweeten the bitter temptations, and if you think you illuminate your heart, if you read it, he feeds you the mind "(Sermones et Dominicales Holidays III, p. 59).
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