After years preaching throughout Italy, Friar Anthony arrived in the city of Padua in 1227!
Padua was an important city! Wealthy! But spiritually sick!
There was much sin! Usury! Injustice! Heresy!
Friar Anthony looked and thought: "There's much work to do here!"
He didn't know he would spend his last years there!
And that he would be known forever as Saint Anthony of Padua!
The Preaching in Padua
Friar Anthony began preaching in Padua daily!
He preached in squares! Streets! Churches!
He got up at 4 AM! He preached! He heard confessions! He taught!
He barely ate! Barely slept! He lived for souls!
The crowds came! Thousands! Sometimes 30,000 people!
They had to preach outdoors because they didn't fit in churches!
His preaching was fire of the Holy Spirit!
He denounced sins! He called to conversion! He explained the Bible!
Sinners cried! They converted! They changed their lives!
Usurers (who lent money with abusive interest) returned what they stole!
Enemy families reconciled!
All of Padua was transforming!
Friar Anthony had a special gift for defending the Eucharist!
He preached: "Jesus is really present in the Host! Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity!"
"It's not a symbol! It's not a memory! It's Jesus Himself!"
This was very important because heretics denied it!
They said: "It's just bread! It's not Jesus!"
Friar Anthony fought them with wisdom and... miracles!
The Miracle of the Mule
One day, a heretic named Bonvillo challenged Friar Anthony!
"You say the Host is Jesus? Prove it!"
"I'll leave my mule without eating for three days!"
"Then, I'll put food in front of her!"
"And you bring your 'Host'! We'll see what the mule chooses!"
"If she chooses the Host instead of food, I'll believe!"
Friar Anthony accepted the challenge!
On the appointed day, an enormous crowd gathered in the square!
Everyone wanted to see!
Bonvillo brought the mule (starving after three days!)!
He put delicious food in front of her!
The mule was desperate with hunger!
But Friar Anthony arrived with the Sacred Host in his hands!
Friar Anthony elevated the Host and said to the mule:
"In the name of the Creator whom I, unworthy, hold in my hands, I command you: come and give the due reverence!"
And then the extraordinary miracle happened!
The mule, despite desperate hunger, completely ignored the food!
She walked straight to Friar Anthony!
And knelt before the Host!
She lowered her head in reverence!
The crowd exploded in shouts!
"Miracle! Miracle!"
"Even the mule recognizes Jesus in the Eucharist!"
Bonvillo was shocked! He fell to his knees!
"Forgiveness! I believe! Jesus is really present!"
He converted at that moment!
And many other heretics too!
The miracle of the mule became one of Saint Anthony's most famous!
The Vision of the Child Jesus
Friar Anthony was staying at the house of a man named Tiso!
He had a small room upstairs!
There he prayed for hours! He studied! He prepared preaching!
One night, Tiso heard voices coming from Friar Anthony's room!
"Who is he talking to?" he thought.
Curious, he peeked through the keyhole!
And he saw something extraordinary!
Friar Anthony had a beautiful Child in his arms!
The Child shone! He emanated light!
Friar Anthony embraced Him! Kissed Him! Talked to Him!
Friar Anthony's face was radiant with joy!
It was the Child Jesus! He had appeared to him!
Tiso was astonished! He fell to his knees!
After a while, the vision disappeared!
Tiso ran to Friar Anthony: "What did I see? Who was that Child?"
Friar Anthony, humbly, asked: "Please, don't tell anyone while I live!"
"But it was Jesus! Jesus Himself came to visit me!"
Tiso promised! He only told after Friar Anthony's death!
That's why, to this day, Saint Anthony is represented holding the Child Jesus!
The Extraordinary Miracles
During his life, Friar Anthony worked hundreds of miracles!
Some of the most famous:
The miser's heart: A man died! Friar Anthony said: "His heart is not in his chest! It's in his safe!" They opened the safe - there was the heart! (Because he loved money more than God!)
The cut leg: A young man, repentant of having kicked his mother, cut off his own leg! Friar Anthony put it back! He prayed! And the leg was perfect!
The preaching fish: (We already told in Part 1!)
The Host in the glass: A woman brought a Host hidden in glass (she had stolen it from church)! The glass broke! The Host remained intact, floating!
The Gift of Bilocation
Like Saint Padre Pio, Saint Anthony also had the gift of bilocation!
He appeared in two places at the same time!
Once, he was preaching in a church in Padua!
At the same time, he needed to be in the convent choir to sing!
Suddenly, he appeared in the choir! He sang! And continued preaching in the church!
People witnessed in both places!
Worsening Health
All this work exhausted Friar Anthony!
He preached too much! He fasted too much! He slept too little!
He began to have health problems!
Dropsy (swelling from fluid accumulation)!
Pain! Weakness! Difficulty breathing!
But he didn't stop! He continued preaching! Hearing confessions! Serving!
"As long as there's breath, I'll preach!" he said.
June 13, 1231: Death
In June 1231, Friar Anthony was very sick!
He knew he was going to die!
He asked to go to the convent of the Poor Clares in Arcella (near Padua)!
There, in a simple little room, he prepared for death!
He confessed! He received the Eucharist!
He sang hymns! He prayed!
On the afternoon of June 13, Friar Anthony was dying!
The friars around him prayed!
Suddenly, Friar Anthony looked up!
His face became radiant! Illuminated!
"I see Jesus! I see my Lord!" he murmured.
And singing the hymn "O Gloriosa Domina" (O Glorious Lady - to Mary!), Friar Anthony died peacefully!
He was only 36 years old!
He lived little! But he did so much!
It's said that at that moment, the children of Padua, without knowing why, began to shout through the streets:
"The saint died! The saint died!"
And the church bells began to ring by themselves!
It was God announcing that His servant had gone to Heaven!
The Funeral
The funeral was gigantic!
All of Padua cried!
Rich and poor! Nobles and commoners! Adults and children!
"We lost our father! Our saint! Our protector!"
The body was carried in solemn procession!
Thousands accompanied!
During the funeral, several miracles happened!
The sick were healed! The possessed were freed!
May 30, 1232: Record Canonization!
Less than one year after death, something extraordinary!
Pope Gregory IX canonized Friar Anthony!
It was the fastest canonization in history until then!
Normally it took decades or centuries!
But the miracles were so many! The holiness so obvious!
That the Pope declared: "Saint Anthony of Padua!"
The Incorrupt Tongue
In 1263, 32 years after death, they decided to translate (move) Saint Anthony's remains!
They opened the tomb!
The body had decomposed (it was normal)!
But when they saw... they were shocked!
The tongue was perfectly preserved!
Red! Soft! As if it were alive!
Saint Bonaventure, great Franciscan saint who was present, exclaimed:
"O blessed tongue! That always praised the Lord and made others praise Him!"
"Now we clearly see how precious you were before God!"
The tongue that preached so marvelously was preserved by God!
To this day it's exposed in the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua!
Millions venerate it annually!
Saint Anthony and Lost Things
Why do we ask Saint Anthony to find lost things?
There are several stories! The most famous:
A novice stole Saint Anthony's psalter!
(Books were very expensive! They were copied by hand!)
Saint Anthony prayed to recover it!
The thief had a terrible vision! A demon threatened him!
He was terrified! He returned the book and went back to the convent!
Since then, Saint Anthony is invoked to find lost things!
But the meaning is deeper!
Saint Anthony doesn't just find lost objects!
He intercedes for lost souls!
People lost in sin! In doubt! In despair!
He helps them "find themselves" - to return to God!
That's why the devotion is so beautiful and deep!
Doctor of the Church
In 1946, Pope Pius XII declared Saint Anthony Doctor of the Church!
He gave him the title: "Evangelical Doctor"!
Why? Because his sermons and teachings explain the Gospel perfectly!
He unites theological wisdom with practical simplicity!
He's one of the 36 Doctors of the Church!
The Basilica of Padua
In Padua, they built a magnificent basilica dedicated to Saint Anthony!
It's one of the largest and most beautiful churches in the world!
There are:
- Saint Anthony's tomb
- The incorrupt tongue
- Other relics
- Beautiful chapel
It receives about 5 million pilgrims annually!
It's one of the most visited shrines in the world!
Saint Anthony Today
Today, Saint Anthony is one of the most popular and beloved saints in the world!
Especially in Brazil and Portugal!
Millions pray the "Trezena" (13 prayers for 13 days before June 13)!
They invoke him for:
- Finding lost things
- Finding a spouse (especially in Portugal and Brazil!)
- Conversion of sinners
- Protection
- Help in needs
Saint Anthony's Bread
There's a beautiful tradition: Saint Anthony's Bread!
In gratitude for graces received, people donate money to distribute bread to the poor!
It's called "Saint Anthony's Bread"!
It began because Saint Anthony loved the poor!
He always gave food to those in need!
Today, millions of loaves are distributed annually in his name!
Saint Anthony's Tuesdays
Tuesday is the day dedicated to Saint Anthony!
Many churches have special Mass on Tuesdays!
Blessing of Saint Anthony! Novenas!
Why Tuesday? Because Saint Anthony had special devotion to Saint Francis!
And Saint Francis especially celebrated Tuesdays!
The Legacy of Saint Anthony
Saint Anthony leaves us an extraordinary legacy:
📖 Wisdom with humility - Genius who remained simple!
📖 Powerful preaching - He converted thousands with words!
📖 Love of the Eucharist - He defended Jesus present!
📖 Zeal for souls - He lived to save sinners!
📖 Abundant miracles - God worked wonders through him!
📖 Young death but fruitful - 36 years, but eternal legacy!
📖 Worldwide devotion - Loved on all continents!
Reflection
