June 13. St Anthony of Padua. “Giving names to children when they are born is a very cultural thing. Some families choose names of relatives, some choose an arbitrary name that sounds nice. In other cultures the name has significance related to the time of the birth. At baptism the Church does expect a Christian, saint’s name. Over the years children might explore who their name saint is. That was what Sibusiso Anthony did and became fascinated by St Anthony of Padua. “”St. Anthony, please look around; something is lost and must be found.” That little prayer seems to come from an incident when St Anthony himself prayed intensely for an important book he was using to be returned. Already as a young boy he was drawn to the religious life and when he discovered the new Franciscan way around 1220 he wanted to be a missionary. His health was not good enough for that. He was shipwrecked, landed n Italy and worked as a humble brother doing manual work until by chance he was told to preach at an ordination. His wonderful gift for preaching and his knowledge as a teacher were discovered and that became his way of life. Many people were converted, turned from their sins and were reconciled with one another through him. He was once discovered miraculously holding the baby Jesus and is most often portrayed like that because of his intense love for Jesus which can be a real model for all those called Anthony and Antonette and others too who might choose him for a Confirmation saint.
St Anthony, my patron saint and St Francis together in my little garden. Toni.
Reflect, share, act. Scripture:. The lord sent out seventy others, two by two. and he said to them, “the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few.“ Luke 10:1-9. Pope Francis: Social love as a reflection of the Trinity is what truly unifies the spiritual meaning of the family and its mission to others. Al 324. Christ is alive. He is our hope and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. He is in you, he is with you and he never abandons you. However far you may wander he is always there. He calls you and he waits for you to return to him and start over again. CV 1-2
Recent Comments