Feast of Saint Anthony

Mass Celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart
at Saint Joseph’s Church, North Reservoir,
on Sunday, 12th June, 2005,

Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am delighted to be with you to celebrate the Feast of Saint Anthony; a ready companion in prayer, a lover of Jesus, a man of God.

In this Year of the Eucharist Saint Anthony invites us to see the Eucharist, the true spiritual food, as at the end of this celebration we will bless bread as a sign of Saint Anthony’s compassion for the poor, the weak, the needy.

Let us call to mind our sins.

Homily

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Thirteen years ago I was lucky to visit the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Lisbon. I had wondered why he was such a popular saint until I read again his life. He is a man of God, a wonderful preacher, a firm intercessor in time of need.

Anthony, as you know, was born in Lisbon on 15 th August 1195 and died at Arcella near Padua on 13 th June 1231. By any standards he put a lot into the thirty-six years of his life. He came from a noble family and at the age of fifteen entered the monastery of the Augustinians. Two years later he went to their study house in Coimbra, where he became expert in sacred scripture. Yet the studies that he did were unsatisfying for him.

When he heard of the first Franciscan martyrs in Morocco he joined the Franciscans in Coimbra in 1220. He was sent as a missionary to Morocco, but was forced by illness to return. On return his boat was driven off course and he landed in Sicily and there continued his work as a Franciscan. For a time he was a hermit at San Paolo near Forli.

After his ordination he was recognised as an inspiring preacher and preached against the heretics in Northern Italy (1222-1224) and in the south of France against the Alvajences (1224), returning to Italy from 1227 and in 1231 he preached daily in Padua. From 1223 he had been the first professor of theology for the friars and as an energetic and vigorous monk was guardian in Lepuis, Coustos, in Limoge, Provincial in the Romagna Province. His health failed and he was canonised on 30 th May 1232, when Gregory IX declared him to be a teacher of the Church and on 16 th January 1946, Pius XII made him a doctor of the Church with the title, “Doctor Evangelicus”.

We know and love Saint Anthony as the apostle of charity; when we have spiritual or temporal needs, to find lost objects, for lovers, for women having children, for help against diabolic possession, fever, diseases and as the patron of miners.

At the end of this celebration we will bless Saint Anthony’s bread, remembering the alms given to the poor in his name and asking his intercession.

It is important for us to know the saints as our friends in heaven who followed Christ. One who lived such a short and well filled life is an example and challenge to us, that following Jesus is a life time occupation.

Today in this Year of the Eucharist let us remember three things.

1. The same Jesus who is offered and received in the Mass.
2. Is always present in our church to make it a place of silence, prayer and wonder.
3. So that we can go out, as Saint Anthony did, to show compassion and help to those whom we meet in our life.

It is the strength of our love of Jesus and prayer, coupled with the knowledge of Jesus, which Saint Anthony gave us that we see our great saint as a powerful helper to be focussed on what Jesus wants us to achieve. Like him, to be poor, like him, to be a true contemplative, faithful to our prayers and like him to be apostolic in spreading the knowledge and love of the God who draws close to us even more than we can imagine.

Saint Anthony, strong helper in time of need, pray for us.

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.