‘Miracles of St. Antonio of Padua’ ~ Chapter I – Miracles during his life; pages 23-29; points 5-8 – ‘A messenger of Hell unmasked…, etc.’
[St. Anthony of Padua XII-XIII Century AD; Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal/Padua, Holy Roman Empire; (aged 35); powerful preaching, expert knowledge of scripture, and undying love and devotion to the poor and the sick; canonized less than a year after his death; Doctor of the Church]“5-A messenger of Hell unmasked
While the saint was preaching at Puy a messenger suddenly appeared in the midst of the congregation, calling out to a lady in a loud voice that her son had been foully murdered by his enemies. Anthony, who easily dis covered who the messenger was, commanded silence by a motion of his hand, and, after consoling the lady by telling her that her son was never in better health in his life and that she would shortly see him, added that the supposed messenger was no other than the evil one, who had only come in the hopes of disturbing the sermon and marring its effects. This proved perfectly true, as the pretended messenger at once vanished. The saintly preacher then availed himself of the opportunity thus presented to him to warn his hearers against the artifices of the evil one.
6-The consoler of Mothers
Whilst at Brives God glorified His servant by making him work many
miracles.
A poor woman had gone to hear the saint preach, leaving her child alone, with no one to take care of him. During her absence the little one fell into a caldron of boiling water, and on her return she found him playing unhurt in his dangerous bath.
But a greater miracle than that was worked on another occasion. A mother having left her infant at home by itself, in order to go and hear the sermon, found him on her return dead in his cradle. In the midst of her grief she rushed back to the church and informed the saint of what had taken place. ‘Go home,’ he replied, ’your son liveth,’ making use of the same words as Our Lord did when the father asked Him to cure his son. Full of confidence in St. Anthony, she hastened back, and to her great joy, found the baby up and playing with his little companions.
7-The rain respects the friend of the Saints
It happened one day that the cook of the monastery at which the saint was staying had nothing to give the brethren to eat, and went and told Anthony of his difficulty. The saint at once went to see a pious lady he knew, begging her to have compassion on his brethren and send them a few cabbages. So great was the veneration in which he was held that she immediately, in spite of the inclemency of the weather, for it was pouring rain, ordered her servant to go into the garden and cut as many vegetables as the monks would require. The maid obeyed and took them to the convent. Notwithstanding the drenching rain, she returned home perfectly dry, and, full of admiration, said to her mistress: ‘When you want something done for Father Anthony or the other monks, do, pray, send me; I would not care if the weather was a thousand times worse than to-day; see, there is not a drop of rain on my clothes and my shoes are not even damp.’
The lady, full of admiration, earnestly recommended the monks to the care of her only brother, a canon at Noblet, entreating him to assist them, as far as lay in his power, and to rest assured that God would reward him a hundredfold for his charity.
8-The extraordinary prophecy
While the saint was at his monastery at Puy he used sometimes to meet a lawyer, who led a very bad and profligate life. Every time they met the saint would uncover his head and bow most respectfully to him. Thinking the servant of God was only laughing at him, the lawyer one day turned round and said to him: ‘If I did not fear the judgment of God I would soon make you repent of insulting one who has never injured you, by thrusting my sword through your body.’ The saint replied that, far from having any intention of insulting him, he only bowed through a feeling of deep love and respect, for in thus saluting him he was saluting one who was to be a glorious martyr, and begged of him, when undergoing his tortures, not to forget him in his prayers. The lawyer for the time being laughed at what seemed to him to. be a most unlikely thing. Strange to say, the prophecy was shortly afterwards fulfilled. A bishop started for Palestine, with the intention of converting the Saracens, and urged on by a secret impulse from heaven, the lawyer followed him. On his arrival he was suddenly filled with such a desire to convert the infidels that he himself at once began to preach the truths of the Christian religion to them and point out the wickedness of Mahometanism, which so enraged these fanatics that after making him a prisoner and torturing him for three days, they put him to death. When about to die he revealed to those present how the saintly Father Anthony had predicted his martyrdom, declaring at the same time that a great prophet had risen in their midst.”
Image: ‘Saint Anthony of Padua and the Christ Child’
Music: Monteverdi ~ ‘Exulta filia Sion’ · Lavinia Bertotti
‘Exulta filia Sion’ = ‘Rejoice daughter of Zion’
youtube.com/watch?v=8tABX6Klhqo