A Heart Which Sees

The book illustrates one of Anthony’s fundamental, though often overlooked, characteristics: his love for Scripture. Our Saint’s profound knowledge of the Bible conferred upon his preaching a power which the whole world acknowledged. The lily, a flower of great vitality and heavenly beauty, represents the war against evil and the guarding of one’s virtues. The flame symbolises the ardour of Christian charity; it was this fervour that inflamed Anthony to a particular love of the poor. The image of the Baby Jesus leads us to a dimension beyond signs and symbols; it guides us to a representation of God’s pure, innocent love for the whole of humanity: we need but recall how, a few days before his death, Anthony had the beatific vision of the Baby Jesus, and was allowed to hold the Divine Child in his hands.

Finally, the symbol of bread evokes our Saint’s particular love for the poor. This icon is strictly connected to St. Anthony’s Bread – an age-old initiative instituted by the Friars to feed the hungry.

Legend has it that this association actually began in 1263, when a child drowned in the Brenta river not far from the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua. The mother went to the Saint’s Tomb and promised that if her son were restored to life, she would give to the poor an amount of wheat equal to the weight of her offspring. Miraculously, the child was saved, and her promise kept. This may be the origin of that wonderful tradition of giving alms in return for graces received through the Saint’s intercession.

The usage was never abandoned, and in the course of time this truly evangelical initiative was gradually streamlined into a more efficient association which eventually broadened its horizons to embrace the whole world. As an offshoot, St. Anthony’s Charities was started in 1976 with the express purpose of carrying out in an organic way, appropriate to the social demands of the time, the commitment which the Friars of the Basilica in Padua have towards the subscribers of the Messenger of Saint Anthony to provide help to those in need through high quality programmes and projects.

Every June, on the occasion of the Saint’s Feast Day, St. Anthony’s Charities points out to the readers of the Messenger the most demanding projects of the year, inviting them to participate in their realisation.

This year we are presenting two projects dedicated to Africa – the most martyred continent on earth. One of these projects is in Kenya, the other in Congo, but in both children remain our chief concern. Therefore we urge you, dear readers, to peruse both the outer cover and the article Anthony’s African Heart, on page 12 of this issue.

The spirit behind our initiatives is well-exemplified by Benedict XVI’s first encyclical letter God is Love. In the letter, the Pope examines the inner meaning of true Christian charity, “We contribute to a better world only by personally doing good now; with full commitment and wherever we have the opportunity… The Christian’s programme – the programme of the Good Samaritan, the programme of Jesus – is a heart which sees. This heart sees where love is needed and acts accordingly”. Surrounded as we are by an ocean of need and suffering we must be on guard against two temptations: the first, which is perhaps the most common, is the illusion of being powerless in the fight against poverty and deprivation; the second is quite the opposite: that of an obsessive activism based on perverse ideologies. As an antidote, and as a stimulus to truly Christian acts of charity, Pope Benedict summons us to first of all unite with God through prayer. Those who pray serve God in the most appropriate manner, and are thus able to provide for their fellow human beings in the best possible way.