A Man on Fire

ACCORDING to an old story, “On the night of the feast of St. Anthony, the Guardian of the friars in Padua, brother Bartholomew of Corradino, was spending the night in vigil at the Ark (the Tomb of the Saint). He was beseeching him with tears and prayers for the deliverance of the city from the tyranny of Count Ezzelino, War Lord of Padua (who had been rebuked by Saint Anthony himself), when he heard a voice from the very tomb, clearly uttering these words: “Brother Bartholomew, do not be afraid or sad. Rather, be comforted and joyful, knowing for certain that I have mercifully obtained from God that the city of Padua will be re-conquered on the Octave of my festival, to enjoy its accustomed freedom and ancient independence”.

 

A splendid Basilica

 

In gratitude for their liberation, which they attributed to the prayers of the Saint, the Paduans resolved to replace the humble church in which he was buried with the splendid Basilica we see today. When it was built the time came for the re-burial of the Saint’s remains in a more splendid Tomb. This was in the year 1263, on the Sunday after Easter. We have a vivid description of the occasion from Friar John Peckham, later to become Archbishop of Canterbury, and who in 1276 was commissioned by the General Chapter to update the Life of Anthony that had been issued forty years before. Peckham writes as follows: “His relics, so dear to God, were transferred to the new Basilica on Low Sunday with the greatest pomp, with organ music, trumpets and cymbals, as well as the sweet and harmonious sound of singing. His tongue was found to be as fresh, pink and beautiful as if the holy Father had only just died, rather than having been buried in the earth for thirty-two years. That venerable man, the Lord Bonaventure, Doctor Magnificus of Sacred Theology and at that time Minister General (later he became Cardinal Bishop of Albano), was present at the ceremony of translation. He took the tongue reverently in his hands, and with tears pouring down his face he spoke devoutly to all the people who were gathered there. ‘Oh blessed tongue! You always blessed the Lord, and made others to bless him. How clear it is that you have deserved great things from God!’ He kissed it tenderly and devoutly, and ordered that it be kept separately, in an honoured place, as was right and proper”.

 

Images

 

From that day the Saint’s tongue has been kept in its own reliquary, separate from the rest of his remains. This should vividly remind us that, in his own lifetime, the Saint was revered not so much as a miracle-worker, but as a powerful preacher of the Good News of Jesus Christ; like St John the Baptist, a preacher of repentance and renewal of life.

In this 750th anniversary of the discovery of his “blessed tongue” it is therefore fitting that we look at what Anthony has to say about the ideal preacher.

In Anthony’s Sermons the preacher is sometimes represented as the herald who summons the army to battle by sounding the trumpet.

But we must not forget that the trumpet of preaching summons also to banqueting and festivity. The preacher is the herald of good tidings, who must get up on a high mountain: that is, his own life must be exemplary. He is also at times a chastiser, rebuking the sinner, pricking him with goads that will draw forth the blood of compunction.

The image of the warrior is also used in several ways by St. Anthony to represent the preacher. The preacher must, in fact, ‘go down’ from his own understanding of God, into the ‘frozen soul of the sinner’, to slay the lion of sin, or the devil. He is like Judas Maccabaeus putting on his armour.

 

Artist & healer

 

Moreover, the preacher is like a mason, who, with the trowel of preaching, joins together the living stones of the Church with the mortar of God’s word. He is a musician, like David playing on his harp to sooth the tormented spirit of Saul, preaching being ‘like a concert of music in a banquet of wine’ – sometimes sad, sometimes joyful.

Anthony also represents the preacher as a healer. This image recurs in a variety of ways. There is Samuel with his (four-sided) vial of oil anointing Saul, whose name Anthony interprets as ‘abuser’, and who he represents as the sinner. The preacher must take his ‘four-sided vial’ (the Gospels) and pour oil upon the sinner’s mind. Oil is used for healing, for strengthening, and for giving light. Anthony says to the preacher, in effect, “Picture yourself as Samuel, anointing Saul to heal his wounds, strengthen his body and enlighten his mind”

In an extended image, Antony represents the preacher as an ‘apothecary’, mixing up ingredients to make healing ointments. The myrrh of penitence, the storax of contrition, the galbanum of confession, the onycha of satisfaction, are pounded in the mortar of the sinner’s heart with the pestle of preaching. The wine of Christ’s Blood and the oil of the Holy Spirit are also part of the recipe.

Finally, Anthony says that the preacher must be a wise teacher. This may be ‘Moses on the mountain’, receiving the two tables. The ‘mountain’ is the preacher’s own life; he should leave the valley of sin, and mount higher, if he is to receive God’s teaching and be fit to teach others. The ‘wise teacher’ is also David, sitting in his chair. ‘Sitting’ implies lowering oneself, an image of humility.

 

Heavenly intercessor

 

All such images are cumulative. The preacher’s mission is many-sided. He is a warrior against the powers of darkness which afflict both the Church community and the individual soul. He is also a healer of the soul’s sickness, and must know how to concoct medicine as well as how to apply it. He needs the skill of a craftsman, and the hard-work of a farmer. Anthony seems more concerned to help the preacher to see himself and his work in a certain kind of way, than to give him detailed instruction on how to carry it out. This method of parable and analogy is itself, of course, very ‘biblical’, very ‘evangelical’. It is the way Christ Himself taught, and it sets Anthony apart from many others who wanted to aid preachers in their work. It is not ‘intellectual’, it aims to evoke in the preacher an ‘insight’ into his vocation. It shows us Anthony’s own vision.

Here, then, is Antony: a man on fire to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to turn the hearts of men and women back to God, and to enable his confreres to do the same. Anthony is one of the most loved Saints, in terms of popular devotion; someone constantly sought as a heavenly intercessor, but above all a gifted and wise teacher from whom we still can learn much.