conography of St Anthony includes a series of symbols: youth, the habit, a book, the baby Jesus, the lily, a flame, a heart, bread. These express either a characteristic of his personality (memory functions), or the gifts and qualities which popular devotion have attributed to him (symbolic function).
The most widely diffused image is of Anthony as a young religious, with the Christ child in his arms and a lily in his hand.
Youth is connected to the ideal image of him as, pure, good, receptive to everyone.
The Franciscan habit (brown or black) is reminiscent of the Franciscan Order, but with some particular characteristics. Some people think - wrongly - that he created his own order and they have problems connecting him to St. Francis.
The baby Jesus is reminiscent of the vision that Anthony had in Camposampiero.
It also expresses his attachment to the humanity of Christ and his closeness to God.
The Lily represents his purity and his battle against the demon since childhood.
The flame indicates his love for God and his neighbour.
Many votive offerings are heart-shaped, and the reliquary for the voice box (larynx), found intact at the last recognition, has been made in the shape of a flame.
Bread is reminiscent of his charity to the poor. This image is connected with the charity "St. Anthony's bread for the poor", which is still operating.
This is also connected with Saint Anthony's Charities, which spreads the solidarity of St. Anthony all over the world.
In the end, the oldest image and that which is nearest to reality is represented by the book, a symbol of his science, of his doctrine, of his preaching and of his teaching, always inspired by the book par excellence: the Bible.
Showing posts with label Messenger of St. Anthony. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Messenger of St. Anthony. Show all posts
Monday, June 6, 2011
PRAYER FOR PRIVATE DEVOTION TO ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA-
PRAYER TO RECOVER LOST OR STOLEN THINGS
O Blessed St. Anthony, The grace of God has made you a powerful advocate in all necessities and the patron for the restoration of things lost or stolen. To you we return today with child-like love and heartfelt confidence. How many thousands have you miraculously aided in the recovery of lost goods. You are the counselors of sinners, the comforter of the afflicted, the healer of the sick, the raiser of the dead, the deliverer of the captive, the refuge of the afflicted. To you do we hasten O Blessed St. Anthony. Help us in our affliction. We entrust what we have lost to your care, in the secure hope that you will restore it to be the greater glory of God and to the benefit of our soul. Amen..
A STUDENT’S PRAYER
St. Anthony, you distinguished yourself for truly human and Christian wisdom, I entrust my studies to your guidance. You know how important they are for my life and what commitment they require of me: grant me a firm will to apply myself with constancy, the intelligence to penetrate the wonders of science, a memory to remember and use what I have been taught.
May school be for me an arena of life where I may learn together with human knowledge the teachings of the Gospel.
Through your help, may I continue and conclude successfully may studies and thus be useful to others and find my place in life with Christian responsibility. Amen.
O Blessed St. Anthony, The grace of God has made you a powerful advocate in all necessities and the patron for the restoration of things lost or stolen. To you we return today with child-like love and heartfelt confidence. How many thousands have you miraculously aided in the recovery of lost goods. You are the counselors of sinners, the comforter of the afflicted, the healer of the sick, the raiser of the dead, the deliverer of the captive, the refuge of the afflicted. To you do we hasten O Blessed St. Anthony. Help us in our affliction. We entrust what we have lost to your care, in the secure hope that you will restore it to be the greater glory of God and to the benefit of our soul. Amen..
A STUDENT’S PRAYER
St. Anthony, you distinguished yourself for truly human and Christian wisdom, I entrust my studies to your guidance. You know how important they are for my life and what commitment they require of me: grant me a firm will to apply myself with constancy, the intelligence to penetrate the wonders of science, a memory to remember and use what I have been taught.
May school be for me an arena of life where I may learn together with human knowledge the teachings of the Gospel.
Through your help, may I continue and conclude successfully may studies and thus be useful to others and find my place in life with Christian responsibility. Amen.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thirteen-day Novena to Saint Anthony
Dear brothers and sisters, let us present our petitions to Jesus, so that through Saint Anthony's intercession, He may pour out His mercy on us.
1. O Lord, you have made Saint Anthony an apostle of the Gospel. Grant us, through his intercession, a strong and humble faith and make our lives coherent with the creed that we profess.
Glory be to the Father…
2. O God Almighty, you have made Saint Anthony a constructor of peace and fraternal charity. Look upon the victims of violence and war. Grant that in this confused world full of tensions, we may become courageous witnesses of non-violence, promoting human life and peace.
Glory be to the Father…
3. O God, you have granted Saint Anthony the gift of healing and performing miracles. Grant us health of soul and body. Grant serenity and solace to those who have asked for our prayers and make us always ready to serve the sick, the elderly and the distressed.
Glory be to the Father…
4. O Lord, you made Saint Anthony an untiring preacher of the Gospels along mankind's many paths. In your Fatherly mercy protect the homeless, refugees and emigrants; keep them safe from every danger and guide their steps along the path of peace.
Glory be to the Father…
5. O God Almighty, you granted Saint Anthony the power to reunite severed limbs. Reunite all Christians in your One and Holy Church, and grant that we may all live the mystery of unity, thus becoming one heart and one soul.
Glory be to the Father…
6. O Lord Jesus, you made Saint Anthony a great master of spiritual life. Grant us the ability to renew our lives according to the teachings of the Gospel and the beatitudes, and make us promoters of spiritual life for our brothers and sisters.
Glory be to the Father…
7. O Jesus, you granted Saint Anthony the incomparable grace of holding you as a child in his arms. Bless our children, and grant that they may grow in goodness and in health and that they may live their lives in the fear of God.
Glory be to the Father…
8. O Merciful Jesus, you granted Saint Anthony the wisdom and gifts necessary to guide souls to holiness through his preaching and priestly ministry. Grant that we may approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the great gift of your love, with humility and faith.
Glory be to the Father…
9. O Holy Spirit, in Saint Anthony you gave the Church and the world a great master of holy doctrine. Grant that all those who work in the sphere of information may feel the great responsibility they have and serve truth in charity and with respect for others.
Glory be to the Father…
10. O Lord, you are the Lord of the harvest. Through the intercession of Saint Anthony send many worthy religious and priests into your field, fill them with zeal, generosity and your love.
Glory be to the Father…
11. O Jesus, you called the pope to be a universal pastor, high priest and messenger of truth and peace. Through the intercession of Saint Anthony sustain and console him in his mission.
Glory be to the Father…
12. O Holy Trinity, you granted Saint Anthony the grace to know, to love and to glorify the Virgin Mary, your Blessed Mother, and our Heavenly Mother, grant that we may grow ever closer to her motherly heart, to better serve, love and glorify you, who are love itself.
Glory be to the Father…
13. O Lord, you allowed Saint Anthony to meet sister death with a serene soul. Direct our lives towards you, assist the dying and grant eternal peace to the souls of our departed brothers and sisters.
Glory be to the Father…
1. O Lord, you have made Saint Anthony an apostle of the Gospel. Grant us, through his intercession, a strong and humble faith and make our lives coherent with the creed that we profess.
Glory be to the Father…
2. O God Almighty, you have made Saint Anthony a constructor of peace and fraternal charity. Look upon the victims of violence and war. Grant that in this confused world full of tensions, we may become courageous witnesses of non-violence, promoting human life and peace.
Glory be to the Father…
3. O God, you have granted Saint Anthony the gift of healing and performing miracles. Grant us health of soul and body. Grant serenity and solace to those who have asked for our prayers and make us always ready to serve the sick, the elderly and the distressed.
Glory be to the Father…
4. O Lord, you made Saint Anthony an untiring preacher of the Gospels along mankind's many paths. In your Fatherly mercy protect the homeless, refugees and emigrants; keep them safe from every danger and guide their steps along the path of peace.
Glory be to the Father…
5. O God Almighty, you granted Saint Anthony the power to reunite severed limbs. Reunite all Christians in your One and Holy Church, and grant that we may all live the mystery of unity, thus becoming one heart and one soul.
Glory be to the Father…
6. O Lord Jesus, you made Saint Anthony a great master of spiritual life. Grant us the ability to renew our lives according to the teachings of the Gospel and the beatitudes, and make us promoters of spiritual life for our brothers and sisters.
Glory be to the Father…
7. O Jesus, you granted Saint Anthony the incomparable grace of holding you as a child in his arms. Bless our children, and grant that they may grow in goodness and in health and that they may live their lives in the fear of God.
Glory be to the Father…
8. O Merciful Jesus, you granted Saint Anthony the wisdom and gifts necessary to guide souls to holiness through his preaching and priestly ministry. Grant that we may approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the great gift of your love, with humility and faith.
Glory be to the Father…
9. O Holy Spirit, in Saint Anthony you gave the Church and the world a great master of holy doctrine. Grant that all those who work in the sphere of information may feel the great responsibility they have and serve truth in charity and with respect for others.
Glory be to the Father…
10. O Lord, you are the Lord of the harvest. Through the intercession of Saint Anthony send many worthy religious and priests into your field, fill them with zeal, generosity and your love.
Glory be to the Father…
11. O Jesus, you called the pope to be a universal pastor, high priest and messenger of truth and peace. Through the intercession of Saint Anthony sustain and console him in his mission.
Glory be to the Father…
12. O Holy Trinity, you granted Saint Anthony the grace to know, to love and to glorify the Virgin Mary, your Blessed Mother, and our Heavenly Mother, grant that we may grow ever closer to her motherly heart, to better serve, love and glorify you, who are love itself.
Glory be to the Father…
13. O Lord, you allowed Saint Anthony to meet sister death with a serene soul. Direct our lives towards you, assist the dying and grant eternal peace to the souls of our departed brothers and sisters.
Glory be to the Father…
DEAR ST. ANTHONY: Help me to find
Saint Anthony is famous throughout the world as the saint who finds lost objects, from everyday items to important documents, to faith itself. The prayer that follows invokes Saint Anthony's aid in the search for what has been lost.
Glorious Saint Anthony, for centuries you have exercised the God-given power to find what was lost. Help me to recover God's grace and make me zealous in the service of God and in the practice of virtue. Let me find whatever I have lost, thus showing me the presence of your goodness.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be)
Let us pray
Saint Anthony, glorious servant of God, famous for your merits and powerful miracles, help us to find what was lost, give us help during moments of trial and enlighten our minds in the search for God's will. Help us to find once again the life of grace, which our sin destroyed, and lead us to the glory promised to us by our Saviour. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Glorious Saint Anthony, for centuries you have exercised the God-given power to find what was lost. Help me to recover God's grace and make me zealous in the service of God and in the practice of virtue. Let me find whatever I have lost, thus showing me the presence of your goodness.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be)
Let us pray
Saint Anthony, glorious servant of God, famous for your merits and powerful miracles, help us to find what was lost, give us help during moments of trial and enlighten our minds in the search for God's will. Help us to find once again the life of grace, which our sin destroyed, and lead us to the glory promised to us by our Saviour. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
MAY THE MONTH OF MARY
by Friar Mario
messengersaintanthony.com
MAY IS that time of the year in which piety is especially directed to Our Blessed Lady; it is the occasion for a tribute of faith and love to the Queen of Heaven.
In his 1965 Encyclical Mense Maio (the Month of May), which focuses on the Mother of God, Pope Paul VI wrote, “During this month Christians, both in church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the benefits of God’s mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance”.
Many painters and sculptors have represented and continue to represent the Madonna holding the Baby Jesus very tightly and closely to herself. She seems to be afraid that somebody will try to take him away from her, or even just try to touch him. In my opinion, these artists have not understood Mary’s fundamental attitude, which is that of offering, of giving, and not of possessing.
Personally, I find Donatello’s bronze statue of the Virgin Mary, which can be admired on the High Altar of the Basilica of Saint Anthony, much more insightful. Mary has been captured in the act of standing up from her throne, reaching out in front of herself. She is holding the Baby Jesus like a paten, as an offering, and the smiling Baby seems to want to escape from his mother’s arms, almost as if he were looking for an infinite number of other hands and arms to receive him. I would even go so far as to say that in both the Madonna and the Child one can note a kind of impatience: the impatience of wanting to give something immediately.
Mary brought her son into the world but, unlike most mothers, she did not have any pretensions about wanting to keep him for herself. She gave her son to the world, to humankind. She knew full well that her son did not belong to her, but was destined to belong to others. Her son was a gift from God for all of us. The Gospels present Mary of Nazareth as a silent person who prefers to remain in the background, almost hidden, as it were.
Mary is the woman who does not step into the limelight. Her presence is a teaching of discretion and giving: it is the Word that must speak and be heard, not her. We should not be upset by this: the monstrance that bears the Word is splendid inasmuch as it is wrought from the same rare material of silence, and this silence of Mary expresses fullness, not lack of ability.
In front of that masterpiece of God which is the Virgin Mary, the correct stance for us should be that of contemplation, of openness and of silence. Devotion to Mary is really authentic if it makes us look at our inner selves, if it produces meditation on our faith which is nurtured above all by God’s love, rather than by apparitions and miracles. After all, even Mary had to find answers for the many doubts in her life without any special assistance.
Luke the Evangelist ends his version of the Annunciation with the phrase “Then, the Angel left her.” This is certainly not a happy ending. If anything it is a difficult and binding beginning. Mary was left alone, with no further extraordinary communication or reassuring message which removed her doubts. She had to make her journey with the help of her own faith, and not with the special assistance of an angel. Even in her life, as in our lives, her doubts and questions grew. She had to draw light from the darkest moments, and did not find easy ready-made answers. The angel had finished speaking, and from that moment on Mary would have to question the events of her life in order to try and understand. The same is true for all of us.
messengersaintanthony.com
MAY IS that time of the year in which piety is especially directed to Our Blessed Lady; it is the occasion for a tribute of faith and love to the Queen of Heaven.
In his 1965 Encyclical Mense Maio (the Month of May), which focuses on the Mother of God, Pope Paul VI wrote, “During this month Christians, both in church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the benefits of God’s mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance”.
Many painters and sculptors have represented and continue to represent the Madonna holding the Baby Jesus very tightly and closely to herself. She seems to be afraid that somebody will try to take him away from her, or even just try to touch him. In my opinion, these artists have not understood Mary’s fundamental attitude, which is that of offering, of giving, and not of possessing.
Personally, I find Donatello’s bronze statue of the Virgin Mary, which can be admired on the High Altar of the Basilica of Saint Anthony, much more insightful. Mary has been captured in the act of standing up from her throne, reaching out in front of herself. She is holding the Baby Jesus like a paten, as an offering, and the smiling Baby seems to want to escape from his mother’s arms, almost as if he were looking for an infinite number of other hands and arms to receive him. I would even go so far as to say that in both the Madonna and the Child one can note a kind of impatience: the impatience of wanting to give something immediately.
Mary brought her son into the world but, unlike most mothers, she did not have any pretensions about wanting to keep him for herself. She gave her son to the world, to humankind. She knew full well that her son did not belong to her, but was destined to belong to others. Her son was a gift from God for all of us. The Gospels present Mary of Nazareth as a silent person who prefers to remain in the background, almost hidden, as it were.
Mary is the woman who does not step into the limelight. Her presence is a teaching of discretion and giving: it is the Word that must speak and be heard, not her. We should not be upset by this: the monstrance that bears the Word is splendid inasmuch as it is wrought from the same rare material of silence, and this silence of Mary expresses fullness, not lack of ability.
In front of that masterpiece of God which is the Virgin Mary, the correct stance for us should be that of contemplation, of openness and of silence. Devotion to Mary is really authentic if it makes us look at our inner selves, if it produces meditation on our faith which is nurtured above all by God’s love, rather than by apparitions and miracles. After all, even Mary had to find answers for the many doubts in her life without any special assistance.
Luke the Evangelist ends his version of the Annunciation with the phrase “Then, the Angel left her.” This is certainly not a happy ending. If anything it is a difficult and binding beginning. Mary was left alone, with no further extraordinary communication or reassuring message which removed her doubts. She had to make her journey with the help of her own faith, and not with the special assistance of an angel. Even in her life, as in our lives, her doubts and questions grew. She had to draw light from the darkest moments, and did not find easy ready-made answers. The angel had finished speaking, and from that moment on Mary would have to question the events of her life in order to try and understand. The same is true for all of us.
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