On Sardines and Saints

Today June 13^th is St Anthony's Day here in Lisbon. And it’s a public holiday as well, though just here within the city limits, not in the rest of Portugal. Anthony of Padua is the patron saint of Lisbon and a hugely popular saint – somewhat on a level with how St Patrick is regarded in Ireland.

His feast is being celebrated here in style!! We went down yesterday evening to the City centre which was jam packed with people celebrating through the evening. The smoke of barbecued sardines filled the evening air. The sangria was flowing and people were dancing in the streets. And everywhere you went, you would see little figurines of this humble monk holding a child. It didn’t seem to blend in too easily with all the partying going on. I decided to do a little bit of research myself and it seems to me that when you peel away all the hagiography, there’s a true man of God behind the legend, a Preacher of the Word, a Disciple of Jesus, a Missionary of the Gospel.

Born into a wealthy family in Lisbon in 1195, Anthony rejected the opulent life he’d inherited, entered a monastery in Coimbra, where he also became uncomfortable with the complacency he encountered in that academic world. When a group of five Franciscan monks passed through on their way to Morocco, and when their martyred remains were returned to the monastery a short time afterward, he felt irresistibly drawn to a path of simplicity, of missionary outreach, and of devotion to Christ. That path took him to Morocco, Sicily, Italy and France, eventually dying in Padua after only 10 years of active ministry. He was renowned as a Preacher and a man who could open up God’s word and who was not afraid to challenge unbelief and hypocrisy wherever it was found.

........................................................................Hmm I think I’d like to be someone like that.

Oh, and by the way, about the sardines. Well, legend has it that, once when his preaching was not being received by the people of the city, that he went out and preached at the side of the sea. No sooner had he spoken a few words when suddenly so great a multitude of fish, both small and great, approached the bank on which he stood. All the fish kept their heads out of the water, and seemed to be looking attentively on St Anthony's face; all ranged in perfect order and most peacefully, the smaller ones in front near the bank, after them came those a little bigger, and last of all, were the water was deeper, the largest. The people of the city, hearing of the miracle, made haste to go and witness it. I'd say that is more about the hagiography and less about the man!!

About his preaching, St Anthony had this to say

"I ask that if you find anything edifying, anything consoling, anything well presented, that you give all praise, all glory and all honor to the Blessed Son of God Jesus Christ. If on the other hand, you find anything that is ill composed, uninteresting or not to well explained, you impute and attribute it to my weakness, blindness, and lack of skill."