Novena Prayers
to St. Anthony of Padua
June 4th
to June 13th
To the tune of “Faith
of Our Fathers”
If then you ask
for miracles,
Death, error,
all calamities,
Leprosy and demons
fly,
And health
succeeds infirmities
Refrain:
Our cause we now entrust to thee,
Pray for us blessed Anthony
The sea obeys
and fetters break,
And lifeless
limbs do you restore;
While treasures
lost are found again,
When young and
old your aid implore.
Our cause we now entrust to thee,
Pray for us blessed Anthony
All dangers vanish at your prayer;
And direst need
does quickly flee;
Let those who
know your power proclaim,
Let Paduans say:
these are of thee.
Our cause we now entrust to thee,
Pray for us blessed Anthony
Reading (taken
from the appropriate day below)
Novena Prayer[1]
O holy St. Anthony, you are known for the power and
abundance of your miracles. Jesus came into your arms as a humble little child.
Pray for me to the Child Jesus for my needs and desires…
(Mention your intentions)
In imitation of our Lord, you have great mercy and
compassion for sinners. Pay no attention to my unworthiness, but instead ask
God to show His glory through the answer of my requests.
St. Anthony, you cooperated with the grace of God in a
radical way with your life. You gave everything to Christ and to your neighbor.
Your life glorified God!
You are an example of holiness that I will try to follow.
You are in heaven praising God with a particular
closeness to the King of Kings. With your seat of honor, please beg God to both
answer my request and bring me to eternal rest with you.
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…
Saint Anthony, pray for us!
Amen.
Day 1: St. Anthony
becomes a Franciscan
Anthony was born in 1195 (13
years after St. Francis) in Lisbon, Portugal and given the name of Fernando at
Baptism… At the age of 15 he entered the religious order of St. Augustine…
The life of the young priest
took a crucial turn when the bodies of the first five Franciscan martyrs were
returned from Morocco. They had preached in the mosque in Seville, almost being
martyred at the outset, but the sultan allowed them to pass on to Morocco,
where, after continuing to preach Christ despite repeated warnings, they were
tortured and beheaded. Now, in the presence of the queen and a huge crowd,
their remains were carried in solemn procession to Fernando’s monastery
He was overjoyed and inspired
to a momentous decision. He went to the little friary in Coimbra and said,
“Brother, I would gladly put on the habit of your Order if you would promise to
send me as soon as possible to the land of the Saracens, that I may gain the
crown of the holy martyrs.” After some challenges from the prior of the
Augustinians, he was allowed to leave that priory and receive the Franciscan
habit, taking the name Anthony.
True to their promise, the
Franciscans allowed Anthony to go to Morocco, to be a witness for Christ, and a
martyr as well. But, as often happens, the gift he wanted to give was not the
gift that was to be asked of him. He became seriously ill, and after several
months realized he had to go home.[2]
We pray for the grace to give our lives completely to Jesus
Day 2: St. Anthony
is asked to preach
The ship in which he sailed for home was driven out of
its course by contrary winds and he found himself landed at Messina, Sicily.
From there he made his way to Assisi, where, he had learned from his Sicilian
brethren, a chapter general was about to be held…
At the close of the proceedings the friars set out for
the posts assigned to them by their respective provincial ministers. In the
absence of any Portuguese provincial, Anthony was allowed to attach himself to
Brother Gratian, the provincial of Romagna, who sent him to the lonely
hermitage of San Paolo, near Forli, either at his own request, that he might
live for a time in retirement, or as chaplain to the lay friars of the
community. We do not know whether Anthony was already a priest at the time.
What is certain is that no one then suspected the brilliant intellectual gifts
latent in the sickly young brother. When he was not praying in the chapel or in
a little grotto, he was serving the other friars by washing their cooking pots
and dishes after the common meal.
His talents were not to remain hidden long. It happened
that an ordination service of both Franciscans and Dominicans was to be held at
Forli, on which occasion all the candidates for consecration were to be
entertained at the Franciscan Convent there. Through some misunderstanding, not
one of the Dominicans had come prepared to deliver the expected address at the
ceremony and no one among the Franciscans seemed ready to fill the breach.
Anthony, who was present, perhaps in attendance on his superior, was told by
him to go forward and speak whatever the Holy Ghost put into his mouth.
Diffidently, he obeyed. Once having begun he delivered an address which
astonished all who heard it by its eloquence, fervor, and learning. Brother
Gratian promptly sent the brilliant young friar out to preach in the cities of
the province. As a preacher Anthony was an immediate success. He proved
particularly effective in converting heretics, of whom there were many in
northern Italy. They were often men of education and open to conviction by
Anthony’s keen and resourceful methods of argument.[3]
We pray for the grace
of humility
Day 3: St. Anthony
preaches to the fish
While St. Anthony was at Rimini, there were a great
number of heretics, and wishing to lead them by the light of faith into the way
of truth, he preached to them for several days, and reasoned with them on the
faith of Christ and the Holy Scriptures. They not only resisted his words, but
were hardened and obstinate, refusing to listen to him.
At last St. Anthony, inspired by God, went down to the
sea-shore, where the river runs into the sea, and having placed himself on a
bank between the river and the sea, began to speak to the fishes as if the Lord
had sent him to preach to them, and said: "Listen to the word of God, O
you fish of the sea and of the river, seeing that the faithless heretics refuse
to do so."
No sooner had he spoken these words than suddenly so
great a multitude of fishes, both small and great, approached the bank on which
he stood, that never before had so many been seen in the sea or the river. All
kept their heads out of the water, and seemed to be looking attentively on St.
Anthony's face; all were 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, where the water was deeper, the largest.
When they had placed themselves in this order, St Anthony
began to preach to them most solemnly…
At these words, the fish began to open their mouths, and
bow their heads, endeavoring as much as was in their power to express their
reverence and show forth their praise.
St. Anthony, seeing the reverence of the fish towards
their Creator, rejoiced greatly in spirit, and said with a loud voice:
"Blessed be the eternal God; for the fish of the sea honor Him more than
men without faith, and animals without reason listen to his word with greater
attention than sinful heretics."
And while St. Anthony was preaching, the number of fish
increased, and none of them left the place that he had chosen. And the people
of the city hearing of the miracle, hurried to go and witness it. With them
also came the heretics of whom we have spoken above, whose hearts were touched,
seeing so wonderful and manifest a miracle; and they threw themselves at the
feet of St Anthony to hear his words. The saint then began to expound to them
the Catholic faith. He preached so eloquently, that all those heretics were
converted, and returned to the true faith of Christ; the faithful also were
filled with joy, and greatly comforted, having been strengthened in the faith.
After this St. Anthony sent away the fish, with the
blessing of God; and they all departed, rejoicing as they went, and the people
returned to the city. But St Anthony remained at Rimini for several days,
preaching and reaping much spiritual fruit in the souls of his hearers.[4]
We pray for the
grace to keep our hearts open to hearing God’s Word
Day 4: St. Anthony
makes the sign of the cross over a poisoned cup
The wonder-worker remained several weeks at Rimini to
reap the fruits of his victory. They were most abundant. One of the principal
leaders of the sect named Bouvilla, bound for thirty years in the bonds of
heresy, publicly retracted his errors. His abjuration was most remarkable, and
he was followed by most of his co-religionists.
Some of them, however, furious at their defeat, resolved
to be avenged by poisoning their adversary. They invited the apostle to dinner,
and gave him poisoned meat to eat. The saint, who knew by revelation of the
infernal plot which they had planned against his life, reproached them. They
were not in the least disconcerted, and adding irony to their cruelty, they
endeavored to ensnare him by a dilemma from which he could not escape, so they
thought, without admitting he was conquered.
“Either you believe in the Gospel or you do not. If you
believe in it, why do you doubt the accomplishment of the prophecy of your
Master who promised that His disciples should cast out demons, and poisons
should not injure them? If you do not believe in the truth of the Gospel why do
you preach it? Take this poison and if it does not injure you, we swear to you
to embrace the Catholic faith.”
“I will do it,” replied the intrepid missionary; “not to
tempt God, but to prove to you how much I have at heart the salvation of your
souls and the triumph of the Gospel.” Then making the sign of the cross on the
poisoned meats, he ate them without experiencing the least inconvenience; and
the angels inscribed in the golden book of the elect a new victory and new
names. The heretics kept their word, and, sincere and convinced, re-entered the
fold of the Catholic Church.
We pray for trust
in God’s protection
Day 5: The donkey
refuses his oats until he has bowed down before the Blessed Sacrament
A Jewish man contested the "Real Presence of the
Eucharist; so one day he approached St. Anthony publicly and after spelling out
all of his reasons for not believing in such a "fable" as the Real
Presence, he challenged Anthony to a contest. He bet that the Real Presence was
a lie, and he proposed to "starve a donkey" for three days---no hay,
and see if the donkey would choose to eat hay or preferred the Eucharist. St.
Anthony, being publicly "put on the spot" accepted the challenge.
So the wealthy merchant brought out his donkey, publicly
hitched him to a post where he could be observed by all; and proceeding to
"starve the donkey" for three days. Simultaneously, St. Anthony went
into the forest and "fasted" for three days---taking no food.
When the day of trial came, Anthony emerged from the
forest and sought out a local Church where he took the Eucharist and returned
to the spot where the donkey was tied. Meanwhile, the challenger had placed a
large pile of hay about 20 ft away from the donkey. Anthony took out the
Eucharist holding it in his hands; the merchant untied the donkey, who needless
to say, made a "beeline" for the pile of hay.
Just as the donkey was about to reach the hay, St.
Anthony elevated the Eucharist and shouted in a loud voice: "Mule, in the
Name of the Lord Our God, I command you to come here and adore your Creator!
" The donkey "reared up" on his hind legs as if someone had
pulled him by a bridle; he spun around, and ran to St. Anthony, dropping to his
forelegs--- hind legs still extended; and put his head down to the ground---in
a "posture of adoration" before the Eucharist which St. Anthony
continued to hold elevated. The Jewish merchant, stunned by what occurred
begged St. Anthony's forgiveness, converted on the spot, and donated the money
to build a new Catholic Church, his newfound faith. On the cornerstone of the
Church, he had engraved a picture of St. Anthony holding the Eucharist aloft
and the donkey, "kneeling on his forepaws" in adoration of the Body
of Christ.
We pray for the
grace to always recognize Christ hidden in the Eucharist
Day 6: St. Anthony
bilocates in order to be able to say the Divine Office
Another wonderful miracle has been handed down to posterity.
Whilst preaching on Easter Sunday in the cathedral at Montpellier the saint
suddenly remembered he had to sing the Alleluia at the convent Mass. He paused
for an instant and was silent, as if trying to get breath. But in reality he
was singing the Alleluia in his own monastery, after which he resumed his
sermon. Such occurrences naturally caused Saint Anthony to be held in great
veneration by everybody.
We pray for the
grace of unfailing devotion to prayer
Day 7: St. Anthony
stays at the house of a poor woman
The Vicar-General of the Franciscan Order, Brother Elias,
on the death of the saintly founder, Saint Francis of Assisi, in a pathetic
circular convoked all the superiors of the various provinces to attend a
general chapter, in order to proceed to the election of his successor. It was
probably in the autumn of A. D. 1226 that Anthony, accompanied by one of his
brethren, went to Italy, passing through Provence in order to be present at
this general chapter.
On their way through Provence they stopped to rest at one
of the towns, in the house of a pious woman. She, being anxious to pay her
weary guests as much respect as she possibly could, borrowed a splendid cut
glass goblet from one of her neighbors for them to drink their wine out of.
Unfortunately the companion of the saint, wanting to examine it more closely,
took it up in his hand and broke it. This was not the only mishap. The kind
hostess, thinking only of the comfort of her guests, forgot to turn the tap of
the barrel when she went to draw their wine, and on returning to the cellar
found it had all run out. The saint, seeing how distressed she was by these
misadventures, bowed his head in prayer, and to the great astonishment of the
good woman, who was silently watching him, she saw the broken pieces of the
goblet unite together, leaving no mark of breakage. Full of hope, she ran to
the cellar, and to her great joy, the barrel, which before the occurrence was
half empty, was now filled with the most delicious wine.
Saint Anthony, in his deep humility, at once continued
his journey to Italy, so as to avoid the applause awaiting him as soon as the
news of this fresh miracle got abroad.
We pray for
generosity
Day 8: St. Anthony
and the Child Jesus
The Friars Minor had no monastery within the walls of
Padua, the nearest one, at Arcella, outside the city, being about
three-quarters of an hour’s walk. It often happened that, owing to the gates
being closed early in the evening, it was impossible for the saint on account
of his missionary work, to return home. But he easily found a night’s shelter
among his friends, who were only too happy to have him for their guest. Tito
Borghese, Count of Campo San Pietro,one of the saint’s dearest friends, was
among the few whom he honored the most with his presence. This noble man had so
great a veneration for him that he carefully noted down all that took place
during his visits, even rising up at night to watch his guest through the
keyhole.
Once, when thus visiting him, he noticed an extra
ordinary light piercing through the chinks of the saint’s apartments. Anxious
to discover the cause of this, he drew near, and to his great surprise saw
through the cracks of the door Saint Anthony holding a beautiful child in his
arms, whom he was lovingly caressing. His host was first at a loss to
understand how this lovely infant had entered the apartment of his guest, but
soon discovered, through his majestic bearing and the rapture of Saint Anthony,
that the child was no other than our divine Lord, who, under this form, had
come to console, encourage and strengthen His faithful servant. The apparition
lasted some time, then suddenly disappeared, leaving the room in total
darkness.
At once the saint rose from his prayers, and on going to
his bedroom, knocked against his host in the dark. As if guilty of a crime, he
entreated his friend not to betray his secret. During the lifetime of Saint
Anthony the Count faithfully kept his word, but after his death, with tears
streaming down his face, he gave a minute account of everything that had taken
place. The heavenly light, of a bluish color, issuing forth from the divine
Child, although brighter and more beautiful than the sun, did not dazzle the
eye, whilst at the same time the heart was filled with unutterable joy. He,
moreover, declared that the holy Child Himself had informed the saint, by
pointing to the door with His finger, that he was watched, but that Saint
Anthony appeared to pay no attention to this, as if anxious not to deprive his
friend of this heavenly consolation. He furthermore added that the holy Child
was standing on the breviary of the saint.
We pray for loving
trust in Jesus
Day 9: The death
of St. Anthony
The city of Padua, so often the scene of Saint Anthony’s
apostolic labors during his lifetime, was also to witness his death. On his
return to that city, just before Lent, he was entreated to preach the Lenten
sermons. This, in spite of his excessive weakness, he agreed to do. But hardly
were they finished before he felt himself attacked with that illness which he
knew would be his last. He received all the sacraments with the greatest
devotion, having only one desire left, that of soon beholding the face of his
God.
On the 13th of June, whilst the saint was lying in his
death agony on his wretched pallet, in a small convent near Padua, towards
evening, the news reached the city that he was ill, dying.
Immediately an immense crowd of people hastened to the
monastery to ascertain the truth, and receive a last blessing from their
beloved father. When about to breathe his last the dying saint, as if anxious
to give one more token of his love for our blessed Lady, was distinctly heard,
in the midst of the tears and sobs of those surrounding his bedside, to sing in
an angelic voice the beautiful line: gloriosa Domina, excelsa super sidera “O
glorious Mother of God, raised above the skies,” and with these words on his
lips he expired.
God, to glorify His saint, worked many miracles in his
behalf, but the greatest took place A. D. 1326, thirty-two years after his
death. The inhabitants of Padua had built a magnificent church in his memory, and
Saint Bonaventure came himself to superintend the removal of the body. On
opening the coffin nothing but bones were found, except the tongue, which was
exactly the same as when the saint was alive. At this sight Saint Bonaventure,
falling on his knees, thus apostrophized it: “O blessed tongue, who hast so
often praised your God, now does He, in His turn, make manifest how great are
your merits.” He then placed it in a magnificent casket, covered with precious
stones, and carried it to the chapel, where it is still to be seen.
We pray for the
grace of a happy death
