“The true meaning of ‘love one’s neighbor’ is not that it is a command from God which we must fulfill, but that through it and in it we meet God.” Martin Buber, Jewish philosopher
The Church celebrates today the feastday of St. Anthony of Padua. He is known by many as “everyone’s favorite patron saint of finding lost things” but he is also a Doctor of the Church and was a respected scholar and preacher in his day. After a brief stint as an Augustinian Friar, he became a Franciscan Friar and, to the surprise of many, was Portuguese, not Italian. He was born in Lisbon in the 12th century.
St. Anthony provided a powerful witness to the importance of “love one’s neighbor” by his life, teaching, and preaching. He was commissioned by St. Francis of Assisi to teach theology in 1224 and went on to preach as a missionary in France and Italy before he died at the age of 36.
A prayer written by St. Anthony: “Mary, our Queen, Holy Mother of God, we beg you to hear our prayer. Make our hearts overflow with divine grace and resplendent with heavenly wisdom. Render them strong with your might and rich in virtue. Pour down upon us the gift of mercy so that we may obtain the pardon of our sins. Help us to live in such a way as to come to the glory and bliss of heaven. May this be granted us by your Son Jesus who has exalted you above the angels, has crowned you as Queen, and has seated you with Him forever. Amen.”
