“Whoever wishes to fly like the birds during prayer must elevate his soul above earthly cares.” – St Anthony of Padua

St Anthony of Padua was a 13^th Century Catholic priest & friar of the Franciscan Order; and like the Order’s Founder, St Francis of Assisi, Anthony has been recognized & loved by many people & faiths for his spiritual knowledge and closeness to God. In fact, he was so loved, and his life made such an impact on the people, that he is the second-fastest canonized saint; and exactly 68 years ago today (16 January 1946), he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.

Therefore, in recognition of his holy life, this article lists 5 Rules that guided Anthony along his spiritual path. These rules helped him build a deep & intimate relationship with God and allowed him to bring God’s blessings to all those he encountered; and it is for this that he was given the name “The Wonder Worker”.

Now, we need not be Catholic to follow these rules. In fact, you’ll see they’re practices upheld by many of the world’s great philosophies. But, Anthony followed these rules so intensely that he made great spiritual progress in a very short time on earth (he died at 35).

1. SEEK SILENCE; & FOLLOW A DEVOTED SPIRITUAL PRACTICE  – Being a monk, St Anthony was well acquainted with silence. It is something modern society dismisses and neglects; yet it is vitally important to our spirituality. For, it’s in silence that we learn the most about ourselves. So, entering into silence is a way of waiting, a way of watching, a way of listening to what’s going on within. And it is only by turning within, that we not only come to discover our true self (soul), but also come to fully know God.

However, seeking silence wasn’t just a practice of Catholic monks. It is an act revered and treasured by the Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims as well. In fact, the Sufi mystic Rumi, who lived in persia during Anthony’s time, said, “silence is the language of God!”

Now, in addition to this, Anthony also followed many other spiritual practices. He was a contemplative who was proficient in praying and wrote many of his own prayers. He was an avid reader & scholar of of his scriptures. In fact, he was very well-known for his sermons & preaching and his knowledge of God’s word was so great that many of the people of his time claimed he could write the entire bible word for word from memory. He also incorporated the spiritual ritual of fasting a consistant part of his life.

Therefore, if we sincerely seek to know God, we must given him the attention He deserves. We must retreat from the loud & constant noise of the world for a few minutes each day, so that we learn how to hear God’s voice. And when we do this we will find that in silence He shall teach us everything. Also, we must further encourage the growth of our relationship with God by connecting with Him through such avenues as prayer, meditation, fasting, and the study or reading of any of the world’s holy books.

2. DO NOT BE ANGRY; & TRY NOT TO DISPUTE WITH OTHERS – As a member of The Franciscan Order, Anthony strived to live in imitation of Jesus & follow the Gospel teachings. A summary of one of Jesus’ teaching says that, being angry or in a dispute with someone does not bring us closer to God but rather keeps us in a feeling of separation, and therefore, we should go & be reconciled as quickly as possible; for whoever is angry with his brethren shall be in danger of judgement (Matthew 5:22-26).

Now, anger is universally considered to be very destructive to spiritual living:

• Hindus believe that anger is one of the 3 gates to hell (lust & greed are the others).
• Buddha said, “holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; only you are the one who gets burned.”

Now the book of proverbs says: “whoever is slow to anger has great understanding” (14:29) and the one thing to remember is that we have control over any dispute or fight we are involved in. Think of it this way: for a fight, dispute, or argument to occur two or more parties must be involved; so, if we find that someone is angry with us we can stop a dispute from occurring by remaining in control of ourselves & choosing not to participate.

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3. SPEAK EVIL OF NO PERSON – Anthony believed that “our tongue should only be used to praise God, preach God words, & encourage others to turn back to God. It should never be used to say anything unkind to anyone.” For, our words do have a power & energy associated with them, and like a pebble dropped in a lake, they send ripples out into the world; affecting everyone and everything around us. It is written,

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity (Proverbs 21:23); for “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21).

Therefore, only speak what is good and kind. Use words to build up; and not to break down. And speak words that will bring people together; and not those which divide them.

4. BE GENTLE; SHOWING KINDNESS TO ALL – St. Anthony is called the “gentlest of saints”. And though he was spoken of as a man who emanated God’s great & mighty power, he was also always described as a man who was kind, compassionate, & a lover of the poor, who never judged anyone. He was not physically strong, but rather described as frail, due to his intense ascetics and fasting. And as a reminder of his gentleness he is most often shown holding or cradling the child form of Jesus.

5. LOVE: St. Anthony held 2 of Jesus’ teachings very close to his heart:

• “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind; & love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
• “A new command I give you: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

St Anthony, always praticed what he preached, and therefore his entire life was a testament to these teachings. For he not only displayed an intense love for & devotion to God; but also always displayed a fervent desire for the salvation of all souls. St Anthony never wished that any soul should perish, but greatly desired that all souls be led back into the arms of their loving Creator.

Therefore, like all of the saints and holy persons there is much we can learn from St Anthony if we wish to live a spiritual life. The most important is, like him, “let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” (1 John 3:18). For, love is the highest law we can fulfill. And I promise that if we apply these 5 rules in our daily living we shall deepen our relationship with God & make great progress in our spiritual walk.

God bless you all in your spiritual journey & remember to always – Heed the Spirit,

Anthony