Tuesday, June 13, 2023

It is the 13th of June 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org, I’m Dan van Voorhis.

I wouldn’t have thought that after 1432 episodes, I would still have some characters yet to appear on this show!

Today is the feast day for a gentleman who might be the most popular medieval saint- based on the stories about him, the miracles, the ascent to being fully “sainted” within a year of his death, and by one account, having more places named after him than any other saint. Any guesses?

The answer would be St. Anthony of Padua- not St Anthony of the Desert (the first of the desert fathers) but rather a man born as Fernando Martin de Bulhoes (there’s a tilde over the O, which might lead you to guess, correctly, that he is from Portugal- Lisbon specifically). 

Whether or not he was born into a wealthy family is debated- as he would eventually take the Franciscan vow of poverty, it makes for a nicer story if he came from wealth, but we can’t be sure.

He entered the Augustinian order around 1210 and was ordained a priest- you ask why he didn’t join the Franciscans? Well, they had just been founded as Anthony and Francis of Assisi would be contemporaries.  

He first heard about the Franciscan order when a procession was made for 5 of them that had been martyred at the hands of the Saracens in Morocco.  Deeply moved by this, he asked his master if he could be given leave from his vow to join the Franciscans preaching in North Africa. It was granted, and he set sail- however, he was blown off course and landed in Sicily. On account of his health, he ended up staying and teaching. And it was initially for his teaching that he became a figure of renown. He would teach throughout Italy and the south of France- especially amidst the controversies surrounding the Cathars. You might remember them as the sketchy cats with the Holy Grail- or so it was believed by some. More importantly, they were deemed heretics, and Anthony would be sent to preach amongst them.

But his preaching was, by his earliest biographers' account, born of an accident. While he was serving as a monk, his monastery was to host visiting Dominicans. There was a miscommunication regarding who was to preach, and the young Anthony was thrown into immediate service. His elocution and earnestness were such that he would become most famous in his own day as a preacher. Stories are legion of miracles whilst preaching amongst those who otherwise were uninterested. In one case, when the townspeople wouldn’t listen to him, he went to the shore and began preaching, and a gathering of fish appeared. Another story has irreligious men mocking him and the Lord’s Supper- they offered the host, as well as standard food, to a donkey. Yeah, there’s a lot left out of this story I’m curious about, to0, and the donkey humbly bowed before the host.  

But it was his work as a teacher that would give rise to what he is perhaps most famous for being the patron saint of all things lost. He had been given a copy of the four gospels- a remarkably rare item for the 13th century. One of his students deciding the monastic life wasn’t for him, decided to leave the monastery and take the book with him- something he could surely sell in another town for a hefty price.

Anthony prayed for both the book and the young man. The man struck with the pangs or the threat of an angel (both are recounted), returned and repented.

When he died, his body became immediately popular for relics, and the place of his burial was contended by various sites- he would ultimately be buried in Padua, where he had lived the last years of his life. His jaw and tongue, and vocal cords were said to have been preserved. In 1981, to commemorate the 750th anniversary of his death, Pope John Paul II decreed his remains be opened and studied. A news report reads: Inside this coffin were found three bundles wrapped in red damask with gold trimming - one containing bones and a skull; another, bodily remains (hair and bone fragments); and, the third, a habit. To every bundle was attached a small, rolled-up scroll. Each identified the contents of its bundle. Part of the third scroll is unfortunately damaged, but it seems to refer to the habit in which Anthony died and was buried.

St. Anthony of Padua, teacher, preacher, and Patron saint of lost things, died on this, the 13th of June in 1231.

The last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Hebrews 13:

Let mutual love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4 Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ 6 So we can say with confidence,

‘The Lord is my helper;
    I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?’

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 13th of June 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org. 

The show is produced by a man whose favorite Anthony’s include of Padua, Danza of Who’s the Boss, and the Tiger of Frosted Flakes. He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man trying to smoke meat for the first time as he wrote this show and can’t seem to get the temperature to stabilize… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.