Jesus — The Pearl of Great Price

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth…Jn.16:13

I spent time at almost all the Divine retreat centers and God had a plan for me at each one.

In Tabor Ashram, the Lord brought me to understand how sinful living had deeply affects our relationship with him. It was in the silence one morning before the Blessed Sacrament that a memory was brought to my mind by the Holy Spirit where the person who abused me as a child had asked for my forgiveness, in that memory I remember that in anger I had just walked away never to forgive.

The Holy Spirit showed me that my lack of forgiveness was a sin and the key to my problems. Shock! It was from the preaching of the Word of God that this clear message could come to my consciousness!

The damage of resentment and anger was worse than any molestation. I began to forgive and love. I went to confession continually while at Tabor to empty out all the memories of sinful activities that I had never considered sin. In the USA people are very lax about morals, faith and spiritual practice; “sin” is not an important issue. The Truth was setting me free as all of the sinful areas of my life were exposed.

If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.

I read the Bible continuously, eating it in hunger before the Blessed Sacrament at Tabor for hours, days, months. I was shocked; does anyone read this book at all? Fr. Mathew Elumvunkel’s preaching was like sharp daggers coming from the mouth of Jesus to cut away the darkness.

Does anyone care, or even know, what God thinks? The Bible, the Word of God, became my health, comfort, strength and guide. It was only with the help of the Holy Spirit that I was able to understand the messages given.

Jesus was making me new, a new creation, and now He is my everything, my all; to suffer for him, to be with him in heaven and serve him on this earth is what I live for now. Everything else is only rubbish to me now…all the traveling, pleasures, people, honors, money, jobs. I understand St. Paul when he says,”For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ” Phil. 3:8b

Like the Samaritan woman at the well, when Jesus came fully and personally into the wounds of my life I realized that, even in sin, I was only seeking Jesus Christ. He is the most beautiful man who has now saved me from death and darkness.

I have found my pearl of great price.

Peace be with you!

Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

As I write this, I pray for all our families that we be open to the Holy Spirit, to melt us, mould us and fashion us, modelled on the Holy Family of Nazareth.

“Let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts” exhorts St Paul to the Colossians (3:15) in today’s second reading. How true! If we have to have peace in our world, in our country, in our city, in our neighbourhood, in our housing society, in our home… it must first start in the hearts of you and me. For too long many of us have put on masks that ‘all is well’, but deep down in our hearts we harbour pain, hurt, anger and unforgiveness. May the Child of Peace, with His gentle touch restore our peace.

Pope Benedict XVI in his Christmas midnight Mass homily echoes this sentiment, “God has appeared – as a child. It is in this guise that he pits himself against all violence and brings a message that is peace. At this hour, when the world is continually threatened by violence in so many places and in so many different ways, when over and over again there are oppressors’ rods and bloodstained cloaks (Isaiah 9), we cry out to the Lord: O mighty God, you have appeared as a child and you have revealed yourself to us as the One who loves us, the One through whom love will triumph. And you have shown us that we must be peacemakers with you. We love your childish estate, your powerlessness, but we suffer from the continuing presence of violence in the world, and so we also ask you: manifest your power, O God. In this time of ours, in this world of ours, cause the oppressors’ rods, the cloaks rolled in blood and the footgear of battle to be burned, so that your peace may triumph in this world of ours.”

And so this month, we focus our prayer on this one aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit – PEACE – as we pray for the peace which the world cannot give (Jn14:27), which is endless (Isaiah 9:7) and which surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7).

1st January is also the World Day of Peace. The Pope in his message for this day writes, “I would like therefore to devote this message for the XLV World Day of Peace 2012 to the theme of education: “Educating Young People in Justice and Peace”, in the conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world.” He specifically focuses on the family and educational institutions. “We are living in a world where families, and life itself, are constantly threatened and not infrequently fragmented”, he adds.

The world, the flesh and/or the devil seem to be stealing our peace… BUT, Psalm 29:11 assures us “The Lord will bless his people with peace”. May we not lose hope but trust in His mercy as we pray ‘earnestly’ and ‘fervently’ for peace, especially in our homes and our hearts. We pray also for peace among believers in Jesus Christ, especially during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that we “may be one… so that the world may believe” in Jesus by our witness (Jn 17:21).

May the Prince of Peace whose Birth we celebrate and for whose return we hope, lead us (Is 11:6). May Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Peace, accompany us.

No Place to Lay my Head

“Seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened for you” Mt. 7:7

The first time I came to India was for fun, pleasure, adventure and to encounter the vast culture and people of India. It was also a time of a collapsed Catholic faith even, yes, apostasy. I have done just about everything in my life: elephant riding in the jungles of Thailand, slow boating down the Mekong in Laos, island hopping in Greece, skiing, surfing the oceans in California, received a fine education and masters in social work.

But, had also been abused me as a child which caused great bouts of depression, anger and continuous disturbances in my life to the extent that it would keep collapsing.

I tried everything to get over these psychological problems–psychologists, psychiatrists, pills, therapies, New Age activities in the very sophisticated culture of California. It was only when I began a real search for what was missing in my soul by returning to an upright Christian life that profound things began to happen to me. I had a dream of crucifixion, the understanding that Jesus who suffered and died must also understand my pain.

Then I began to thirst to return to India only this time to look for worship of Jesus in the same very intense way that I saw Indians worship Durga, Sai Baba, Hanoman, etc.

“Certainly in India is the place where they will know the suffering Christ better than anywhere else in the world” I told myself…So I got a position to volunteer as a teacher in a school in Chalakudy, Kerala in the summer of 2003.

“I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not your destruction” Jer. 29:11

It was then that the Lord brought me to Divine Retreat Centre. I had no idea that this huge Catholic retreat center existed nor what was going on there.

I came to make a little retreat which became the living answer to all of my thirsts, pains and longings.At first I disliked the retreat, it was not like the meditation I had found in India in the past. So much preaching! But by the last day Jesus Christ touched my inner wound in such a way.

I knew that it was by His wounds I was being healed when He poured His love and mercy into the painful, angry hole in my heart.

Father Augustine’s preaching touched me so deeply; it was like the voice of the Heavenly Father calling to new life the prodigal child. I began to believe that, yes, Jesus was going to really make a change in my life if I could only believe it!

“I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly!” Jn. 10:10

I’ll never forget standing alone in my little room telling myself, “I never want to leave this place!!”

The Gospel is preached with power! People are healed, the poor are cared for and my Catholic Faith is alive and well there!

I took the next step and moved out of California to come back to Divine and see where the Lord led me next!

On the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael

Michael (Who is like God?) was the archangel who fought against Satan and all his evil angels, defending all the friends of God. He is the protector of all humanity from the snares of the devil. Michael appears in Daniel’s vision as “the great prince” who defends Israel against its enemies; in the Book of Revelation, he leads God’s armies to final victory over the forces of evil. Devotion to Michael is the oldest angelic devotion, rising in the East in the fourth century. The Church in the West began to observe a feast honoring Michael and the angels in the fifth century.

Gabriel (Strength of God) appears three times as a messenger in the Bible. He had been sent to Daniel to explain a vision concerning the Messiah. Gabriel announced to Zachariah the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist, and to Mary, the birth of Jesus. His greeting to the Virgin, “Hail, full of grace,” is one of the most familiar and frequent prayers of the Christian people.

Raphael (Medicine of God) is the archangel who took care of Tobias on his journey. Raphael’s activity is confined to the Old Testament story of Tobit. There he appears to guide Tobit’s son Tobiah through a series of fantastic adventures which lead to a threefold happy ending: Tobiah’s marriage to Sarah, the healing of Tobit’s blindness and the restoration of the family fortune.

Comments: Angels—messengers from God—appear frequently in Scripture, but only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named. Each of these archangels performs a different mission in Scripture: Michael protects; Gabriel announces; Raphael guides.

Let us thank our Lord for the Archangels who have often entered into history as messengers in God’s providential plan of salvation. Let us also remember our close connection with them in Christ, and frequently turn to them for their intercessory protection and assistance in times of trouble.

Proclaim His Deeds and Trust His Providence

“Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds!” (Ps. 96)

We must always keep praising the Lord for all he is doing in our lives and trust his providential care. When we look to the past, as did those in Old Testament scriptures, it is to remember all the marvels He has done for his people. When we look to the future, it is to trust that He is shaping and preparing the way for His will to be done in us and will provide all things. When we spend much time in prayer, service and worship before the Lord He does provide for all our needs. An incident in my life showed me that this continual thanks, praise and worship is justified even in our sickness and confusion.

Jesus is planning to heal and bless us all the time.

I had a very severe problem of not being able to sleep. For more than a month I would be up in the night almost every hour restless, unable to lie still until 3:00am. It was a case of restless leg syndrome. After getting only 4 hours of sleep it would be time to go to work. I was exhausted and depressed with this problem. I sought spiritual counsel and healing by prayer with many holy priests.

There was another problem in my life which irritated me. My employer had hired me for a position for which he did not need to provide any medical benefits. Without medical insurance in the US one visit to the doctor costs over $100.00. Further treatment and medicines will also be very costly. I resented this injustice and complained to my fellow employees about it all the time. Thus, I refused to go to the doctor with this cost and accompanying resentment. I resolved to solve my problems myself, with prayer or by practicing a healthy lifestyle. After getting prayers from several priests and examining my conscience still, the sleeplessness continued. One nun told me to go to the doctor…still, I delayed.

Then one day, out of the blue, I was given over $300.00 from a benefactor who stated that God told him to give me this money. I was helping out in the service of the Lord at the Divine Retreat Center in New Jersey. In prayer, I asked the Lord why this money was given to me when I had enough money already to pay for my expenses. Then the thought came that I should use it to go to the doctor. What was amazing was that this was just what my healing required; the doctor was very kind, she took a blood test and came up with the solution as due to thyroid and lack of iron. These two deficiencies were the cause of the sleep disorder. The medicine and vitamins were not costly at all. I am completely cured through God’s grace and the physician.

There was also a spiritual healing. No longer do I ever complain about lack of medical insurance since the Lord provided even money to force me to go to the doctor and provide for this need. He is my Provider, not my employer. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.” (Ps. 23:1) My stubbornness and pride were also conquered; the doctor is provided by the Lord and is also to be seen when he so wills it. “My son, when you are sick do not neglect yourself: but pray to the Lord and he shall heal you.
Turn away from sin…and cleanse your heart from all offense….then give place to the physician. For the Lord created her and let her not depart from you, for the physician’s works are necessary…For there is a time when you must fall into their hands…” (Sirach 38:9-13) What a wonderful spiritual and physical healing the Lord has done in my life!

Thank you Jesus for your providential care.

I Am the Lord Who Heals You

The Old Testament tells us that when the people of Israel were guided by God they were safe and sound. They obeyed God’s precepts and commandments so God’s angels protected them from the evil afflictions.

The Lord tells us in the Bible:
• Listen and Obey. God said in the Old Testament: “ If you listen carefully to the
voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight and give heed to His commandments and keep all his statutes I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians for I am the Lord who heals you” (Ex. 15:26).

• Healing in the Name of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark chapter sixteen tells us, “…those who believe using the name of Jesus may lay their hands on the sick and they will recover” (17-18). Whenever you are sick ask Jesus to heal you. On many occasions whenever I was sick I asked the Lord for the forgiveness of sins and healing. Once, I had a toothache and since I did not have any insurance I was repeating in Jesus Name many times, “Jesus forgive me, Jesus heal me.”
So I received healings in this way. I recommend you pray for the forgiveness of your sins when you are sick and pray and believe that he is near to you as he promised, “ I will be with you to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).

• Confess your Sins and Pray for Healings. At Delhi Divine Ashram, a mother named Elsie told me about her experience. When the parents she knew made confession whenever their small children used to get sick, the children received healings. I suggested this method to some families here in Detroit and New York when they asked me to pray for their sick children.

Both of these families told me separately that as soon as they decided to go for confession, the healings started. St. James (5:15-16) also tells us, “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who commits sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess you sins…so that you may be healed.” Jesus tells us that there are 13 sins in the heart: evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. Jesus tells that all these evils come from within and they defile a person (Mk. 7:21). “Give up your faults and cleanse your hearts from sins” (Sir. 38: 10).

• Physicians and Health. The Lord tells us, “Honor the physicians for their services
for the Lord created them” (Sirach 38). We are supposed to obey the instructions which we have received from the doctors. “The Lord created medicine out of the earth; the sensible will not despise them.”

The Bible tells us that even when we receive the healing through the doctors we should glorify the marvelous works of God! At the same time the Lord tells us to pray when we are ill. When you are ill do not delay but pray to the Lord Almighty (Sir. 38:9) and believe that God is
your Father as Jesus said in the New Testament.

• Food and Exercise. Prayer is called, “walking with God.” We read in the Bible,
that Jesus used to walk to the villages, towns, on water and climbed up the steep Mt. Tabor. In these modern days, the doctor will tell you that walking is good exercise; they will tell you also to do activity to balance cholesterol, diabetes and avoid gaining weight. A woman who came to me was sick so I advised her to walk and do exercise.

That woman later told me that she started to walk two miles every day to go to Church here in New Jersey and this helped her to reduce her weight. She felt much better, well and fresh!

The Bible says this about overeating: “My child, test yourself while you live; see what is bad for you and do not give in to it. For not everything is good for everyone, and no one enjoys everything. Do not be greedy for every delicacy, and do not eat without restraint; for overeating brings sickness, and gluttony leads to nausea. Many have died of gluttony, but one who guards against it prolongs his life” (Sir. 37:27-31). God said even in the beginning to the first parents who were healthy and without
sin, “You may eat of every tree of the garden…but of the tree knowledge you may not eat.” (Gen. 2:17). You may not have knowledge of certain foods which may be harmful to you. You may not have discernment about this on your own. If God tells you this through the doctors please obey.

• Death, A Healing. Many saints were sick but they offered their illness and
suffering for the conversion of sinners and as a penance for their sins and those of the family members. Jesus also tells us after His resurrection that though he had the wounds there on his body, he was healthy. Through death God can still heal us. The poor man named Lazarus was covered with sores, hungry with no one to comfort or nurse him. He died and was carried away by the angels to
be with Abraham. So, remember, throughout our lives we may be in poverty— emotionally, financially, socially—but God’s angels are ready to take us up after our death. Death is also a blessing after long suffering; then you will have peace and joy with God. Jesus told the thief on the cross who was suffering, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43). He rewards our
faithfulness in the end. “Enter into the joy of your Master” (Mt. 25:21).

Planted & Built up

“Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (Col 2:7)

The theme that the youth in Spain and the world over are celebrating at the time of penning this letter seems to be so apt in this ‘crazy’ world around. Everything seems to be in a tailspin - the financial markets reflect the shaky position of the US markets and their European counterparts, while, closer home, the political scenario in India continues to be in a tizzy due to the effects and the after-effects of a corrupt system. We truly seem to be a society on “shaky ground”.

And the journey from ‘shaky ground’ to ‘holy ground’ appears to be what the Lord continually calls us to make. From the call to Moses from the burning bush to the call to our youth to be “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ” the Lord invites us to be “firm in the faith”. Reflecting on this verse, in his letter to the young people, our Holy Father writes, “wherever individuals and nations accept God’s presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice, then the civilization of love is being built, a civilization in which the dignity of all is respected, and communion increases, with all its benefits.”

But how do we get individuals and nations to accept His presence and worship Him. Romans 10:14 serves as a pointer to us.

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?

The responsibility of the proclaimer is tremendous, the joy and reward even greater. And every baptised is called to be a proclaimer. Paul VI clearly stated “To evangelize, is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her profound identity” (Evangelium nuntiandi, no. 14). How privileged are we to share the good news… to share in the saving work of our Saviour and Lord.

Thus this month we focus our fervent prayer (James 5:16) for the Proclamation Outreach at Mount Mary’s Basilica in Bandra, Mumbai. As thousands upon thousands come to seek the blessings of the Blessed Mother on her birthday, may they discover the Saviour of Mary in whom her ‘spirit rejoices’ (Luke 1:47) as she loving whispers to them to ‘do whatever He tells’ (John 2:5).

We pray that the Holy Spirit, the ‘chief agent of evangelisation’, prepares the soil of the hearts of the proclaimers (to respond generously with their time, their respect and their love) as well as those to whom they are sent (that they have a ‘restless’ and open heart) so that they will bear fruit in “hundred fold” (Mark 4:8).

We thank God in faith-filled anticipation that the hills of the Mount will be covered with “beautiful feet of those bringing the good news” (Rom 10:15) as volunteers, counsellors, proclaimers are drawn by the Lord of the Harvest for His glory alone. Mary our Mother, guide our steps as you guided and taught the Child Jesus. May our teachers and proclaimers truly ‘witness to the beauty of the Gospel with the joy of faith’ (Intentions of the Holy Father for the month of September).

Don’t Understand God’s Will? You are not Alone.

“Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them…His mother treasured all these things in her heart. (Lk. 2:49-50)

Mary and Joseph did not understand the word of God, yet they were privileged to spend most of their lives in the presence of Jesus.

How important is understanding when we are following our vocation, God’s plan in our lives? Must we reject the path of simple trust, meditation and prayer because things happen to us beyond our control?

Mary simply kept the words and works of Jesus in her heart, in quiet meditation. God’s
perfect will was accomplished in her life. This is the basis of saying the rosary: the
pondering of Jesus/ God’s plan of salvation.

We do not need to understand, simply believe and trust! Thus, we Christians are always be characterized by joy. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (Jn. 10:10) our joy when we begin to act in a worldly way. We begin to resent people or situations that cause us suffering or
discomfort.

We begin to become agitated in our confused and sometimes hateful mind. We become arrogant and try to do things ourselves. Look at the life of Mary and ponder what suffering she continuously experienced since her vocation to be the Mother of God began at the annunciation. Saying the rosary frequently when we are in difficulties can help us to follow God’s plan in trust.

It is so difficult for a three year old to keep up with a parent’s gait. God’s plans at times may seem too much for us, but that is no reason to sit down, pout and have a temper tantrum. We are called to pray and receive the Holy Spirit who will give us the wings to keep up with the Father and the Son!

The rosary calms the mind, keeps us joyfully pondering Jesus. This prayer gives us something to do
with our anxiety! (Phil. 4:6-7)

We should know where the Lord is leading us and keep out of all sin. After this, we must continue to pray and ask for the help to complete His will. We do not need to understand it all. Mary pondered the life of Jesus and his words in her heart. We can do the same to remain calm and strong by saying the rosary. In our lack of understanding let us remain close to our Mother and her simple, humble way of being with Jesus.

Meditate on moments in Mary’s life which were difficult for her to understand:

Annunciation
Christ’s birth in a manger
Finding Jesus in the Temple
Standing at the foot of the Cross
Death of the innocents
Death of Joseph
Betrayal of Judas
Martyrdom of apostles
Her silent role in salvation

All for the Glory of God!

As I pen this few lines to you, on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – which I feel is possibly the REAL “Valentine’s Day”, I can indeed feel the surge of love in my heart for my Saviour “who loved me and gave His life for me” (Gal 2:20).

The surge of our hearts, however, must be accompanied by the equal and opposite reaction of our hearts recoiling from sin as we cry the words from the book of Hosea, “My heart recoils within me” when confronted by the thought of ‘going against love’ … which effectively is what sin is.

In the recent past our newspaper and electronic media are buzzing with the news of corruption scandals and fasts. As we reflect on these goings on, and try to discern what the Spirit is saying to us through this, two verses spring out from Scripture;

“You will not let your holy one know corruption” (Ps 16:10)
“Is this the fast that I seek” (Isaiah 58: 5)

While the former Scripture verse refers to bodily corruption, the same can be applied to spiritual corruption as well. If we truly walk in the way of the Lord and yield to His Will then the Holy Spirit shall keep us from all corruption.

The “fast” that the Lord seeks from us, is not only abstinence and fasting from food products, but also one of depriving our ego and starving our pride… so that we can truly be the bread broken for others.

Both these are the essence of the Lord’s Prayer on which we reflect and pray throughout this month. Obedience, flowing out of love, to the Will of God and the readiness to die for love of neighbour, are the two elements that make us “alter Christus (other Christs)”. “On these hang the law and the prophets” (Mt 22:40)

This July, let us therefore, truly make the Lord’s Prayer, “our prayer”… so that the “our” in the “our father” comes alive by the power of His Spirit. So that we have the willingness to fast from elements that the Spirit shows us – my pride, my attitude, my desire to jump to conclusions, my stinginess and lack of charity, my eagerness to rush to judge and condemn others, my criticizing nature, my desire for self-glory, etc.

I urge us all, myself included, to spend a few extra moments each day when you pray, to ask the Holy Spirit to show you the areas of “corruption” in your life that need His burning and purifying love. Pray also for the grace to fast from areas of pride and self; that truly the Lord will “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’ as we journey on the path to holiness, which is Christ Himself.

May all we do be for the “Greater Glory of God” and may St Ignatius and the other saints whose feasts we celebrate this month, pray for us. Be with us Mary along the way.

St. Anthony: Doctor of the Church

St. Anthony: Doctor of the Church

St. Anthony could be said to have become the quickest saint in the history of the Catholic Church because he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX less than one year after his death on 13^th June 1231. He is typically depicted with the Infant Child Jesus, to whom He miraculously appeared, and is commonly referred to today as the “finder of lost articles.”

Anthony was born in 1195 (13 years after St. Francis) in Lisbon (now Portugal, then a part of Spain), and given the name of Fernando at Baptism. His parents, Martin and Mary Bulhom, apparently belonged to one of the prominent families of the city. At the age of 15 he entered the religious order of St. Augustine and then left it and joined the Franciscan Order in 1221, when he was 26 years old. The reason he became a Franciscan was because of the death of the five Franciscan friars who shed their blood for the Catholic Faith in the year 1220, in Morocco in North Africa, and whose headless and mutilated bodies had been brought to St. Anthony’s monastery on their way back for burial. St. Anthony became a Franciscan in the hope of shedding his own blood and becoming a martyr.

St. Anthony’s most famous miracle may be the sermon to the fish. We have been told that when a crowd refused to heed him, St. Anthony turned his back on them and preached from the shore to the fish in a lake. The fish responded by lifting up their heads from the water to hear him better.

Perhaps we would never have heard of Anthony if he hadn’t gone to an ordination of Dominicans and Franciscans in 1222. As they gathered for a meal afterward, the provincial suggested that one of the friars give a short sermon. Quite typically everybody declined when the superiors asked. So Anthony was asked to give “just something simple”. Anthony, compelled by obedience, spoke at first slowly and timidly, but soon enkindled with the power of the Holy Spirit, he began to explain the most hidden sense of Holy Scripture with such profound erudition and sublime doctrine that all were struck with astonishment. With that moment began Anthony’s public career. He journeyed to many places in Italy and also to many parts of Southern France on what became an evangelical crusade. His brilliant sermons and special style drew such huge crowds that the churches could not hold the people who came to hear him. A platform had to be set up outside in the town square because of the number of people who came to hear him speak. Soon the platform had to be built outside the town and cities. Eventually ten, twenty and thirty, thousand people were attending his sermons. In 1228 he preached in Rome before Pope Gregory IX and also to the clergy and the people. Pope Gregory was so impressed that he called St Anthony an “Armory of the Bible.”

Among the many miracles St. Anthony wrought in the conversion of heretics; the three most noted recorded by his biographers are the following:

· The first one is that of a mule honoring the Host when a heretic challenges him to defend the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament. Anthony tells him to starve his mule for several days, but when it is offered food at the end of that time, the animal refused the food placed before him, till he had knelt down and adored the Blessed Sacrament, which St. Anthony held in his hands. Legendary narratives of the fourteenth century say this miracle took place at Rimini, Italy.

· The second most important miracle is that of the poisoned food offered him by some Italian heretics, which he rendered innoxious by the sign of the cross.

· The third miracle worthy of mention is that of the famous sermon to the fishes. He is charged with preaching the Gospel to the people of northern Italy. When human hearts prove stubborn and unresponsive to the call of grace, Anthony goes down to the waterside and begin to speak to the fishes, calling on them to praise their Creator. God shows his approval of Anthony’s message by making dumb creatures more ready to listen than rational human beings!

The enthusiasm with which St. Anthony fought against heresy, and the great and numerous conversions he made rendered him worthy of the glorious title of “Hammer of the Heretics”. He died at the age of thirty-six years on 13 June 1231. He had lived fifteen years with his parents, ten years as a Canon Regular of St. Augustine, and eleven years in the Order of Friars Minor. He was canonised by Pope Gregory IX on the 30^th of May 1232, in just less than a year of his death. Upon exhumation, some 336 years after his death, his body was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, so perfect were the teachings that had been formed upon it. St Anthony was later proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 16 January 1946.

Anthony is the Wonder-Worker of Padua and the whole world. He is perhaps the most celebrated evangelizer and the most popular saint-doctor that the Catholic Church ever had. He teaches us to be in state of communion with God. Anthony suggests a very practical maxim: avoid as much as possible any distraction that removes your thoughts from God and heaven.

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