This year, the Franciscan movement is
celebrating the 800th anniversary of
the founding of the worldwide Franciscan
Order.
During Easter Week (April 15-18,
2009) Franciscan representatives from
all over the world came to Assisi and
Castelgandolfo, the pope’s villa outside
Rome, to celebrate the eighth centenary
of their beginning (1209-2009). A
culmination of these events took place
on April 18 during an audience with
Pope Benedict XVI at Castelgandolfo.
This month also marks the 778th
anniversary of the death of St. Anthony
of Padua (June 13, 1231). It’s an opportune
time to reflect on Anthony’s special
role in Franciscan history.
There is a town in northern Italy
called Forlì. Though the town is small,
it had enormous importance in the life
of the saint. Around the year 1222,
Anthony and a few other friars went to
Forlì to attend an ordination ceremony.
A good number of other Franciscan
and Dominican friars were there. The
local superior invited several Dominicans
to preach, but all politely begged
off. Finally, the superior turned to
Anthony and insisted that he share
with the assembled guests whatever
the Holy Spirit inspired him to say.
Anthony accepted the superior’s request
and preached humbly, yet eloquently,
from his heart. He amazed
everyone with his brilliance and the
power of his words. The event launched
Anthony into a new career as an outstanding
evangelist and teacher—a
career that he would pursue with great
success for the rest of his life.
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Anthony’s Franciscan leaders soon
asked the friar to move from his rural
hermitage near Forlì to Bologna, a
prominent university city about 40
miles away. Before long, Anthony not
only was in demand as a preacher, but
also was asked to teach theology in
Bologna to young Franciscans studying
for the priesthood.
St. Anthony, of course, was actually
a native of Portugal, who had begun his
religious life in that country as an
Augustinian monk. He would go on to
receive an excellent theological education
in Portugal’s most famous center
of learning, the Augustinian Monastery
of Santa Cruz in the city of Coimbra.
As many of us know, St. Francis, the
founder of the Franciscan Order, wanted
his followers to be humble. He knew in
his heart that intellectual pride or an
overzealous pursuit of higher learning
could become a threat to humility, causing
some friars to drift from the simple
gospel life they had vowed to live.
Aware of St. Francis’ concerns,
Anthony wisely sought Francis’ permission
to teach theology to friars
entering the Order. In a famous letter
sent to Anthony in Bologna, Francis
advised Anthony with these words: “It
pleases me that you should teach sacred
theology to the brothers as long as—in
the words of the Rule—you do not extinguish
the spirit of prayer and devotion
with study of this kind.”
Anthony took Francis’ advice seriously.
He carefully sought to balance his great
intellectual gifts through the practice of
humility. Anthony also sought out caves
and other deserted places where he
could devote himself to humble prayer
and contemplation.
This was a period in the history of
the Franciscan Order when the Church
was beginning to understand that zeal,
goodwill and a simple grasp of the
Gospel were not enough. More and
more, friars who had permission to
preach or to teach were required to
have a solid theological education.
There were many heretical groups
wandering about Europe at this time,
leading Catholics astray and confusing
them with their strange doctrines.
Anthony, however, because of his profound
knowledge of Scripture, his
training in theology and his persuasive
skills as a preacher, was well-equipped
to counter these heretical
teachings. A tremendously popular
preacher, Anthony was often engaged
in extensive preaching campaigns in
both northern Italy and southern
France. The saint’s spiritual integrity
reinforced his preaching.
Thus, Anthony was the first in a long
line of educated Franciscan friars who,
responsive to the Holy Spirit, nurtured
within themselves an attractive blend
of profound knowledge, humility and
spiritual wisdom.
Such friars were successful in drawing
like-minded recruits into the Order, making
way for later generations of learned
Franciscans such as Alexander of Hales
(c. 1183-1245), St. Bonaventure (1218-
1274) and Blessed John Duns Scotus
(1266-1308). Though the three remained
humble friars, they all became great
theologians at the University of Paris.
In addition to his ministry of preaching,
Anthony also served for three years
as the provincial minister of the friars
in the critical region of northern Italy
near Bologna. Anthony attended the
general chapter of 1230 at Assisi and
was part of a delegation sent by that
chapter to Pope Gregory IX. That
Anthony was part of this delegation
suggests that he had a real role in
advancing the pope’s reform agenda
for the Church. Historian Dominic
Monte, O.F.M., makes this observation
in Francis and His Brothers: A Popular
History of the Franciscan Friars (St.
Anthony Messenger Press, 2009).
Perhaps, one of the reasons the Franciscan
movement has survived 800
years is because inspiring Franciscans—such as St. Anthony of Padua—were
able to keep a healthy balance between
their theological gifts and the gift of
humility.—J.W.
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