St. Francis, St. Anthony and the Smallness of God

Q U I C K S C A N

The ‘Abbreviated Word’
St. Anthony and the Verbum abbreviatum
The whole Gospel in brief

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St. Francis of Assisi was very fascinated with the mystery of the Incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. One of the ways Francis visibly revealed this fascination was by staging a reenactment of Jesus’ birth in a cave outside the Italian village of Greccio in 1223. He set up a manger filled with straw and had an ox and ass brought in. He had the villagers come to the cave in a torchlight procession and arranged that a midnight Mass be celebrated there. Legend has it that at some point in the ceremony the infant Jesus appeared in the straw, and Francis held the babe in his arms.

Through this reenactment of Christ’s birth, St. Francis hoped to make tangible one of his most heartfelt beliefs, namely, the poverty of God. Francis was deeply struck by God’s incredible willingness to become poor and small—taking on the form of a tiny, helpless babe out of love for humankind. Francis wanted to practice this same kind of poverty in his own life and to make poverty a key value of his brotherhood. In the sixth chapter of his Rule, he instructs his friars to “serve the Lord in Poverty…because the Lord made himself poor for us in this world.”

The ‘Abbreviated Word’

In the Christian literature of the Middle Ages, we sometimes come across the idea of the abbreviated word of God (verbum abbreviatum, in Latin). St. Francis used this language himself in chapter nine of his Rule (1223). Francis exhorted his brothers to keep their words “brief, because our Lord kept his words brief on this earth” (quia verbum abbreviatum fecit Dominus super terram). The literal translation is “because the Lord made an abbreviated word on earth.”

“The Lord made an abbreviated word” or “kept his word brief” can be understood in more than one way. For example, it could mean simply that Jesus often used few words to get across a profound message. “Love one another as I have loved you” would be an example of this. Francis was, of course, encouraging his friars to keep their preaching brief in that sense. But we can apply Francis’ words to the Incarnate Word. We can see Christ himself as the abbreviated Word—the Word made flesh. We know that Christ, the Word of God, stripped himself of glory and made himself small. In other words, in the process of self-emptying love, the Divine Word shortened (or abbreviated) himself, so to speak, to the size of a tiny human child. Thus, lying there in a manger in great humility is God—the Verbum abbreviatum!

St. Anthony and the Verbum abbreviatum

We also find examples of the Verbum abbreviatum in the sermons of St. Anthony. Why not? As a serious follower of St. Francis, St. Anthony (who died in 1231, only five years after Francis) was also profoundly struck by the poverty and smallness of God. In his sermons, we find Anthony using the same kind of God-reduced-to-smallness images. In Sermon III (7) for example, Anthony expresses amazement at “The Lord of the universe wrapped in swaddling clothes” and at “the King of the Angels: lying in a stable.” And in Sermon III (10) we have this awesome irony to ponder: “The one whose name is boundless is laid in a narrow manger.”

Knowing this about St. Anthony of Padua allows us to approach the most popular image of this saint in a new way. I refer to the familiar statues and paintings of Anthony—seen all around the world—in which the brown-robed saint holds the infant Jesus in his arms. Is this “friar with baby Jesus” just a pious, sometimes sentimental piece of art—or is it an image with a profound message?

I would submit that the latter is the case. Consider these facts: In 1946 Pope Pius XII officially declared Anthony a Doctor of the of the Universal Church, with the designation “Doctor of the Gospel.” Anthony was a great preacher of the gospel and brilliant communicator of the Incarnate Word. The infant in his arms readily reminds us of the Franciscan focus on the poverty, smallness and self-emptying love of God. Very often the infant in Anthony’s arm is portrayed as standing on the Bible—often on the Bible’s open pages, as if rising out of the printed word itself. Can there be a more obvious symbol or clue that the child in Anthony’s arms is the Verbum abbreviatum, the embodiment (in miniature) of the very Word of God?

The whole Gospel in brief

In San Antonio, Texas, there is a large, lovely statue of St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of the city. The statue was a gift from Portugal (Anthony’s birthplace) to the city. It stands along the San Antonio Riverwalk, a famous public walkway that borders the river and winds through the heart of the city. The Christ child held by Anthony (See photo by Friar Jack at right) stands on a Bible. The child’s arms are extended in the form of a cross as if giving himself totally for the world’s salvation. This small child is Anthony’s abbreviated sermon in bronze. If you are looking for the whole meaning of the Incarnation in a nutshell, here you have it.

Indeed, if you are looking for a “short Word”—an abbreviated sermon on the whole meaning of the love of our self-emptying God, look at this infant in the arms of St. Anthony. The divine/human infant represents—in abbreviated form—the totality of the Good News!

[Find a fuller explanation of “Why St. Anthony Holds the Child Jesus” and of the “Verbum Abbreviatum” in Friar Jack’s Anthony of Padua: Saint of the People (St. Anthony Messenger Press).]

Friar Jim’s Inbox

Readers respond to Friar Jim’s “Catechism Quiz: Heaven”

Dear Friar Jim: Thank you for discussing heaven in your e-newsletter. I was moved and comforted as you discussed the nature of relationships in heaven. I was taught that we would not even know or recognize our loved ones in heaven, and I always thought that sounded terrible and lonely. To think, instead, of our earthly relationships (often troubled) being perfectly whole and healed convinces me that the state of heaven will be the purest joy imaginable. I needed the comfort of these thoughts during this difficult time in my life, and I thank you for writing them. I feel as though God used you to meet my needs. Thank you for offering yourself as that vessel for me and for all who are struggling and read what you share. May you be blessed abundantly with love and all good things. Jessica

Dear Jessica: When we reach heaven, it will be like a gigantic homecoming of loved ones. I always imagine Mary and Joseph being reunited. How can anyone think that they would not know each other? Common sense (and Christian sense) tells us otherwise. Friar Jim

Dear Friar Jim: Thank you for the wonderful revelation about heaven and the relationships we will have with God and our families. It is my fervent prayer that we will also see members of our family from the beginning of time and, of course, the wonderful pets who have been in our lives. I know it is said that cats and dogs do not have souls. But these animals show so much love in their short lives and help people so much, it is difficult for me to assume they do not have a part in God’s eternal plan. Can you shed some light on this subject? Delores Rose

Dear Delores Rose: Many believe their pets will be with them in heaven. We just don’t know, but there is nothing wrong with hoping and believing. All we know is that heaven is a place of total perfection and happiness. God will take care of that. For more on the subject, read “Will I See My Little Doggy in Heaven?” by Jack Wintz, O.F.M. Friar Jim

Send your feedback to friarjack@americancatholic.org.

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