SFO International Council
Volume: 1 - N. 9 - 1995 - August - I
From: Koinonia, 1995, N. 2
Kevin Schindler-McGraw, OFM Conv.
This centenary celebration year arrives in the context of several other relatively recent Franciscan centennials. It was within the last decade that we celebrated the eighth centenary of the birth of Francis himself. And just this past year we concluded celebrations remembering that other great founder within the Franciscan Family, Clare of Assisi. It may seem unfortunate that this "year of Anthony", one of the most exemplary figures for us from the early Franciscan period, follows so closely on those others and, as a result, runs the risk of being diluted or "lost" in the shadow of those previous celebrations. If seen from the proper perspective, however, the position of this celebratory year in such close proximity to the others may prove to be opportune. For it is, in fact, only within the context of Francis and the experience of the early friars, certainly together with those early experiences of Clare and her sisters, that a full and proper understanding of the importance of the figure of Anthony for his own time as well as for our own can be reached.
The importance of this celebration
Both the larger Church, as well as the Franciscan Family itself, have given clear indications of the importance of this year of celebration as well as the proper contexts and perspectives for it. Early last year a letter was issued, conjointly by the Pontifical Delegate for the Basilica of the Saint in Padua and the Minister Provincial OFM Conv. of the Paduan Province, calling for the celebration of this anniversary year. This was followed, on the 13th of June, by the letter of His Holiness John Paul II to the Union of Franciscan Ministers General for this eighth centenary of the birth of St. Anthony of Padua. In that message the Pope has indicated his own estimation of the importance of this celebratory year: "I sincerely wish that the centenary celebrations in honour of St. Anthony cause the entire Church to come to know ever better the testimony, the message, the wisdom and the missionary zeal of this great disciple of Christ and of the 'Poor Man' of Assisi" (no.5). The esteem in which the Pope holds this particular saint of the Church was indicated already over a decade ago in his visit to the Basilica in Padua (12th of September, 1982). On that occasion the Pontiff proclaimed: "In the entire sphere of his earthly existence Anthony was a man of the gospel; and if we honour him as such, it is because we believe that the Spirit of the Lord Himself made His dwelling in him with a special outpouring, enriching him with His wonderful gifts and driving him "from within" to undertake action which, far from having expired with the passage of time, continues, vigorously and providentially, even to our own day . . . It is difficult to find a city or a town of the Catholic world where there is not at least an altar or an image of the saint". His more recent letter was followed by a letter of the Ministers General of the Franciscan Family itself and given the same date. It is entitled "Anthony: Man of the Gospel".
The theme which has been indicated for the celebrations to take place in Padua, that focal point of reflection on the saint, is "Anthony: Gospel and Charity". For their part the Italian Bishops' Conference has indicated the theme "Anthony: Evangelisation and the Witness of Charity".
A responsible and faithful portrayal and remembrance of Anthony in this year dedicated to him will not be easy. It is certain that Anthony is more known and more popular among both non-Catholics and non-Christians as well as among Catholics themselves than, for example, even Francis. But that familiarity is for the most part based on his reputation as a saint who is associated with the retrieval of lost goods and donations destined to provide "bread for the poor". What little more may be remembered about him usually takes the form of some of the more colourful legends surrounding his life and activity. These are rarely, however, at that deeper level found in his actual story and his own writings (above all the significant Sermones, a work which is actually more of a treatise on Anthony's part concerning theology and preaching than true sermon texts of his).
In a recent lecture, a German Franciscan scholar made the observation that "one does not find the true Anthony in books (the literature widely available). In those sources the picture of Anthony which is presented is based on the popular traditions and stories about him, not upon his own true story nor the contents of his preaching." One of the main goals of this year of celebration ought to be to rediscover and refurbish the "true Anthony" and present this rich image to the Franciscan Family itself, to the Church and to the world as a shining model and guide.
A concrete indication of the historical shift away from what may be referred to as the "true Anthony" is the fact that the earliest iconography of the saint consistently depicts him holding the book of the gospels in his hands. It was only later that this symbol, which reflected perhaps the single most identifying element of the character of the saint, was replaced by either the lily and/or the Christ-child being held in his hands. The centrality of this clearly evangelical orientation of Anthony's was indicated explicitly by a Pope of his own time, Gregory IX, who granted him the titles "Doctor of the Church", "Ark of the Testament" and "Compendium of the Holy Scriptures". In their letter, the Ministers General of the Franciscan Family have written: "(St. Anthony was) a man called not only to announce, explain and propose the gospel, but also, and above all, to live it and to make it the measure of his life in the style of the purest Franciscan spirituality" (no. 1).
This informed and authentic vision of Anthony and the centrality of the gospel in his life place him at the heart of the Franciscan tradition. We know what a priority the lived reality of the gospel was for Francis himself. This "truth" about Anthony also places him at the centre of that specific vocation within the larger Franciscan Family which is shared by Secular Franciscans throughout the world. Number four of the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) clearly indicates that "the Rule and the Life of the Secular Franciscan is this: to observe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the example of St. Francis of Assisi . . . Secular Franciscans are to commit themselves as well to a diligent reading of the gospel passing from the gospel to life and from life to the gospel."
That passage of the Rule has found its way into many articles, lectures and reports within the Secular Franciscan Order in the nearly twenty years since the Rule's approval. There is still, however, so much to accomplish in the realisation of that central principle. And Anthony, the "evangelical man" (Popes Pius XII and John Paul II), may well be the most effective instrument for the deepening and continuing incarnation of that principle. The General Constitutions of the SFO carry the notion articulated in the Rule forward. In speaking about the responsibility of the Fraternity for programs of ongoing formation (Art. 44.2) they further develop the concept by giving more specific and concrete indications. This number indicates that Secular Franciscans should 1) listen to and meditate on the word of God; 2) reflect on events within the Church and society, illuminated by faith and aided by the magisterium of the Church; and 3) as a result take positions in all those contexts which are consistent with the gospel. This article indicates that it is an immersion in the gospel of the Lord, the word of God, that will elicit a deepening and a bringing to life of their own Franciscan vocation. We find here, then, a specific indication on the part of the Church to the Councils of SFO Fraternities, together with those who fulfil the responsibilities for spiritual and pastoral assistance to them, with regard to the centrality of this gospel element. Why not look to Anthony, "evangelical man", for inspiration and direction in this commitment?
Although Anthony does not treat Francis directly in his writings, the witness of the actions of his life as well as the contents of his writings indicate the great esteem and reverence for the person and teaching of Francis. They clearly demonstrate that the principle lines of authentic Franciscan spirituality are incarnated in Anthony. It is recorded that, although he was kept very much at the periphery of the gathering, Anthony's presence at the "Chapter of Mats" with Francis in 1221 made a tremendous impression upon him. One of the earliest biographers of Anthony relates that the two saints encountered one another during that Chapter "with their eyes" and that St. Anthony never again forgot that gaze. That is, he "remembered" it in the sense of incarnating it and rendering it always alive within himself.. Consistent with the attitude of Francis, Anthony strove always to share his life and his spirit with the poor. He preached and taught the theology of the Church faithfully, both to the friars as well as to the rest of the faithful. The person and the content of the charism of Francis are more lived and integrated into the teaching of Anthony than explicitly remembered or addressed. So, in who and how he was, Anthony manifested many specific elements of a genuine Franciscan spirituality which may present particularly appropriate indications to us for a mature and balanced service of assistance in our own context of the Secular Franciscan Order.