Grateful for the Friendship of Saint Anthony

[sr.christinaosf]

From Our Franciscan Fiat

Note: As we approach the feast of a great Franciscan saint, Anthony of Padua, I asked my sister Angie if she could write a post since she has a special devotion to him.  Below is her reflection~ ~ ~

As a teen, I attended a summer trip with my youth group.  We went from St. Paul to Denver for a Steubenville Conference.

My dad had been having some health troubles and had tests done.  My mom, my three siblings and I went on the trip and he was the only one left at home.  Then, a day or two into the trip, we got the call that tests had turned out positive.  He had cancer and was all alone.

I remember when I heard the news, the color faded from view, my vision went black and white, and the world seemed to go in slow motion.  I went straight to the chapel, knelt down before the Blessed Sacrament and tried to comprehend what it meant.

Would he die?  What would happen to our family?  What would happen to him?  To me?  I also questioned the ‘why’ of it.

As I knelt there, I knew I couldn’t make it through this alone.  I felt distanced from God.  I needed a saint to walk with me.  I had recently been confirmed and chose St. Anthony as my patron saint.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to be my right-hand man throughout all this.  And for good measure, I asked St. Therese to be on my left.

As the pilgrimage progressed, we visited many different churches; our group slept on church floors along the way, celebrated Mass, and toured many different churches.  Each and every one had a statue or stained glass window of St. Anthony and St. Therese right next to each other.  I knew this was a personal sign that they were looking after me and that everything would be okay.

As I reflect on St. Anthony as the saint known for finding things, I realize that sometimes I just need him to find me.  My dad turned out to be okay; my family survived and even grew through the experience.  I’m humbled by the witness and just the company the saints can provide.  I can’t wait to meet St. Anthony face to face someday and thank him for taking the time to walk with that young teenage kid.

[Maggyie]

St Anthony is wonderful. 

[DominicanHeart]

If it weren't for my Pastor, I wouldn't know the wonders of St. Anthony. He's amazing. 

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

People who have read my posts in Vocation Station know my Dominican leanings, and would probably be very surprised to know that I depend on St. Anthony on a regular basis. In my heart, I'm not a Franciscan, but one thing strongly I share is St. Francis' devotion to animals.

My (late) cat Leo was diagnosed with severe kidney disease, and even knowing I have a hand tremor, my vet thought I was competent enough to give Leo subcutaneous fluids to help keep him comfortable. I HATE needles, and giving subcutaneous fluids all by yourself is no easy task, but my cat Leo was the one (eventually the only one) who stood by me after my divorce, and I owed him a lot. For some reason I don't understand, Leo (like the vet) trusted me enough to let me administer subcutaneous fluids to him. (This involves the cat lying very still while you stick a very sharp needle into him, and use an IV bag to deliver saline solution directly to his internal organs, where the fluid is more efficiently absorbed. This isn't painful to the cat if done correctly, but it definitely feels odd to the cat who has to lie still despite the strange sensations.) 

Right about this time, I read on a Catholic Web site that some people consider St. Anthony a patron saint for domestic animals. I've never read this about St. Anthony on any other Catholic Web site, but I figured that St. Anthony, being a follower of St. Francis, would have a love for domestic animals whether or not he qualified as a patron saint. So, I brought a medal of St. Anthony into the bathroom I used for the daily procedure, and fervently prayed to him as I stuck sharp needles into my beloved cat.

I expected to administer fluids for about 3 or 4 months before Leo's kidney damage became too severe. With St. Anthony's help, I ended up administering fluids for 18 months, helping keep Leo comfortable, and allowing him to reach his 17th birthday (longer than my marriage lasted). 

St. Anthony has come through for me many times--both when administering fluids and in finding things. (Praying to St. Anthony turns out to be a real help in finding things--I don't care if it might seem superstitious.) I still wear a medal of St. Anthony around my neck (along with St. Joseph and Mary). But now, I am desperately pleading to St. Anthony not for help in finding "things," but in helping me find a "family," a place where I belong, as well as what God wants from me for the next chapter of my life, which could easily become the rest of my life. I still haven't gotten an answer, but I haven't stopped praying to St. Anthony. It's a very good thing that when I was in my 20's I didn't know that later in my life, when I expected to have "figured it out" and be relaxing in retirement, instead I'd be sick, poor, and completely alone (at least in terms of humans not on the Internet), and still trying to "find myself." I'm counting on St. Anthony to come through for me, because I'm running out of options of where to turn. 

I know it's very odd that someone who looks terrible in brown has St. Anthony as a favorite saint, but even beloved animals can help guide us as to who and where we should be asking for help.

Note: Leo was not named for the astrological sign (or the various Popes with that name), but for a children's book called "Leo the Late Bloomer" (which--like me--he was).