From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   - Matthew 5:14-16 -   
      
       "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.   
   Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it   
   on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way,   
   let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and   
   praise your Father in heaven."   
       __________________________   
      
       Can you hide a city that is sitting on top of a hill? Its light at night   
   can be seen for miles. If we live for Christ, we will glow like lights,   
   showing others what Christ is like. We hide our light by (1) being quiet   
   when we should speak, (2) going along with the crowd, (3) denying the light,   
   (4) letting sin dim our light, (5) not explaining our light to others, or   
   (6) ignoring the needs of others. Be a beacon of truth - don't shut your   
   light off from the rest of the world.   
      
      
   <><><><><>   
   June 13th - Saint Anthony of Padua   
      
   By the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)   
      
   Today is the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, called "Ark of the Covenant"   
   for his profound knowledge of Scriptures and "Hammer of Heretics" for his   
   skill in applying that knowledge in polemics. It is customary in the   
   churches of many Western nations to place the statue of St. Anthony in a   
   special place of honor to be venerated by the faithful on his feast day.   
      
   When I visited Assisi in 1950, I admired a picture of the Saint painted by   
   Giotto, which is said to be the image most closely resembling him that   
   exists. It presents a strong man with a thick bull-like neck, a serious   
   expression, an imperious gaze, and a majestic attitude that gives the   
   impression of the Doctor of the Church he was later declared to be. I bought   
   some reproductions of this picture by Giotto.   
      
   I also bought some other picture that represented St. Anthony that was sold   
   at the door of the church. This one was not by Giotto, but by some unknown   
   author who portrayed the common picture of St. Anthony. It showed a young   
   man with soft skin, pink cheeks, and the mindless and somewhat foolish air   
   of one who does not understand anything. In his arms he is holding a Child   
   Jesus, who appears to not understand what he is doing in the arms of that   
   man. He has the air of someone who says: "I am sorry to be here, it probably   
   happened by some mistake. But it seems that we will still have to bear this   
   for a while." In St. Anthony's face, there is nothing that expresses the   
   Doctor of the Church, the man who was considered the greatest expert in   
   Scriptures of his time.   
      
   He knew everything in Scriptures and used to quote it by heart; he knew even   
   its most arcane and difficult passages. He was not only able to quote such   
   texts, but used to comment on them and draw concrete consequences from them   
   to smash the heretics and to encourage the faithful.   
      
   He was also an extraordinary polemicist who would debate the heretics - not   
   have ecumenical dialogues with them, let me note in passing - and destroy   
   them by demolishing their arguments. God used to confirm His support for St.   
   Anthony by working miracles while he was preaching. This twofold show of   
   arms: a powerful debate followed by miracles was what earned him the title   
   "Hammer of Heretics." His life had nothing to do with the insipid and   
   ecumenical St. Anthony presented on the holy cards that so many people have.   
      
   The militant St. Anthony is the authentic one, depicting the way he lived on   
   earth in his times and the way he is now in Heaven. But today his true moral   
   physiognomy, which the Church presents as a model, has almost completely   
   disappeared. The figure that replaced him is a sentimental one only   
   concerned about giving graces and favors. There is a fundamental difference   
   in the physical figure, but most of all, there is a fundamental difference   
   in the moral figure of St. Anthony.   
      
   In addition to being honored with the aforementioned titles - Ark of the   
   Covenant and Hammer of the Heretics - St. Anthony is also the Patron of the   
   Army. The reason for that is linked to two incidents where, from Heaven, he   
   intervened in a militant way.   
      
   The first was when a Spanish fleet was besieging the Muslim city of Oram and   
   facing a long and fruitless siege. In such circumstance, the Spanish Admiral   
   went to a statue of St. Anthony to ask his intercession. He told St. Anthony   
   that he, the Admiral, could do nothing more without some extraordinary help.   
   Then he turned over his insignias of command to the statue and placed his   
   Admiral's hat on its head. Then he asked St. Anthony to take command of the   
   siege against Oram and conquer the city.   
      
   Soon after this, the Moors suddenly left the city. Some who were captured   
   and interrogated related that they had seen a Friar coming from Heaven with   
   an Admiral's hat on his head. He threatened the Moors that he would send   
   fire from Heaven upon them unless they left the city. In face of this peril,   
   the Muslims found it more prudent to leave.   
      
   The second incident took place in Rio de Janeiro when it was being attacked   
   by the French Calvinist fleet. The Calvinists had a great advantage over the   
   Brazilian Catholics, who could no longer offer an effective resistance. At   
   that point, the Franciscan Friars took a statue of St. Anthony from their   
   monastery to a central square in Rio and set it on a column.   
      
   The simple presence of the statue began to provoke a general enthusiasm for   
   the fight. Very soon a large number of young men entered the army. With   
   this, it was possible to retake lost positions, reorganize the resistance   
   and make an efficacious counter-attack. In a short time, the Calvinists were   
   defeated and left the Brazilian shore. The fact that Brazil did not become a   
   Calvinist country is due in no small part to that marvelous presence of a   
   statue of St. Anthony.   
      
   The common devotion to St. Anthony normally does not mention things like   
   this. He is presented as a sweet, foolish saint who only likes to arrange   
   marriages and enjoy his feast day. This kind of sentimental piety distorted   
   the physiognomy of the great St. Anthony to hide his militancy.   
      
   I think that we have the obligation to correct this false piety and help   
   restore the true moral physiognomy of the saints. For it is easy to see that   
   this distortion has been effected not only with St. Anthony, but also with   
   many other saints.   
      
   Let us ask St. Anthony to give us the necessary graces to help extirpate   
   this false piety and to become enthusiastic admirers of Catholic militancy,   
   as he was.   
      
   See Icons at:   
   http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j130sdAnthonyPadua_6-13.htm   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   One great means of preserving a constant peace and tranquility of heart is   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)