Lily Flower of Lisbon Saint Anthony

By Kavitha Albert

Saint Anthony is a very popular saint among all people of various faiths. People throng his pilgrim centres and shrines in multitudes because of the faith they have in his powerful intercession.

There have been countless examples of numerous miracles happening in the lives of people, which are signs of God’s blessings through the intercession of saint Anthony.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pustaka Digital Media
• Release date: Oct 22, 2022
• ISBN: 6580553609182

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Lily Flower of Lisbon Saint Anthony

Author :

Kavitha Albert

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Table of Contents

Felicitation

Foreward

The Author’s Note

Saint Anthony

Miracles all along the line

Felicitation

Saint Anthony, a remarkable man of God, had lived in the thirteenth century. He had joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine and was ordained a canon at the age of 24. Later he was attracted by the humble and devoted life of Saint Francis of Assisi and joined his Order of Friars.

His sermons were so powerful that they penetrated the hearts of those who had listened to them. His life was an ideal model of priestly life. Though his earthly life was a short one, his ministry was highly productive and he performed many miracles.

God had loved him immensely and He chose to bless him by playing in his arms as an infant. While he was alive in this world, he lived like a mendicant and his life in this world is a great model for us.

Saint Anthony is a great saint who is held above religion and worshipped by the human race. None of those who have believed in him has been left to go without reward. He protects us in particular from all machinations of Satan who has been waiting for an opportunity to get us in his snares.

We come across innumerable instances of people getting God’s blessings through the intercession of this saint. We also get several good things through his intercession.

With a view to making the greatness and blesssedness of this saint familiar to us, Writer Kavitha Albert has compiled his biography under the title, The Lily of Lisbon Saint Anthony.

Many a book has already come out about Saint Anthony. Yet the present volume of this writer is a honey- sweet one. This book, besides giving us a sketch of the saint’s life, gives us an elaborate account of his miracles and the lofty ideas in his sermons.

The life of Saint Anthony seeks to give exaled wisdom and deep spiritual understanding not only to priests and other religious people but also to all sections of humanity. This book, by aiming at achieving this, shows us the great ideal of the author and I feel happy that this book will be a guide to the readers to lead a good life.

Kavitha Albert is a lay Christian, but she has already brought out several spiritual books with the exalted aim of leading people to spiritual life. I extend all my encouragement and wishes, as this book is also going to be another landmark of her venture.

No doubt, that this book will lead the readers to a holy life and I pray to God to help more and more people go deeper into their spiritual life with the help of this spiritual book.

In Jesus Christ,

Lawrence Pius  D.D., Bishop,

Dharmapuri Diocese.

Foreward

Saint Anthony is a very popular saint among all people of various faiths. People throng his pilgrim centres and shrines in multitudes because of the faith they have in his powerful intercession.

There have been countless examples of numerous miracles happening in the lives of people, which are signs of God’s blessings through the intercession of saint Anthony.

Eventhough saint Anthony is a saint, his life is meant to be emulated by all of us. He was a good human being. He was also a good priest. He led people to God through his example. Now he is leading people to God through his intercession.

This book entitled ‘Lily Flower of Lisbon Saint Anthony’ written by Mrs. Kavitha Albert is a welcome addition to the available literature on this saint. The author has taken extraordinary efforts to write this book.

The book contains all important informations on the life and influence of saint Anthony. Let me congratulate the author Mrs Kavitha Albert for her painstaking effort to write this book and Mr Albert Rajan for his generosity to publish this book.

May the people of the world benefit from this book and

get enriched to live a good human life.

God bless,

Fr S. Ignacimuthu, S.J.

Former Vice-Chancellor.

The Author’s Note

Saint Anthony, performer of miracles in millions, is a great man of God revered by the whole world. His life in this world was a short span of 36 years, but innumerable are his achievements.

He did not live like a king wielding regal powers. He lived the whole of his life as a mendicant friar and accomplished extraordinary tasks. Wherever he walked there he performed miracles. The spots which bore the sole of his foot turned blooming free of all blemishes.

Never did he falter in his earthly life, nor did he go astray. On the other hand he acted like a lighthouse to many who had tumbled in their life and gone astray and guided them to a better life.

His had a powerful tongue. He did not draw people  to him with empty words. He won human hearts with the simple words of Lord Jesus Christ. His sermons were serene streams which washed human minds of their impurities and made them pure. Saint Anthony’s power to perform miracles was the great gift that God had presented to him for his noble life on earth. He had travelled throughout his earthly life with Lord Jesus Christ.

While he was traversing through the thorny path of his life he enjoyed a blissful satisfaction of resurrection in Lord Jesus Christ. His setbacks and sufferings turned themselves into stepping stones of his eventual spiritual success. Even nature was conducive to him. The mule obeyed him and worshipped the Lord of the Holy Eucharist and converted the petty-minded heretics into spiritualists. The fishes in the sea came near the shore to listen to his sermon.

The saint whom my mother turned me to first is Saint Anthony. On several occasions in my young age when I had little interest in spiritual life I had experienced his loving care for me. He had restored to me lost things several times during my tender days.

He has been a source of encouragement to me and whenever I faltered in my steps and was about to tumble down, he held me up and today he is guiding me in my spiritual life.

When devil and diseases tormented me and my family members, he gave us new strength and helped us get deliverance. I started writing his biography a few years ago, but left it half way. Though I tried to complete it several times later, I could not accomplish the task.

In the meantime I kept receiving calls enquiring whether the book had already been launched. An enthusiastic old nun, burnt with the desire to read the book, kept asking me quite often about the publication of the book. At last she asked me one day in frustration, Will you complete the book before my death?

Her anxiety penetrated my heart. I prayed to Saint Anthony. O, dear saint, I am unable to resume writing and I am unable to take efforts to publish your biography. Please, help me.

He graciously dwelt in my house that night and said, Start up your work; you will complete it. I implicitly obeyed him and now I am happy to see the book in your hands.

However, another obstacle arose. Write the introduction and give it to me. I shall get the lay-out done, said my husband and a few months have passed since he said this.

It seemed that Satan played a trick on me now. Whenever I sat down  to write the introduction, words and ideas would not come. Impediments and hindrances followed one after the other, and to cap it all, the chair in which I sat one day broke and I fell down. This fall left me temporarily incapacitated.

Without giving up my efforts, I steadfastly prayed, and Saint Anthony rushed to me, interceded with Lord Jesus Christ for me and got from Him new strength and vigour to my body and spirit and I finished writing the introduction at a stretch.

Mankind is now caught up by divisive forces and conflicting ideas and ideals because of the handiwork of Satan, and at these critical times the million miracle performer has been praying to God for peace and plenty of mankind. I strongly believe that such a noble saint’s biography will blend the ideas of iron hearts with the sweet and soft petals and work like a wonderful lamp of our beautiful Church and make our lives shining.

Saint Anthony stands foremost in upholding the power and glory of priesthood. He lived as a good friar and his life exemplifies that an ascetic life is one that practises complete abstinence. He has left for us through his sermons the great truth that Satan will not meddle with our life and make us falter in our steps if only each of us follows the God-given wisdom in our spiritual life.

The believers who are blessed with the patronage of Saint Anthony have the obligation to live their life following his teachings, because those who have got his patronage need not fear anything. So we must live our life on earth with true change of heart. Then only we can make ourselves eligible for the Saint’s patronage.

Every one of us must do self-examination. We can find out our own bad traits and evil thoughts and give them up only by self-examination. When a person finds himself unable to spot out his weaknesses through his self-examination he can seek the help of saints. When such a person seeks a saint’s intercession he must get rid of his old sinful thoughts and activities. Then only the saint’s life will become his guidng force.

We must submit ourselves to the patronage and guidance of our saints to be on guard that wrong teachings and evil guidance do not take control of us.  Our beliefs and convictions must be based on the dogma of the Catholic Church. This is what our saints love to see in us and again this is the foremost desire of the Three-Person God.

A mother or father will not present her/his child with a snake or a scorpion. We must bear in mind that if God delays granting our prayers, it means that He loves us greatly and keeps reforming us by giving us spiritual training.

The prayers that we make at the feet of God through Blessed Mother Mary and saints are certain to bring to us success one day to our great happiness and prosperity. Thus we can achieve all our aims in our steadfast belief.

If what we get is something that we did not seek through our prayers, we must conclude that it was God’s will and we must accept it thankfully. We must understand that God’s plans for us are always and truly better than our own plans for us. We will understand this great truth at a later stage.

The role of priests in leading the faithful to their spiritual life is a great one. Saint Anthony played this role very well by living as a model priest. Even today vey large number of priests follow the footsteps of Saint Anthony and live a godly life and lead us as our spiritual guides.

However, the misguided spiritual life of some priests acts as the cause for changing the course of the faithful’s spiritual journey and earns bad name for the Church. Priests must always uphold their promise to God and perform their priestly duties as per their religious vows. Nobody has compelled them to accept any calling, but they must keep their promise of religious life at any cost. The Blessed Mother’s life and the intercession of saints will help them.

The priests should not at any condition forget the religious vows that they have taken and they must always be particular about travelling along with God. For their guidance and good religious life they may submit themselves to the protection of a saint and not allow Satan to intervene in their Godly life. This was the unquenchable desire of Saint Anthony.

Priests’ pure godly life alone can lead this world through the exalted path of righteousness. God will send His chosen angels to guide them through proper ways. Through their holy Godly life the Holy Catholic Church will transform itself into one built on a rock as God had willed. This is the sincere advice of Saint Anthony.

The faithful should not allow the evil to get into them. Let them give up their bent of mind to find fault with others, because God alone is competent to judge us. If we can correct the evil when we come across it, let us try to correct it with godliness. If we cannot do it, we may entrust the work to saints and God, and change will ensue certainly.

Nothing is impossible for God. Satan has come into the world to multiply sins and there by promote evils. So the faithful should be on their guard to see that sin does not enter the world. The intercession of our saints will help us achieve this.

We are followers of Saint Anthony and let us enjoy the great love of God through him. Let us learn from him and guide others. Let us submit ourselves always to his protection. Saint Anthony intercedes with God for us and wins for us all the good that we require. So let us be steadfast in our faith

Kavitha Albert, M.A.,

Writer \ Journalist.

Lily Flower of Lisbon

Saint Anthony

Creations trumpet the Creator’s deftness and skill. The brightly coloured flowers speak of His hands’ skill. All flowers, though they are of different hues and diverse fragrance, are called by the common name, flower.

Rivers rise at different places and they all flow down to the sea. All seas are one though they are called by different names.

It is true that our baptism has introduced us to Our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way of our Salvation, Light of the world, Eternal Truth and Everlasting Life, but it is our spiritual guides who have made us understand Him. Maybe! Mother Mary might have done it. The blessed holy saints might have helped us. Our parents and relatives might have also tried their hand, or our teachers might have done it.