A Eucharistic Community of Families Guided by the Virtues of St. Anthony
“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” – John 5:30
St. Anthony lived a life of absolute poverty, adhering to it with all his heart. He lived the life of the poor by renouncing all worldly goods. He left his prominent family to preach to the poor. In poverty, he traveled tirelessly to spread God’s word, as he intended to literally walk in the footprints of Christ. He lived a truly Christian life “with feet solidly on the ground of total trusting love and dependence on God.” He believed that “Poverty is the true wealth; it keeps and generates humility; it is the source of spiritual joy; poverty frees one from the desires that tie men to things.” and that “Poverty is the only path to Christ, a way of participating in his kingdom.”
One of the prominent pictures of St. Anthony shows him carrying the child Jesus, while giving bread to a poor man. This symbolizes his concern for the poor, as he feeds the hungry. The bread symbolizes the sustenance of life, as well as the spreading of the Word of God to the world.
True poverty is recognizing that everything we have belongs to God and acknowledging that we are in desperate need of God’s grace to be able to fulfill our mission. It goes beyond material things, simplicity and humility. It is a total surrender of who we are what we have and all that we do.
Nothing belongs to us, our families, our talents, our ministries, our life. These were given to us for a reason, to serve a greater purpose, to bring out the goodness in each one, to be passed on from one generation to another to ensure continuity.
Santuario de San Antonio Parish 