St. Anthony of Padua, one of the Catholic Church’s most loved saints, was a holy man in the true sense of the word. Preaching the Gospel – not only with his words but with his whole life, he became so famous that during his last and most famous Lenten sermons, more than 30,000 people came to hear him speak.

People loved him back then just as much as they love him today. And it is my hope that after reading his beautiful words and getting infused in his light and holiness, your heart will open a little bit more – to Love, to Truth, and to all that is Pure and Holy.

“A ray of light enables us to see the dust that is in the air. In the same way, the lives of the Saints show us our defects. If we fail to see our faults, it is because we have not looked at the lives of holy men and women.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

18 Life-Changing Lessons to Learn from St. Anthony of Padua

1. Actions speak louder than words…

“… let your words teach and your actions speak.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

2. Do not consider yourself learned and wise; otherwise, all your efforts will be destroyed.

“Do not consider yourself learned and wise; otherwise, all your efforts will be destroyed, and your boat will reach the harbor empty. If you have great authority, do not threaten anyone with death. Know that, according to nature, you too are susceptible to death, and that every soul sheds its body as its final garment.”

3. The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey…

“… and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

4. He who lives in eternity dwells in the heart of the humble.

“How great is the kindness of God! How great is the dignity of the penitent! He who lives in eternity dwells in the heart of the humble and in the soul of the penitent! It is the mark of a truly contrite heart that it humbles itself in everything, reckoning itself no more than a dead dog and a mere flea.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

5. Be just as God made you to be. ~ St. Anthony of Padua

“Do you want to have God always in your mind? Be just as he made you to be. Do not go seeking another “you”. Do not make yourself otherwise than he made you. Then you will always have God in mind.”

6. Without love, faith dies. ~ St. Anthony of Padua

“Charity is the soul of faith, makes it alive; without love, faith dies.”

7. Attribute to God every good that you have received.

“… If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

8. Regret not that which is past; and trust not to thine own righteousness. ~ St. Anthony of Padua

9. We stumble. We stutter. We rise. We are lifted.

“We are formed by environment and grace, by politics and prayer, by church and conscience. All God’s creatures conspire to teach us as well. We stumble. We stutter. We rise. We are lifted.”

10. He who is the beginning and the end, the ruler of the angels, made Himself obedient to human creatures.

“… The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common labourer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

11. The Church must be brought up to date and made meaningful to the day’s problems.

“Men will surrender to the spirit of the age. They will say that if they had lived in our day, faith would be simple and easy. But in their day, they will say, things are complex; the Church must be brought up to date and made meaningful to the day’s problems.”

12. Earthly riches are like the reed…

“… Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold, but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

13. He prays best who does not know that he is praying. ~ St. Anthony of Padua

“The prayer of the monk is not perfect until he no longer recognizes himself or the fact that he is praying.”

14. The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God. ~ St. Anthony of Padua

15. The birds are the saints, who fly to heaven on the wings of contemplation…

“… who are so removed from the world that they have no business on earth. They do not labor, but by contemplation alone, they already live in heaven.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

16. The wisdom of the worker is revealed in his handiwork.

“Our thoughts ought by instinct to fly upwards from animals, men and natural objects to their creator. If created things are so utterly lovely, how gloriously beautiful must he be who made them! The wisdom of the worker is revealed in his handiwork.”

17. The wisdom of God is reflected in the face of the soul.

“… she will see God as he is, and she will know as she is known.” ~ St. Anthony of Padua

18. If you look in murky and turbulent waters, you cannot see the reflection of your face.

“The Lord manifests Himself to those who stop for some time in peace and humility of heart. If you look in murky and turbulent waters, you cannot see the reflection of your face. If you want to see the face of Christ, stop and collect your thoughts in silence, and close the door of your soul to the noise of external things.”

Bonus: St Anthony of Padua Quotes

“Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself!”

“The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.”

“The stonemason and the bricklayer are careful to use measuring lines, pendulums, and bobs to make walls straight. Can we not say that the virtuous lives of the saints are the measuring lines stretched out over our souls to make sure our lives take the proper shape and measure up to their good example? Whenever, then, we celebrate the feast of a saint, let us look to them as giving us the pattern our lives should take.”

“Christ who is your life is hanging before you, so that you may look at the Cross as in a mirror. There you will be able to know how mortal were your wounds, that no medicine other than the Blood of the Son of God could heal. If you look closely, you will be able to realize how great your human dignity and your value are…. Nowhere other than looking at himself in the mirror of the Cross can man better understand how much he is worth.”

~love, Luminita 💫

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