Christian Perspectives

Celebrating the feast of St. Anthony of Padua:

Saint for all reasons

Charmaine Fernando

There is perhaps no more loved and admired saint in the Catholic Church than Saint Anthony of Padua whose feast is celebrated on June 13th. The level of veneration to the Portuguese saint, who is called upon by the faithful for his mediation in the granting of various favours in Sri Lanka, is quite astonishing. For sure, he is a popular Catholic figure everywhere, but never would one witness the intensity of devotion to him as here in Sri Lanka.

Many homes, entrances to by-ways and junctions in primarily Catholic populated areas of the island are adorned with his statute, as is virtually every Church.

Wonder worker

He is the one typically portrayed holding the child Jesus, or a lily, or a book, or all three in his arms. And, of course, he is the patron specially called upon for the recovery of lost items (among other things). Who of us has not invoked his name when looking for a misplaced set of car keys or a badly needed job?

St. Anthony was a famous preacher and worker of miracles in his own day and throughout the eight centuries since his death he has so generously come to the assistance of the faithful who invoke him, that he is known throughout the world.

Quickest saint

Anthony could be said to have become the “quickest” saint in the history of the Catholic Church because he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX less than one year after his death. His fame spread through Portuguese evangelization, and he has been known as the most celebrated of the followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of Padua, of Italy, and of Lisbon as well as many other places in Portugal and in the countries of the former Portuguese Empire. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on January 16, 1946, he is sometimes called the “Evangelical Doctor’ (Doctor Evangelicus).

At Padua, a magnificent basilica was built in his honour, his holy relics were entombed there in 1263 AD. From the time of his death up to the present day, countless miracles have occurred through his intercession, so that he is known as the “Wonder-Worker.” Anthony is invoked as one of the Patron Saints against Sterility, Barrenness and for Fertility, Expectant Mothers, Elderly People, Oppressed People, Poor People and Domestic Animals just to name a few.

But no place of worship dedicated to St. Anthony anywhere, is more popular with believers than the little waterfront shrine at Kochchikade, a suburban enclave close to the capital.

It is not the grandest of churches and is not as architecturally imposing as some of its counterparts. Nor is it located in a fashionable residential area. On the contrary it is situated in one of the poorest and roughest neighbourhoods north of the city. Nonetheless it attracts more devotees than all the other churches consecrated in the names of canonized paragons.

Common man’s shrine

Kochchikade is cheek by jowl with the harbour and the shrine backs directly into the wharf. It is in a relatively skid-row part of town where stevedores, roustabouts and beggars abound. But it is vibrant, colourful, jam-packed and full of life. Quite aptly one of its side roads is aptly named Jampettah Street.

On any Tuesday of the year, you observe thousands of faithful from all parts of the island seeking the intercession of their patron saint for divine favours. Devotees of different faiths converge on the shrine for some need or another, or to fulfill promises made, to thank him for answering their prayers and show their love and reverence.

People’s Church

It is with certainty the ‘People’s Church’, from which on Tuesdays, when a Novena is held, crowds spill out onto the street. Many non-Catholics also bring their prayers of petition here, so much so that the statues of Our Lady and St. Anthony have metal barriers for several metres in front of them to make sure people keep orderly queues.

The feast itself is celebrated by the parishioners and residents in the surrounding streets with all the engaging enthusiasm and fervour befitting such an occasion. It becomes a week of indulgences both spiritual and temporal as the various organisations under the parish take on their jobs with a joyful zeal. The ceremonies are remarkable for their pageantry as a host of religious in colourful vestments celebrate the rites.

Besides. it is more than just a parochial affair. It is attended by extended family members from several neighbouring parishes and some from far-flung outposts of the island joining in to make the celebrations an unqualified success. There is a festive air about Kochchikade not only on the feast day proper but on the three days preceding it. The run up to the feast arouses in everyone a sense of expectancy in anticipation of the big event.

Open house

The community with their distinctive emblem of warmth and hospitality, which has become their trade-mark, traditionally keep open house to welcome everyone on arrival at what has become the increasingly popular shrine. Clearly discernible are the happy, smiling faces and the demonstrative sense of togetherness reminiscent of a large family reunion. An aura of gaiety pervades the air while the surrounding streets are spruced up with gaily coloured electric jets and bunting.

Saint of Miracles

For days residents of all religions contribute to the success of the festivities with their splendid decorative abilities amid a lot of delightful light-hearted banter. The candlelight procession along the impressively decorated route, with its piece de resistance the imposing chariot carrying the serene statue of the Saint of Miracles through the packed streets is both an aesthetically and spiritually inspiring sight. Indeed, it is a work of art, a labour of love executed by artistic volunteers.

In all, right up to the feast day, one observes a merry mix of personalities making a joyous din of praise and worship. It is a rapturous acclaim with such a touch of joy and reverence that could only come from a bunch of happy and contented people who pay the highest tribute to the Saint for all seasons and a Saint for all reasons.

Weekly Devotions:

Understanding some aspects of love

Sunitha SAHAYAM

Love is a strange thing . Many of us understand it as an emotion, whilst I agree that it is an emotion, it has many facets to it:- The way we love our spouse is different to the way we love our mum and dad- we have a different type of love towards our brothers and sisters compared to our friends.

We are able to love all these people at one and the same time, although our spouses get jealous or possessive some times when one shows affection to others, this is because the word ‘Love’ has been totally misunderstood by the world.

Somehow, we tend to think when it comes to our spouses that they should only love us alone, but if weunderstand that they are capable of loving many people at the same time with the different types of love mentioned above, and by no means does that affect or reduce their love for you, then you won’t mind if your spouse loves his/her mum and dad as it is a different type of love , and you will not mind your spouse having a friendship with the opposite sex, provided you understand that your relationship is special and the love you receive is very special quite a different type of love that is being given to this friend, and he/she is quite capable of managing both these types of friendship, in fact all types of friendships, giving out different types of love.

Read 1 Cor. 13:-4-8’Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy , it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil butrejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophesies , they will cease; where there are tongues they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ‘Yes, divine love never fails.(Spiritual gifts will cease but not divine love, it lasts even after death unto eternity) What we read above is the description of True Love.

This is a description of divine love, and we humans cannot love anyone this way as we are not perfect and have limitations.

However, we can use these verse as a thermometer to check our love for others - and see when and where we are going wrong1 Cor. 13: 1-3:-If I speak in tongues of men and angels , but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy , and can fathom all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but if I have not love , I am nothing. If I give all that I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

These verses reveal how important love is- so much so that, “If I give everything I have to the poor and even Sacrificed my body, I could boast about it. But if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever. Most people think to be loved is important and when you are not loved your whole life is affected, but what they do not realize is that it is more important to give it out than to receive it.

Love can be received or one can be loved by actually taking the first step of loving others. Love therefore becomes something unselfish, the moment self is dominant in ‘Love’ it loses its flavour.No one can deny that love in one’s life is important but the way you go about receiving it is what is so misunderstood. Love can be received only by giving it out, thus it is an unselfish act -if you are going to constantly weigh its value as to what advantage it has for you - you can be sure that is not love. It is a cheap imitation that has no depth, and no sooner it meets with inconveniences, it will dwindle away. Christ is the best example. He is love personified.

He displays love in every action and He did not hesitate to give love to the point of being hurt to death.1 Cor. 13: 4-7,(quoted above) shows us what true love is.

When one reads this scripture, one wonders if we are capable of showing love at all? The only way to do this is to ask God to help us- selfish as we are, we cannot truly love but with God’s help one can attempt to do it. Jesus commanded that we love one another and therefore He is always there to help us to love people as we ought to and not be afraid to love.Let us really spend time meditating on this subject as the Bible tells us how important it is to “Love”.1 Cor. 13: 13, - There are three things that will endure, they are :- faith, hope and love. But the Greatest of these is LOVE .

Love and marriage

Camillus FERNANDO

Marriage is a simple term meaning the legal union of man with a woman. Love on the other hand, is a complex emotion, which, like poetry, can be felt but not defined – love is the qualifier.

As a result, marriage loses its simplicity in the combination love – marriage. Just what love has to do with marriage is the subject of a library of books and the staple of periodicals. Love and marriage separately or in combination, concern everyone.

The lion is the king of beasts, but he is scarcely suitable for a domestic pet. In the same way, I suspect love is rather too violent a passion to make, in all cases, a good domestic sentiment. Marriage is a subjective function. Marriage is a step so grave and decisive that it attracts light-headed variable men by its very awfulness it is a field of battle and not a bed of roses.

Marriage is a mixed blessing at times and at the other times a curse or merely a nuisance. The probable reason is that democracy and love are products of a long and complicated series of comprises between the desires of the heart and the expectations of reason. They have a peculiar way of crumbling in to ashes soon as one tries too hard to organize them too well.

Love as a sentiment was glorified and sanctified by marriage due to Freud’s philosophy. Love as a sublime communication of souls and bodies was not a legend nor the mere fancy of poets. Love could be made to work like anything else if you remove the few obstructions. Alfred Tennyson wrote that “Love blinds all men alike, both the reasonable and the foolish. It’s better to have loved than and lost than to have never loved at all”. W.B. Yeats observed that “A pity beyond all telling is in the heart of love”. The Great Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy remarked “All, everything I understand, I understand only because of love”.

Looking at this theme in a Christian perspective, I wish to state, that it is elevated to the rank of a sacrament known as matrimony which unites a man and a woman in a holy and indissoluble bond (Matt.19:5-6) – (Mark 10: 7-9) – (Wph 5: 22-32). Psychologists have long known that every person has two great longings and inward needs.

The first is to be loved and the second is to love. The tragedy is that we often look in the wrong places to fill this deep, deep need and longing. But when pressures and heartaches come in to our lives, many give up hope of ever finding love. Some substitute lust for love. Others pursue material things or superficial relationships – all in the futile attempt to fill a God-shaped vacuum in the human heart. Sadly it is our sinful nature that separates us from God and fulfilling our deepest needs and longings.

But there is good news! There is a love worth sharing. The Bible says “ God has shown how much he loves us, in that while we were het sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8). Here on the cross of Christ, God’s mighty love was revealed and offered unconditionally to all who would be saved. Do you long to know this mighty love? Then I need to ask the most important question you will ever be asked: Do you know beyond a shadow of doubt that God loves you, that your sins are forgiven and that you are saved and on your way to heaven?

To know the greatest love worth finding- Christian writer Adrian Roger stated in his book “Love worth finding suggests four ways – 1), Admit your sins, 2). Abandon your efforts, 3). Acknowledge Christ’s payment and 4). Accept Christ as your saviour”. Rev. Fr. Leopold Rathnasekera wrote “life also is a precious value constructed with conjugal love, marriage and family.

There seems to be today great threats to the sanctity of family life where this perennial sanctuary of love and life is being put out of focus and violated in its sublime dignity. Gay marriages and legal unions appeared that disputes completely the noble ideas of marriage”. Maybe because of this fact that Francis Bacon remarked that “ It is impossible to love and be wise’. Though John Dryden wrote “for heaven be thanked we live in such an age when no man dies for love, but on stage’, jesus Christ laid down his life to execute the

Plan of salvation envisaged by his eternal Father.”greater love no man has than to lay down his life for his friend”. “His mission was to be its saviour and the supreme evidence of the Father’s love for it”, wrote Alfred Graham – ‘The Love of God’.

Bishop Fulton Sheen in his book “Life is worth living’ observe that ‘love involves responsibility”. Professor Anton Meemana outlines “Love increases our appetite for life. It enhances zest for life. It purifies our intentions. Love encourages us to go beyond ourselves and commit more and more for others”. He is of the opinion that humanity and love are intimately interlinked and interdependent thus, echoing the words of the ‘Little Flower’ St. Theresa “You will meet God in the valley of humility”. Aidous Huxley comments ‘The ideal man is non attached man, non attached to his bodily sensations and lusts. Christ echoed in his sermon on the mount, “Blessed are the clean of heart – they shall see God’.

Psychologists discussing crucial traits of lasting love lists the following:1. For often love is blind 2. Physical appearance 3. Emotional maturity 4. Lifestyle choices 5. Financial compatibility 6. Value structure. James C Dobson’s advice should be taken seriously. ‘Don’t marry the person you think you can live with. Marry only the individual you think you can’t live without’.