Per Antonium ad Jesum [Through Anthony to Jesus] are the memorable words of Pope Pius XI which he spoke in 1930 at the celebration of the seven hundredth anniversary of the death of Saint Anthony. This is the task and mission of the Saint.

He remains even today a great master of the spiritual life, a vivid example of virtue and holiness, and a powerful intercessor before God. While Sacred Scripture and the Tradition of the Church teach us that the only mediator between us and God is Jesus Christ, God has given us the saints for our comfort. They are our brothers and sisters who tried to imitate Christ perfectly by living a life of faith and charity, and devoting themselves to God and neighbor. United with Christ in heaven, they are models of imitation and intercessors.

It is for this reason that the Second Vatican Council teaches that the Church proclaims the Paschal Mystery achieved in the saints who have suffered and been glorified with Christ; she proposes them to the faithful as examples drawing all to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she pleads for God’s favor [Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 104]. That which is true of all the saints holds in a special way for Saint Anthony. During his short lifetime he gained renown through his personal holiness, knowledge of the Scripture and preaching of the Gospel. While many of the miracles ascribed to him during his life are unauthenticated, Saint Anthony has obtained many favors for people and has been a great consolation to those in need. After the Second Vatican Council, confusion arose regarding devotion to Saint Anthony. The over-emphasis on him as a miracle worker and finder of lost things clouded the true nature of devotion to the saint.

To a great extent prayers in his honor lacked a solid scriptural and liturgical foundation. We found ourselves in a dilemma: how do we recapture the true meaning and value of Saint Anthony without damaging the piety and devotion of all the people who find great consolation in him as they struggle in our troubled times? The Council mandated that the deeper theological realities which were being expressed in the traditions surrounding devotion to the saints be rediscovered. Some of the customs and symbols which have been associated with Saint Anthony have obscured the true import of him and what we hope to celebrate and imitate in him. Some of these are: his early “quiet life” as a friar, the lily, the Child Jesus, the bread, the Gospel Book and his recognition as the finder of lost things.

Each of these were ways in which different ages expressed some of the more fundamental beliefs of the Christian life. The “quiet life” of Saint Anthony speaks of the need in all of us to recognize the importance of simplicity in our lives and the need for silence and prayer. The lily is the symbol of the way we should lead our life with God: holy and blameless in his sight. The Child Jesus associated with Saint Anthony symbolizes the great devotion that he had for the Incarnation and the profound effect such a devotion can have on our lives.

There is a certain devotion known as “St. Anthony’s Bread.” The bread was not meant to be a pious practice in itself, but a “sacrament” of our concern for the poor and our desire to share our gifts from God with them. The Gospel Book reminds us of the law of love which was written in the heart of Saint Anthony, a law which should be also written in our hearts.

Saint Anthony’s life and preaching were so informed by the Gospel that he was declared by the Church “The Evangelical Doctor.” His reputation as a finder of lost things is a reminder that evil and misfortune, which are the result of the power of sin, have no sway over us, for we have been redeemed by Christ.

This prayer book was prepared in the name of Saint Anthony. Its aim is to help the faithful to pray well, to live their faith more intensely, and to become better witnesses of it in the world.