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 Anthony
is known as a man of God, a preacher of the divine word, theologian
and, even more, as the saint of miracles. But, he is also
a mystical doctor. Nothing can equal the knowledge of
that theology better than the reading of Saint Anthony's texts.
The
experience of Anthony as a mystic calls attention to
a man who matured spiritually through his vital relationship
with God through Christ. The mystical experience of the
saint from Padua is the experience of a believer in Christ,
for whom the reference to Christ is absolutely and radically
normative.Anthony tends to be another Christ, not materially,
as if referring to a model or inert codex, but in the creativity
of his spirit. Christ's life story is his life story.
And yet, there is a peculiarity in the historical existence
of Jesus and in his own. Brother Anthony allows his life
to be determined by the life of Christ, first and more importantly
than by his teachings.
For
this reason, the saint from Padua does not just remind us of
Christ, but - for the presence of the Spirit - he is a "memory"
and a somehow unprecedented "memorial" of Him.
Text
by Antonio Giuseppe Nocilli, adapted by Father Paolo Floretta
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