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"It pleases me that you teach sacred theology to the brothers, as long as—in the words of the Rule—you 'do not extinguish the Spirit of prayer and devotion' with study of this kind."
—Francis of Assisi
Antony's mentor, Francis of Assisi, had a deep suspicion of scholarship, but he quickly recognized that his new disciple had a brilliant mind and that it would be a shame to waste such a talent.
"Brother Francis wishes health to Brother Antony, my bishop," he wrote. "It pleases me that you teach sacred theology to the brothers, as long as—in the words of the Rule—you 'do not extinguish the Spirit of prayer and devotion' with study of this kind."
With this blessing, Antony went on to a life of teaching and to preaching, becoming the most popular and effective preacher of his day.
Born in Lisbon, Portugal, and baptized Fernando, he joined an Augustinian monastery at age 15.
In about 1220, some relics arrived in town: the bodies of Franciscan friars martyred in Morocco, whom Antony had known by name. Antony was electrified by the prospect of dying for Christ himself, and he hurried to the Franciscan friary in town.
"If I may go to Morocco and imitate these brothers," he pleaded, "I will gladly join you."
He was released from his Augustinian order and took the name Antony when he joined the Franciscans. Within months, he was sailing for Morocco to join the martyrs in glorious death. However, he became deathly ill with malaria en route and was forced to return to Europe. On the trip home, a violent storm arose, and Antony's ship was blown all the way to Sicily, just in time to join another group of Franciscan friars heading to Assisi to hear Francis speak.
For the next year, Antony lived a simple life of quiet prayer and work at a Franciscan hermitage. He cleaned, gardened, set tables, washed dishes. In 1222 he attended an ordination ...