The miracles of St. Anthony the Saint of the poor : the mule

St. Anthony of Padua was a Portuguese Franciscan friar of the thirteenth century. Born with the name of Fernando Martins de Bulhões, the saint lived for a long time in Italy, where he preached and taught theology.

It is considered the patron saint of the poor, of the oppressed, of animals, of sailors and of women in labor. His liturgical memory is celebrated on 13 June.

The miracle of the mule

Among the many miracles attributed to this saint, that of the mula. Legend has it that during a debate between St. Anthony and a heretic concerning the faith and the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist this decided to challenge him and demonstrate with a miracle, the presence of Jesus in that host.

The man's plan was to leave his mule in the room without food for a few days to starve her. Then take it to the square, in front of the people and place it in front of a pile of fodder while the Saint had to hold the sacred wafer in his hand. If the mule had ignored the food and had kneeling before the wafer, he would be converted.

So I arrive on the scheduled day. The mule was particularly agitated. St. Anthony then approached her and I speak gently, showing her the consecrated wafer. The mule then yes calm suddenly and yes he knelt before the saint, as if to ask his forgiveness for his impetuous behavior.

This miracle was considered by the inhabitants of the city to be an extraordinary and unforgettable event. In a short time, the news of the miracle spread to the nearby villages and towns, becoming a real phenomenon popular cult. Whenever Saint Anthony went to a city to give a sermon, people brought him their mule to receive his blessing.

This saint managed to turn an apparently negative event into a moment of greatness spirituality, demonstrating his amazing ability to communicate with animals