Heroes or Saints?

Fr. Livio Tonello, director

We know the meaning of limitations: every day we live spiritual, physical, intellectual and relational limitations... but there are those who manage to rise above mediocrity to the point of carrying out gestures and actions that leave their mark. Those who plunge into a dangerous current to save a drowning person or run into a fire to save someone or who donate a kidney...These people are considered to be heroes because of their generous gestures of great human value which put their lives at risk.

Nowadays we could really do with a lot of heroes! Going beyond the fantasy that distracts us from reality, we can look at earthly figures who have the ability to change situations. For the Christian tradition they are the saints. They are the heroes of faith, the champions of charity, the defenders of good. Our Association dedicates the month of June to Saint Anthony, we have been honouring him for more than 135 years in the pages of our magazine. According to the popular tradition he is called “the Saint of miracles”.

We underline his extraordinary power to do miracles for those who invoke him but we remember him because he was a giant of the faith as witness to Christ. His heroism in the face of the tyrant Ezzelino, the sensitivity towards the poor and the little ones, the defence of the truth against lies, the stubbornness in denouncing usury, immoderate wealth, illegality... these are heroic actions. He was a hero of his time and his weapons were a great faith, great charity and a great love for life.

He was proclaimed saint because he offered mankind the gifts he received from the Holy Spirit. Holiness is the heroism of faith in the face of doubts and fear; it is the heroism of charity before selfishness; it is the heroism of indignation before violence and wars. Each Christian can become a hero by living according to the Gospel in daily life. We know how difficult it is nowadays to be faithful, honest and trustworthy; we do not need superheroes but “next door saints”. Once again Saint Anthony is a Master of holiness because he gave us an evangelic prophecy, facing the problems of his time with courage and realism. Nowadays poverty, violence and oppression still exist. But there are also many witnesses of Christian heroism. They were saints in daily life, saints for ever.