It encloses the precious pearl

fr. Luciano Bertazzo

Among the animals mentioned by Saint Anthony in his Sermons, I have so far presented those of great size or at least easily identifiable. You may be surprised if this time I talk about crustaceans or, more specifically, the shell: that hard part composed of inorganic substances extracted from seawater, which serves to protect the soft part contained in it. In short, a living being that protects itself from assaults in the struggle of life.

Anthony also speaks about shells: as always, his knowledge comes from Pliny’s Natural History, his manual, reread to obtain a moral and evangelical teaching. He wrote: “There is a sense in the shells, they fear that their offspring will be stained. […] The pearl is soft in water; the just man’s mind is softened in the water of pleasure; but hardened by the wine of austerity.

The delinquent mind is corrected by an austere face. […] You never find two pearls the same in one shell, because there is no ‘yes and no’ in the mind of a just man, no two opinions”(cf. 2 Cor 1:17–19).

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