Speaks in ‘Tongues’
And there is a reason he is known as the “Hammer of the Heretics.”
His ability to preach and convert heretics is legendary.
He was a friend and close confidant of the greatest Saint of the 2nd Millennium.
He battled corruption, whether in or outside the Church.
And he was given the great gift of visitations by Jesus as the Holy Child.
He is, of course, St. Anthony of Padua.
And one of his greatest gifts that the Lord bestowed upon him was the true gift of “speaking in tongues.”
What does this mean?
Did St. Anthony babel like an idiot and go into a trance-induced ecstasy when he spoke in “tongues”?
No!
St. Anthony of Padua spoke to the people of his time in their languages — and he spoke most fervently on two essential topics: the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the importance of loving and honoring Mary.
In fact, at his death, the last words St. Anthony spoke was to sing a hymn to the Blessed Virgin!
And when speaking on the Truth of the Eucharist or the rights of the Blessed Virgin,
St. Anthony became known as the “Hammer of the Heretics”!
St. Anthony wrote: “The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks in different languages. These different languages are different ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, patience, and obedience; we speak these languages when we reveal our virtues to others. Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty actions.”
There may be those who read this and say, “So what. This doesn’t prove anything.
St. Anthony lived in the 13th Century. Since we cannot review his sermons as he spoke them or observe his behavior, how can anyone prove that what you claim in this article is indeed ‘The Proof of Who Speaks in Tongues’ ”?
That is a valid point.
So we will not defend what some may claim is nothing more than our opinion.
As we have stated so often, we do not run this web site based on our opinions but on the simple fact that “What is Truth” can be discerned from the irrefutable scientifically verified knowledge that the Shroud of Turin is the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. And, in that Light, that Jesus IS God, and, as such, then the lives of the Saints, dogmas of the Church, and the one true Bible, the Latin Vulgate, can totally complete the true picture for us.
For God does not make mistakes nor has He relinquished control of those things He holds dear to Himself as a “jealous” God and the King of Kings! Therefore, Jesus has one Church, not many; one Bible, not many, and He has given us living examples from the lives of His Saints, of which there are many.
How has Jesus confirmed to us today in the 3rd Millennium that St. Anthony of Padua is proof of one who spoke in “tongues”?
In 1263, when the Basilica (Palace of the King) was completed in Padua, the remains of Anthony were dug up to be re-entombed in the new Church.
St. Bonaventura, whose name “Good Fortune” stems from St. Francis — the greatest Saint of the 2nd Millennium — healing him as a young child, presided over the transfer of St. Anthony’s relics.
It was then that an amazing discovery was made.
Anthony of Padua, who had died 32 years ago, had not completely deteriorated.
His tongue — famous for preaching about Jesus in the Eucharist and Mary as the Mediatrix of God — was found incorruptible!
We have been blessed to have seen this relic with our own eyes as it still remains intact in St. Anthony’s Basilica in Padua, Italy for all to view.
For the “skeptics” — for which no proof is never enough — the relics of St. Anthony were scientifically tested in 1981.
What was discovered was that St. Anthony’s tongue, jaw and larynx — all the essential elements that provide the ability for humans to speak — were incorruptible! That means that for more than 700 years — seven centuries — that which should have completely disintegrated has been supernaturally preserved!
And why?
This web site has not spoken on what the gift of “speaking in tongues” is.
The Lord Jesus has spoken.
And if those who claim they are “speaking in tongues” cannot be understood by those around them, then they are nothing more than usurpers and not of the Holy Spirit! For St. Anthony’s listeners not only understood him, but converted to the true faith as a result of his Spirit-filled speaking in tongues.
Finally, there is one final test for those who claim this ability and then babel like idiots: when they speak in “tongues,” do they speak of the Truth of the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the rights of Mary as His Queen and our Mediatrix?
For if they do not, they are liars and blasphemers.
© 2003 Agnus Dei Presents!
the incorruptible tongue
of St. Anthony in the
Basilica of Padua.
