St. Anthony Preaches to the Fish:

St. Anthony: Hear the word of God you Fishes of the Sea

"Blessed be the Eternal God!" Anthony Cried out. "His Fish Honour Him More than His People who Refuse to Listen to His Word!"

Seeing this, St. Anthony, by divine inspiration, went down to the shore where the river runs into the sea. From the bank between the river and the sea, he started to preach to the fish in the name of God, and said:

The fish come to listen to the preaching of St. Anthony
"Listen to the word of God, O ye fishes of the sea and of the river, seeing that the faithless heretics refuse to do so." 

No sooner had he spoken these words than suddenly so great a multitude of fish, both great and small, approached the bank on which he stood, that never before had so many been seen either in that sea or that river. All kept their heads out of the water and attentively gazed at the face of St. Anthony. All were arranged in perfect order and most peacefully, the smaller ones in front near the bank, after them came those a little bigger, and last of all, where the water was deeper, the largest. 

When they had placed themselves in this order, St. Anthony began to preach to them most solemnly, saying:

“My brother fishes, you are greatly obliged, as much as in your power, to return thanks to your Creator Who has given you so noble an element for your dwelling; for you have at your choice both sweet water and salt water. He gave you many places of refuge from the storms; He gave you yet more the pure and transparent water and the food for you to live. When God, your bountiful and kind Creator, made you, He gave you as a command to increase and multiply, and He gave you His blessing. In the universal Deluge, all the other creatures perished, and you alone were preserved from all harm. He gave you fins to enable you to go where you will. 


“To you it was granted, by God’s command, to conserve the life of the Prophet Jonah, and then after three days, to throw him back, safe and sound, on dry land. It was you that gave the tribute-coin to Our Lord Jesus Christ when, because of his poverty, he had not wherewith to pay it. Finally, by a singular mystery, you served as nourishment of the eternal King Jesus Christ, before and after His Resurrection. 

“Because of all these things, you are bound to glorify and bless the Lord who has given you blessings, so many and so much greater than the other creatures.”

Hearing these words and teachings of St. Anthony, the fish opened their mouths and bowed their heads, and with these and other signs of reverence they glorified God as much as was in their power. Then, St. Anthony, seeing the great reverence of the fish towards God their Creator, rejoiced greatly in spirit, and said in loud voice:

“Blessed be the eternal God, for the fishes of the sea glorify Him more than the men without faith, and the animals without reason listen to His word with greater attention than the sinful heretics.”

As St. Anthony continued to preach, the multitude of fish increased, and not one left the place it occupied. 

http://netofthefisherman.blogspot.in/2012/06/priest-and-doctor-of-church-saint.html



 

ST. ANTHONY'S EYES - BURNING WITH THE FIRE OF LOVE.

http://jesusbloggerforu.blogspot.in/2014/06/st.html

Messenger Of St. Anthony

St. Anthony's Tongue ‘Hammer of the Heretics’

http://jesusbloggerforu.blogspot.in/

 

How Saint Anthony Brought Fire to the World

Short Story - St. Anthony and the Devil.

From that time on, there was fire in every hearth, and people sit around merrily telling stories on winter nights. Saint Anthony took his pig and returned to his simple life in the desert. 

click below for the Full Story.

http://www.h-net.org/~nilas/seasons/stanthony.html