In a 2010 audience, Pope Benedict XVI said that Saint Anthony of Padua offered important insights on prayer, saying that prayer needs silence – not so much a lack of noise, but an inner silence where distractions and worries are put aside.
Pope Benedict also said that Saint Anthony offered four “indispensable” steps to perfecting the art of prayer. First, “opening one’s heart to God’s presence,” the Pope said, adding that the second is to “have an affectionate dialogue with God.” The third step is to tell God what’s on your mind, and the fourth is to praise and thank God.
Saint Anthony urged people to seek “true wealth – that of the heart” and bring Christ’s love and mercy to the world, Pope Benedict said.
He is one of the great saints of the Catholic Church, and one of the beloved--even far beyond Catholics themselves. Untold numbers of people turn to him, still, when there is loss. And strangely--at least strangely in the usual ways of the world--those things often quickly turn up. And often they turn up in the most unexpected--even seemingly miraculous ways. Let the stories begin.
