Volume II, Issue 3

1502–1539 2008

D ear Friends of Anthony Alive,

Greetings in the Risen Lord!

It is my immense delight to welcome you to the third issue of An-
thony Alive. It is hard to believe that it has already been one year
since its first publication. I and the staff of Anthony Alive hope and
pray that this biannual publication on the spirituality of St. Anthony This Issue
March 2008
Mary Zaccaria has been in some way helpful to you in your spiritual
growth. INTRODUCTION
by Fr. Robert B. Kosek, CRSP

You are probably aware by now that St. Anthony’s spirituality is very
much rooted in St. Paul - the Apostle of the Gentiles. For him, St.
Paul was his teacher par excellence, which he nota bene and passed on
to his spiritual “children and offspring of Paul” —Barnabites, Angel-
ics, and Laity. As he once told them in his sixth letter: “On the founda-
tion of Paul, you are going to build not structures made of hay or wood but
of gold and precious stones....”. Thus, one may assert that to live by the
Zaccarian charism unmistakably means to live as a Pauline disciple.
To support this argument, let us look at some of St. Anthony Mary’s
“pauline” thoughts under the following guiding principles:
(cont.)
Easter Wishes
We are witnesses of all that Jesus
did (Act 10:36). In our continuous
efforts to bring others to Christ,
may we be faithful witnesses to all
that Christ does through His Death
and Resurrection.
On this most joyful occasion of our
Lord’s Resurrection, may you be
filled with His Peace and Love.
Have a Blessed Easter!
ST. ANTHONY’S DOCTRINE
• The Famous Sayings on Penance
REFLECTIONS & MEDITATIONS
• Pauline Year: A Gift to the Church
by His Holiness Benedict XVI
• On St. Anthony Zaccaria
by His Holiness Benedict XVI
• In the Footsteps of St. Paul…
by Fr. Giovanni Scalese, CRSP
• The Paulism of St. Anthony…
by Fr. Mike M. Mancusi,CRSP
• Spiritual Writings
by Angelica PaolaAntonia
OUTSTANDING BARNABITES
St. Francis Xavier Bianchi
• The Apostle of Naples…
by Fr. Felix M. Sala, CRSP
• The Ascetical Writings of…
Anthony’s Angels
• Choices
by E. Gambino & T. Marlin
Sponsors

From the Barnabite Fathers and

the Staff of Anthony Alive
 Introduction
St. Anthony’s Doctrine
•Observance of the Lord’s commandments: “…let
us first strive to keep God’s commandments, and then we
will reach the liberty of the spirit” (Sermon 1).
•Gradual growth in Christian fervor: “…spiritual life
demands that you never turn back or stop going forward;
but rather that, as soon as you taste it, you make progress
day by day and, forgetting what lies behind, strain forward
to what lies ahead” (Sermon 2).
•Acquisition of the “light” and “fire” needed to set
out decisively on the journey of reformation: “…I
hope to grow in Jesus’ love; and the good Lord crucified
will give me back the spiritual light and fervor [lit., fire],
which used to keep me spiritually alive” (Letter 12).
•Desire for total perfection: “It has always been my
desire to see you grow steadily in perfection” (Letter 10);
“…I know the summit of perfection Jesus Crucified wants
you to reach; the abundant graces He wishes to give you;
the fruits He wants to gather in you; and the peak of holi-
ness to which He wants to lead you” (Letter 11).
•Seeking God’s pure honor: “The true aim of reform
can be recognized in this, namely, if they seek the pure
honor of Christ, the pure service of neighbor, and pure
self-contempt, which rejoices in being despised” (Consti-
tutions 16); “Let your intention, then, be rightly aimed
at the pure glory of God; let it be good so that we care for
our neighbor’s welfare, and also steadfast in self-abase-
ment” (Constitutions 18).
•Passionately embracing a theology of the cross:
“And so from all this progress of yours may I conclude
that you have received the teacher of justice, of holiness,
and of perfection: the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. He, of
course, will not let you go wrong; rather He will teach
you everything. He will not let you lose heart, but will
always remain with you. He will not leave you in need,
but will provide you with everything. He will grant you,
in particular, a continuous spirit of self-abandonment on
the ignominious cross, and lead you to a life conformed
to Christ’s according to the pattern of the great saints.
Consequently, you will be able to say with your Father,
‘be imitators of us as we are of Christ’ (1 Cor 4:16; 11:
1)” (Letter 5); “It is enough and, I would say, more
than enough, that we follow the way of the cross, accord-
ing to which it is sufficient to know whether it is a virtue
or a fault to do something or to omit it” (Letter 4).
Clearly, the Zaccarian spirituality possesses time-
less qualities. “As in early times, Christ today needs
apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs
witnesses and martyrs like St Paul. Paul, a former
violent persecutor of Christians, when he fell to the
ground dazzled by the divine light on the road to
Damascus, did not hesitate to change sides to the
Crucified One and followed him without a second
thought. He lived and worked for Christ, for him
he suffered and died. How timely his example is
today!” (Benedict XVI, 28 June 2007)
From June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009 Pope
Benedict XVI has dedicated a special Jubilee Year to
the Apostle Paul, on the occasion of the bimillen-
nium of his birth. Therefore, I am pleased to dedi-
cate the 2008 issues to the Pauline spirituality of St.
Anthony M. Zaccaria.
Within the present issue there are two scholarly-writ-
ten articles on the Pauline spirituality of St. Anthony
Mary Zaccaria. Namely the articles by Fr. Giovanni
M. Scalese, CRSP entitled, “In the Footsteps of
Paul the Apostle: The ‘Paulism’ of St. Anthony M.
Zaccaria,” and “The Paulism of Saint Anthony Mary
Zaccaria” by Fr. Mike M. Mancusi, CRSP.
I hope that you will find the present issue of
Anthony Alive meaningful and enjoyable.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert B. Kosek, CRSP
Easter Sunday,
March 23, 2008 Bethelehem, PA, USA
2
St. Anthony’s Doctrine The Famous Sayings on Penance

…P enance
The Famous Sayings on…
Translated by Father Frank Papa, CRSP

1 There are two kinds of penance, interior and ex-

terior. The first is necessary for all sinners; the sec-
ond, for some is useful, for others is pernicious.
2 Penance is an agreement made with God to for-
sake evil and do good. In the same manner, before
penance, one has abandoned what was good to do
evil.
3 In the soul which judges and condemns itself
without despairing, penance is a continuous re-
fusal of any corporal consolation and mental de-
lights.
4 Penance means to abstain from sin; thus he who
does not care to give up every defect, but tenacious-
ly lives by it, is not a perfect penitent.
5 Penance is measured more by the proportion of
true humility than by the diversity and greatness of
corporal afflictions.
6 Penance is the voluntary endurance of pain, af-
fliction, insult, and all kinds of evil.
7 A true penitent has an unquenchable thirst and
hunger for justice, derision, and all kinds of suffer-
ing.
8 A penitent is one who judges and condemns
himself from the heart. He regards himself unwor-
thy of pardon while he begs justice with mercy,
and so his merit is being forgiven by God.
9 If you want to obtain pardon as soon as possible,
ask God with heartfelt humility, not so much for
justice but for mercy.
10 True penance excludes self-love; having no re-
gard of itself, true penance ends in the pure love of
God. False penance instead is caused by pain and
or fear of death.
11 Penance always finds new ways to punish itself,
to restrain gluttony and concupiscence, and thus it
Image by R. Kosek

always keeps the soul upright.

3
 St. Anthony’s Doctrine
12 Just as those who are physi-
cally ill but of sound mind do
not seek compassion from the
doctor but a remedy to hasten
their cure, a true penitent, in an
effort to be healed again, pro-
vokes God’s meekness towards
himself for healing.
13 A true penitent is not satis-
fied with just being reconciled
with God; he seeks to grow more
perfectly in virtue so that he
might be pleasing to God.
14 A true penitent who is aware
of having used illicit things ab-
stains himself even from the licit
ones.
15 Do not believe in such a bad
thought that says: this is a little
defect or that sin is of little im-
portance, because Christ died for
each of the sin we commit.
16 A sin which is not cancelled
by penance, immediately, as a
consequence, draws another
sin. Indeed old sin needs greater
attention and a persevering pen-
ance.
17 Christ’s penance, and that of
Mary is different from ours, as
light is different from darkness.
18 A penitent immediately rises
from a fall caused by his igno-
rance or frailty.
19 A penitent drags himself too
long when he falls out of his
own malice and negligence, even
though what he did may not be
too grave.
20 Do not be distressed by use-
less misery. If you often fall out
of your ignorance or frailty, do
not despair but stand up, re-
member that the just does fall
seven times a day and rises up.
21 The reliance of the one who
says, I will do this sin and then I
will repent, is not in penance.
22 The true penance which is
acceptable to God and fruitful
for men is the mortification of
the will and of one’s passions.
23 Interior penance, which in
spiritual realm is truly difficult,
is more fruitful than exterior
penance.
The first cover page of The Famous Sayings of St.
Anthony, Venice 1583
24 He who bears the lack of
interior consolation from God
with a tranquil spirit already
practices true penance.
25 Sometimes an overwhelm-
ing lack of tenderness will be
forced upon the one who uses
exterior penance without discre-
tion.
26 Just as he who gives him-
self to feeble things cannot be
spiritually subtle or refined, so
an indiscreet penitent cannot
sometimes avoid from falling
into serious defects.
27 Just as distractions, frequent
disorderly movements, and ob-
The Famous Sayings on Penance
scurity of the mind accompany
immoderation, so integrity of
the mind and purity of chastity
accompany moderate fasting of
the penitent.
28 A penance which comes
from God and which is ac-
cepted willingly, even if it may
be something insignificant, is
more pleasing to God, and more
useful to man than any virtuous
thing done.
29 He who considers exterior
penance as his ultimate aim is
similar to one who makes no
difference between the end and
the means, or between an inn
and a home.Fasting, vigils, and
other corporal disciplines are
good when the body is afflicted
only to the point that it is not
impaired from performing nec-
essary activities.
30 Just as a sound body may
lead us to sin, so a moderately
afflicted one may lead us back
to truth. Just as we fall from the
joys of Heaven through gluttony,
so through abstinence shall we
return to them.
31 Some can endure a fast for
two or three days, while others
the daily meal is not substantial
for them; nevertheless, without a
sense of guilt we have to adapt to
the age, physique, and habit of
an individual. It is important to
take care of nature. It would be
imprudent not to do so.
Penance
4
 Reflections and Meditations “Pauline Year”: A Gift to the Church

“Pauline Year”: A Gift to the Church

Y
by His Holiness Benedict XVI

our Eminences, I address with these sentiments Metropolitan Em-

Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the manuel and Metropolitan Gennadios, sent by my
Priesthood, Dear Brothers and Sisters, beloved Brother Bartholomew I, to whom I express
a grateful and cordial thought.

At this First Vespers of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter This Basilica, which has hosted profoundly sig-
and Paul, let us com- nificant ecumenical
memorate with gratitude events, reminds us how
these two Apostles whose In the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the- important it is to pray
blood with that of so Walls on Thursday, 28 June 2007, His together to implore the
many other Gospel wit- gift of unity, that unity
nesses made the Church Holiness Benedict XVI, during the cel- for which St. Peter and
of Rome fruitful. ebration of first vespers of the solemni- St. Paul spent their lives,
to the point of making
On their memorial, I ty of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the supreme sacrifice of
am glad to greet you all, announced officially a special Jubilee their blood.
dear brothers and sisters,
starting with the Cardinal Year to the Apostle Paul from 28 June A very ancient tradition
Archpriest and the other 2008 to 29 June 2009, on the occasion which dates back to ap-
Cardinals and Bishops ostolic times claims that
present, Father Abbot of the bimillennium birth of St. Paul. their last meeting before
and the Benedictine their martyrdom actually
Community to which this Basilica is entrusted, the took place not far from here: the two are supposed
clerics, the women and men religious and lay faith- to have embraced and blessed each other. And on
ful gathered here. the main portal of this Basilica they are depicted
together, with scenes of both martyrdoms.
I address a special greeting to the Delegation of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which Thus, from the outset, Christian tradition has con-
is reciprocating the presence of the Holy See’s Del- sidered Peter and Paul to have been inseparable,
egation in Istanbul for the Feast of St. Andrew. even if each had a different mission to accom-
plish.
As I had an opportunity to say a few days ago,
these meetings and initiatives are not merely an Peter professed his faith in Christ first; Paul ob-
exchange of courtesies between Churches but are tained as a gift the ability to deepen its riches. Peter
intended to express the common commitment to founded the first community of Christians who
do everything possible to hasten the time of full came from the Chosen People; Paul became the
communion between the Christian East and West. Apostle to the Gentiles. With different charisms

5
 Reflections and Meditations
they worked for one and the same cause: the build-
ing of Christ’s Church.
In the Office of Readings, the liturgy offers us for
meditation this well-known text of St. Augustine:
“One day is assigned for the celebration of the
martyrdom of the two Apostles. But those two
were one. Although their martyrdom occurred on
different days, they were one. Peter went first, Paul
followed. We celebrate this feast day which is made
sacred for us by the blood of these Apostles” (Ser-
mon 295, 7, 8).
And St. Leo the Great comments: “About their mer-
its and virtues, which surpass all power of speech,
we must not make distinctions, because they were
equal in their election, alike in their toils, undi-
vided in their death” (In natali apostol., 69, 7).
In Rome, since the earliest centuries, the bond that
unites Peter and Paul in their mission has acquired
a very specific significance. Like Romulus and Re-
mus, the two mythical brothers who are said to
have given birth to the City, so Peter and Paul were
held to be the founders of the Church of Rome.
Speaking to the City on this topic, St. Leo the
Great said: “These are your holy Fathers and true
shepherds, who gave you claims to be numbered
among the heavenly kingdoms, and built you un-
der much better and happier auspices than they, by
whose zeal the first foundations of your walls were
laid” (Sermon 82, 7).
However humanly different they may have been
from each other and despite the tensions that ex-
isted in their relationship, Peter and Paul appear
as the founders of a new City, the expression of
a new and authentic way of being brothers which
was made possible by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
For this reason, it can be said that the Church of
Rome is celebrating her birthday today, since it was
these two Apostles who laid her foundations.
“Pauline Year”: A Gift to the Church
Furthermore, Rome in our day perceives with great-
er awareness both her mission and her greatness.
St. John Chrysostom wrote: “Not so bright is the
heaven, when the sun sends forth his rays, as is the
City of Rome, sending out these two lights (Peter
and Paul) into all parts of the world... Therefore, I
admire the City... for these pillars of the Church”
(Homily on St Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, 32, 24).
We will commemorate St. Peter specifically tomor-
row, celebrating the Divine Sacrifice in the Vatican
Basilica, built on the site of his martyrdom. This
evening we turn our gaze to St. Paul, whose rel-
ics are preserved with deep veneration in this Ba-
silica.
At the beginning of the Letter to the Romans, as we
have just heard, St. Paul greeted the community
of Rome, introducing himself as “a servant of Jesus
Christ, called to be an apostle” (1: 1). He uses the
term “servant”, in Greek, doulos, to indicate a re-
lationship of total and unconditional belonging to
the Lord Jesus; moreover, it is a translation of the
Hebrew, ‘ebed, thus alluding to the great servants
whom God chose and called for an important and
specific mission.
Paul knew he was “called to be an apostle”, that is,
that he had not presented himself as a candidate,
nor was his a human appointment, but solely by a
divine call and election.
The Apostle to the Gentiles repeats several times
in his Letters that his whole life is a fruit of God’s
freely given and merciful grace (cf. I Cor 15: 9-10;
II Cor 4: 1; Gal 1: 15). He was chosen to proclaim
“the Gospel of God” (Rom 1: 1), to disseminate
the announcement of divine Grace which in Christ
reconciles man with God, himself and others.
From his Letters, we know that Paul was far from
being a good speaker; on the contrary, he shared
with Moses and Jeremiah a lack of oratory skill.
“His bodily presence is weak, and his speech of
6
 Reflections and Meditations
no account” (II Cor 10: 10), his adversaries
said of him.
The extraordinary apostolic results that he was able
to achieve cannot, therefore, be attributed to bril-
liant rhetoric or refined apologetic and missionary
strategies.
The success of his apostolate depended above all
on his personal involvement in proclaiming the
Gospel with total dedication to Christ; a dedica-
tion that feared neither risk, difficulty nor persecu-
tion.
“Neither death, nor life”, he wrote to the Romans,
“nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God in Christ
Jesus our Lord” (8: 38-39).
From this we can draw a particularly important
lesson for every Christian. The Church’s action is
credible and effective only to the extent to which
those who belong to her are prepared to pay in
person for their fidelity to Christ in every circum-
stance. When this readiness is lacking, the crucial
argument of truth on which the Church herself
depends is also absent.
Dear brothers and sisters, as in early times, today
too Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice them-
selves. He needs witnesses and martyrs like St.
Paul. Paul, a former violent persecutor of Chris-
tians, when he fell to the ground dazzled by the
divine light on the road to Damascus, did not hesi-
tate to change sides to the Crucified One and fol-
lowed him without second thoughts. He lived and
worked for Christ, for him he suffered and died.
How timely his example is today!
And for this very reason I am pleased to announce
officially that we shall be dedicating a special Ju-
bilee Year to the Apostle Paul from 28 June 2008
to 29 June 2009, on the occasion of the bimillen-
“Pauline Year”: A Gift to the Church
nium of his birth, which historians have
placed between the years 7 and 10 A.D.
It will be possible to celebrate this “Pauline Year”
in a privileged way in Rome where the sarcophagus
which, by the unanimous opinion of experts and
an undisputed tradition, preserves the remains of
the Apostle Paul, has been preserved beneath the
Papal Altar of this Basilica for 20 centuries.
It will thus be possible to have a series of liturgi-
cal, cultural and ecumenical events taking place at
the Papal Basilica and at the adjacent Benedictine
Abbey, as well as various pastoral and social initia-
tives, all inspired by Pauline spirituality.
In addition, special attention will be given to peni-
tential pilgrimages that will be organized to the
Apostle’s tomb to find in it spiritual benefit. Study
conventions and special publications on Pauline
texts will also be promoted in order to make ever
more widely known the immense wealth of the
teaching they contain, a true patrimony of human-
ity redeemed by Christ.
Furthermore, in every part of the world, similar
initiatives will be implemented in the dioceses,
shrines and places of worship, by Religious and by
the educational institutions and social-assistance
centres which are named after St. Paul or inspired
by him and his teaching.
Lastly, there is one particular aspect to which spe-
cial attention must be paid during the celebration
of the various moments of the 2,000th Pauline
anniversary: I am referring to the ecumenical di-
mension. The Apostle to the Gentiles, who was
especially committed to taking the Good News to
all peoples, left no stones unturned for unity and
harmony among all Christians.
May he deign to guide and protect us in this bimil-
lenial celebration, helping us to progress in the
humble and sincere search for the full unity of all
the members of Christ’s Mystical Body. Amen.
7
 Reflections and Meditations On St. Anthony Zaccaria

On St. Anthony Zaccaria

T
by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

he image of this saint [Anthony Mary

Zaccaria] is dear to me because he is one of the great In His Own Words By…
figures of Catholic reform in the 1500’s, engaged as
he was in the renewal of Christian life in an era of
profound crisis in the area of faith and customs.
His life coincides with a turbulent period in which
Luther, in his own way, attempted to reform the
Church, an attempt that, as we well know, ended in
the tragic division of Christianity. In dealing with
the problems of his personal life and of his times,
Luther had disco ered the person of St. Paul, and
with the intention of following the apostle’s mes-
sage, began his journey. Unfortunately, he placed
St. Paul in contrast to the hierarchical Church,
the law against the Gospel, and in doing so, even
though he rediscovered him, he detached the saint
from the totality of the Church, from the message
of the Sacred Scripture. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
also discovered St. Paul; he wanted to follow his
evangelical dynamism and he saw him in the total-
ity of the divine message, in the community of the
Holy Church. It seems to me that St. Anthony Mary
Zaccaria is a saint of great current relevance, an ec-
umenical and missionary figure, who invites us to
display and to live the Pauline message within the
Church itself. He shows our sep rated brethren that
St. Paul has his true place in the Catholic Church,
and it is not necessary to place his message in con-
trast with the hierarchical Church. Rather, there ex-
ists in the Catholic Church plenty of space for evan-
gelical freedom, for missionary dynamism and for
the joy of the Gospels. The Catholic Church is not
only a Church of law, but it must also concretely
prove itself as the Church of the Gospel and of its
joy to open the way to unity. Saint Anthony Mary
Zaccaria, born exactly five centuries ago, deserves to
be rediscovered in his moral greatness and for his
appeal to the fundamental values of Christianity

8
 Reflections
Refl ectionsand
andMeditations
Meditations On St. Anthony Zaccaria

and to the perennial lesson of evangelical radical-

ism. His entire brief existence—first as a young
layperson, doctor and catechist, and then as priest
and religious—is dominated by what the liturgy
of July 5 calls “the over eminent science of Jesus
Christ,” and is animated by the “folly of the cross,”
as acquired at the school of the “learned Paul,” his
model and mentor. In this light shines his extraord
nary devotion to the two fundamental mysteries
of our faith, the Crucific and the Eucharist, which
he considered with genial intuition to be “the liv-
ing Crucifi x.” It’s not always easy to draw near to
the image and the life of a saint—only God has
the key to enter into the secret of a soul dedicated
to Him. It is even more diffi cult when that man
lived in a distant era, among the most complex
and troubled in the history of the Church. (...) [St.
Anthony Mary Zaccaria] was an authentic man of
God and of the Church, a man burning with zeal,
a demanding forger of consciences, a true leader
able to convert and lead others to good. [His ac-
tion has been] described as the action of a “bonus
miles Christi” (A Good Soldier of Christ) even in
persecutions, which, however, did not prevent him
from anticipating the times and preparing for the
great event that was the Council of Trent. Anthony
Mary Zaccaria’s life was a constant struggle against
the vice of spiritual “lukewarmness” and medioc-
rity that so “reigned” among his contemporaries.
In his Letters and Sermons, and not the least in his
Constitutions, there resonates an incessant call to
sainthood.

Rome, October 11, 2001

9
 Reflections and Meditations
In the Footsteps of St. Paul:
The “Paulism” of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria
T
By Fr. Giovanni M. Scalese, CRSP Translated by Fr. Frank M. Papa, CRSP
his theme can be considered a classical one:
there is no convention on St. Anthony M. Zaccaria
there
where there is not a contribution on the “Paulism”
of the Saint. It started in 1933 with Cardinal Eu-
gene Pacelli who, at the conclusion of the celebra-
tion for the 400th anniversary of the foundation of
the Congregation, gave the keynote speech in St.
Charles on The Apostolate of Anthony Mary Zaccaria
on the footsteps the Apostles of the Gentiles. The same
year, a special issue of the magazine, The Messager
de St. Paul, published the article by Fr. Achilles Des-
buquoit on La parenté d’âme entre Paul et Zaccaria.
During the 1950s, the student Giuseppe Motta
made a research, entitled Cor Antonii, cor Pauli,
under the guidance of Fr. Giuseppe Cagni. This
was published at first in Rivivere, and then in the
Eco dei Barnabiti, in two parts. The second part was
published on the celebration of the19th centen-
nial anniversary of St. Paul’s arrival in Rome. Next
came Fr. Antonio Gentili with an article on this
subject in his book I Barnabiti. Finally, Fr. Andrew
Bonini tried to tackle the same subject during the
week of spirituality in La Mendola, on the occa-
sion of the 450th anniversary of the death of the
Holy Founder. We also have, as a vital reference, Fr.
Franco Ghilardotti’s thesis, TheBarnabite Paulism:
ethical-religious aspects or The Lombard Evangelism
of the 1500’s, which, unfortunately, was never pub-
lished, but was presented in the 1961 Eco dei Barn-
abiti special issue.
What could we add, since the sources available
have already been widely explored? Fr. Mauro Es-
pen, at the end of his recent thesis on the Zaccar-
ian Sermons, draws the following conclusion: “The
Paulism” which is usually attributed to Zaccaria,
and which presents as its foundation a large refer-
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
ence to the corpus paulinum, should be confirmed
with a biblical-theological analysis which would
be a necessary preamble to establish the limits
determining the Pauline character of St. Anthony
Mary’s spirituality.” This is a task left to further
studies. For now, I have limited myself to take and
put in order whatever has already been published,
and see if we could give it a new or more profound
interpretation.
The study is divided into four parts: in the first
part, we shall consider the presence of St. Paul in
the life of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria; in the second,
we will investigate this presence in the writings of
our Founder; in the third, we shall try to answer the
question from where did Zaccaria draw his paulism;
in the fourth, we shall ask which “Paul” was the
reference point for Anthony Mary. We shall con-
clude with some relevant reflections.
Introduction: Most Faithful Follower
of His Paul
I believe that in the history of hagiography, Zaccaria
is the only saint, or at least the first, who makes
reference to another saint who has preceded him.
He did this in a wide-reaching manner, almost
identifying Paul. A series of observations will con-
firm this impression. It is a fact that the spiritual
family founded by him is the first to be entitled
to a saint. Prior to him, all religious orders were
without a specific title, except for those dedicated
to the Mother of God. It is the first time that with
Zaccaria some religious, men and women, and lay
people are called children of Paul. It became a very
common practice as shown in the latest Pontifical
Yearbook, where about forty institutes of men are
entitled to a saint, four of them to St. Paul, and six
10
Reflections and Meditations St. Anthony and the Forty Hours

St. Paul caught up to the third heaven

Giacinto Calandrucci

11
 Reflections and Meditations
to St. Joseph. Women institutes number about two
hundred, of which four are to St. Paul, and fifty to
St. Joseph.
Another noteworthy fact can be seen in the Roman
liturgy where, I believe, Zaccaria is the only saint in
whose prayer the name of another saint appears,
namely Paul. This means that the Church consid-
ers this as a unique case of identification among
saints, which is very difficult to trace elsewhere.
Another observation is about iconography. Many
times our Saint, especially in the oldest paintings,
is represented together with St. Paul. In the collec-
tion by Fr. Boffito, I could count about fifteen of
them. This, too, is a unique more than a rare case.
I take the last observation from the first lines of Fr.
Motta’s work. It is an impression we cannot avoid:
from Paul III to Pius XI, and to Pius XII, the pontif-
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
ical documents which deal with the Holy Founder
keep underlining the intimate relationship which
bound the Apostle of the Gentiles with the Apostle
of Lombardy during the pre-Trent period.
Perhaps the oldest Pauline title attributed to
Zaccaria is found in an inscription reported by
Giuseppe Bresciani which, to the end of the 700’s,
must have been on a plaque or on a column in
Cremona. Pauli sui fidelissimus sectator (Most faith-
ful follower of his Paul). That unique relationship
between Anthony Mary and the Apostle is under-
lined in a three-tiered way in this expression. First
of all, it says that Zaccaria was a “follower” of Paul.
This idea has been picked up in the present title
“on the footsteps of Paul.” An attribute has been
added to this qualification. Since the simple faith-
ful did not seem enough, the superlative most has
12
 Reflections and Meditations
been used. But what is the most beautiful element
in this expression is the word his added to the
name Paul, as if the Apostle Paul belonged in a
special way to our Founder.
I. St. Paul in the Life of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria
To be able to reconstruct the Pauline personality
of our Founder we must address the witnesses:
eyewitnesses (de visu), who had a personal knowl-
edge of Zaccaria, and those by ear (de auditu), who
collected· the testimonies by the eyewitnesses.
1. The Witnesses
We can start with the synthetic assertion by the
Anonymous Angelic: “He was careful to be con-
sidered a fool by the world, since he was a true
imitator of Christ Crucified and of St. Paul, toward
whom he had great devotion” (Barnabite Docu-
ments, 44).
But the most authoritative source, especially in the
well-documented study by Fr. Giuseppe Cagni, for
sure is the Attestations by Fr. Battista Soresina. Let us
listen to this fresh eyewitness testimony, “He was a
great devotee and imitator of St. Paul, the Apostle.
He constantly had his Letters in his hands, experi-
encing great delight in reading them. He used to
read them as if he were singing them. In writing his
letters he used a style similar to the one of St. Paul.
His sermons were based and shaped with the doc-
trine and sayings of the same Apostle. This is why
before his death, as he himself said to Fr. Soresina
while lying sick in bed, St. Paul appeared to him
and invited him if he wished to go with him, and
Father answered that he was willing, and so he died
of that illness. He wanted to write about St. Paul,
but his many occupations and untimely death did
not allow him to do so” (Ibid, 68).
This, obviously, is the principal source used by all
our ancient historians, first of all Bascapè, “He used
to take the fieriest sayings from Paul… When, as an
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
exhortation, he used to write letters to his confreres
or others, these seemed to have a certain Pauline
efficacy. He gave great attention to the reading of
St. Paul’s epistles. He found great pleasure in them,
to the point that the confreres would hear him as
if singing the words of Paul, such was his enthusi-
asm” (De spiritualibus, 7-8).
Gabuzio is not different, although with a more
elaborated style and rich of quotations “In his ser-
mons to the people, where he seemed to be flood-
ed with ideas, he was so ardent and effective that
he seemed to lead the souls wherever he wished,
giving rise to extraordinary fruits of piety. Indeed,
he did not preach about himself, but Christ (2 Cor
4:5), not with persuasive discourses of wisdom, or
with sublime words, but with a language taught by
the Spirit (I Cor 2:1,4, 13). He would draw sen-
tences, rich with divine wisdom, especially from
the epistles of St. Paul. In fact, he had a most ex-
traordinary interest in these epistles, and he found
great delight in them. And so it happened that in
writing letters to his confreres or to others, to ex-
hort them, which he did often, he seemed to have
some kind of apostolic spirit” (Historia, 78-79).
The testimony given by Chiesa is also very beauti-
ful: “In his sermons he had handy the most beau-
tiful and important sentences of St. Paul, whose
epistles were for him a continuous lesson, and he
pronounced their words with a certain energy and
voice modulation, giving, in his mind, the effect
which he thought the Apostle had in writing them”
(Depositio, 77).
Secco stays close to the historians who preceded
him, “The way of life of this angelic man was the
following: pay great attention to the epistles of
the divine Paul, and find an extraordinary delight
in them, so that because of his enthusiasm his
companions used to hear him sing those words of
Paul” (Synopsis, 162). Previously, Secco had said,
13
 Reflections and Meditations
“Having chosen the divine Apostle Paul, not only
as patron and guide, but also as model, not only
had he started to make recourse to his paternal
protection and his friendly help, but he also tried
to secure from him inspiration for virtue, examples
of honesty, the same words most useful to incite
the souls” (Ibid, 21).
Tornielli gives us information about the preaching
by Zaccaria, “On feast days, Father Anthony Mary
would give a lesson on the epistles of St. Paul to
the many laypeople who used to come to listen to
him” (De Principii, 6-7). An example of the Pauline
preaching by our Founder is found in his speech of
October 4, 1534, reported by Gabuzio and then by
Secco. It is practically a commentary to a Pauline
text (I Cor 4:10), made through a series of Scripture
quotations, especially from Paul, with references
to the living reality. A kind of Lectio Divina on St.
Paul.
2. Later Contribution
The most recent historical research has ascertained
that the Pauline devotion of Zaccaria is ancient,
before the foundation of the Barnabites and of the
Angelics. Bugati discovered a document drawn by
the notary Giuseppe Fellini on September 5, 1543,
where there is a reference to the last will made by
Zaccaria in 1531, where Anthony Mary had estab-
lished for the altar built by his family in the church
of St. Donato. It was to be dedicated to the Conver-
sion of St. Paul, adding to it a benefit with annual
revenue of 75 Imperial lire, and the obligation to
celebrate a Mass every Holiday of Obligation and
on the feast day of St. Donato and the Conversion
of St. Paul. Its first chaplain was the Rev. Gaffuri,
who will be followed by one chosen by his cousin
Bernard or by the oldest of his descendants or the
oldest of the Zaccarians.
3. The ‘Vision of St. Paul’ Before His Death
We find St. Paul also at the end of our Founder’s
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
life. Soresina has told us that, before dying, the
Apostle appeared to him, inviting him to go with
him, and the Father answered: “Willingly!” The
Anonymous Angelic is a simpler form. It reports
that “He got very sick. The glorious father and pro-
tector St. Paul appeared to him and warned him
about the pending death. He received the news
with great joy and exultation, and shared it with
his spiritual children” (Barnabite Documents, 45).
Gabuzio, with his characteristic style, gives us a
lengthier description. First of all, he tells us that
the Saint predicted his death in the octave of the
Apostles Peter and Paul. Then he describes the last
moments of life of Anthony Mary: “He recounted
to have had at that time, many hard and troubled
fights with the enemy of the human race, but that
he had overcome them with God’s help. During
his sleep, by Divine enlightenment, he had en-
visioned what would happen to the whole Con-
gregation, and that St. Paul appeared to him in a
vision, imploring God not to take him from this
life yet, so that he could be of greater benefit to the
same Congregation; but that he had to die, prayed
the other Apostles to go to heaven with them”
(Historia, 72).
The Milanese lawyer Giuseppe Vaillati perceives in
this apparition an indication of Zaccaria’s holiness,
“Let me observe again that, as a proof of Zaccaria’s
holiness, since in his life he had chosen as special
protector the Apostle Paul, and as a subject of his
instructions, homilies, etc., the same Apostle, he
had the consolation to have the Apostle appear to
him at the moment of his death, as reported by
the majority of the writers who have talked about
Zaccaria. This is why I deduce that, taking the fact
as true, it matches so well with Zaccaria’s whole
life, to appear that the fact in itself would be a most
evident witness confirming his holiness. It would
be, anyway, inconceivable for the Apostle to wish
to appear to the dying and seal with the apparition
14
 Reflections and Meditations
the rapport of all the ideas which
could be given about the history
of the Servant of God’s life and
virtues” (Depositio, 198). We can,
then, consider this apparition as
the seal with which the Apostle
Paul wanted to sanction a life
spent totally at his footsteps and
in imitation of his virtues.
4. Although Dead, He Still Speaks
Heb 11:4
(Heb 11:4)
Even after his death, Zaccaria
keeps speaking about Paul.
Still Gabuzio reports a gracious
episode which happened to Fr.
Soresina, “One day, after the
death of Anthony Mary, Fr. Sore-
sina, overcome by laziness, or
tired from work, postponed the
confession of a sick person. The
following night, before falling
asleep, he clearly heard Zaccar-
ia’s voice: ‘Sir Battista, my good
brother, where is the love taught
to us by our Paul? Why did you
neglect that soul?’ Having said
this, he disappeared leaving him
astonished and, confused by the
shame of the neglected duty, it
made him more diligent for the
future” (Historia, 76).
5. Similarity of Character
The authors have pointed out
many similarities of character
between St. Paul and Zaccaria.
G. Motta noted, “Both ener-
getic and vibrant souls have the
same love for God and for souls,
aroused by the bloody reality of
the Crucified Christ, who en-
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
lightens and directs the action
of them both. They have the
same tendency for action as to
an irresistible need to expand, to
the austerity of life as a control
which, while saving them from
illusions, would make possible
in them the radiation of the
spirit; to the same constancy in
pain, and to the same humility
in the successes, which explains
the grandeur of their vast apos-
tolic activity” (Cor Antonii, cor
Pauli, Eco, 1959, 39).
Fr. Bonini, on his part, lingers
over some aspects of the Apos-
tle’s personality, which played a
particular attraction on Anthony
Mary, “Zaccaria found in Paul
some consonance also in the
character. He must have been
fascinated by the Apostle’s quali-
ties of decisiveness and resolute-
ness, the opposition to any form
of compromise, the fight to luke-
warmness, the laying out of his
life without reserve, the mixture
of tenderness and intransigence
towards his own, to have de-
cided once and for all for Christ.
And he saw these qualities real-
ized in the marriage between
sleepless activity and interior
life in Christ, between theology
and mysticism, between action
and prayer” (Alla Scuola di San
Paolo, 71).
II. St. Paul in the Writings of St.
Anthony M. Zaccaria
I have already treated this subject
15
 Reflections and Meditations In the Footsteps of St. Paul

in the “Handbook for the Spirit,” published in 1994.
As I make reference to that study, I will enlarge the
subject, taking into consideration the contribu-
tions of other authors.
1. Preamble
In his writings, Zaccaria defines himself as “priest
of Paul the Apostle” (Letter VII); he calls the Angel-
ics “Daughters of Paul the Apostle” (Lt 5), and the
Barnabites “little children of Paul the Apostle” (Let-
ter VII), “little children of Paul the Saint” (Letter X),
“little children and stock of Paul” (Letter VII).
father,” “saint father” (Letter VII); “chaste Paul,”
“learned Paul” (Letter IX); “true friend of God”
(Sermon III); “our most holy leader and patron,
most wise doctor of the Gentiles, leader and fa-
ther” (Sermon VII); “Apostle” par excellence (Pas-
sim). We have to note that the title divine, which
will cause so many suspicions for the Barnabites
and the Angelics, and which was used also in refer-
ence to living individuals, is characteristic of Paul.
The Oriental tradition ordinarily attributes it to
him, calling him “divine apostle.”

Paul is the foundation for the apostolate of Zac- 3. Pauline Quotations

caria’s children, “You will build, on the foundation
of Paul, structures neither of hay nor of wood, but
of gold and of precious stones” (Letter VI). Paul is
their ideal of life: “Not to busy themselves in deny-
ing their will ... it would pull them completely out
of the desire and life of Paul” (Letter IX).
2. Pauline Titles
He attributes to Paul the following titles: “divine
Paul,” “father” (Letter V); “divine father,” “sweet
Letter V
a) Number of the Quotations
Up until now, according to the Concordance pub-
lished by Fr. Giuseppe Cagni in 1960, we could
count about ninety Pauline quotations. Now, we
have available the thorough study by Fr. John
Rizzi, which counts over 834 Pauline references
(corpus paulinum + Acts), over 1,371 references to
the New Testament, and 1,717 over all references
to Holy Scripture. This is how he has classified this
material:

CORPUS New Testament BIBLE PAULINUM

• quotations from the Latin Bible 35 61 82
• quotations in Italian translation 14 37 72
• paraphrases of the Biblical text 63 133 204
• more evident references to the biblical text 162 297 424
• more concealed references to the biblical text 328 492 565
• possible scriptural parallels 232 351 450

16
 Reflections and Meditations
The first impression coming from this data is the
net predominance of Pauline references, over the
other books of Holy Scripture. With reason, then,
Fr. Rizzi can affirm, “The Zaccarian language is first
of all Pauline and then evangelical.”
For my part, out of curiosity, I have gone over the
Pauline quotations in the Zaccarian writing, leav-
ing aside those which, rather than true quotations,
appear to be have a similarity and, therefore, the
reference to the Apostle could be rather subjective,
we can affirm that the Pauline passages (including
the letter to the Hebrews) reported by Zaccaria in
his writings (excluding the Sermon VII) are a total
of 293 in the Letters, 26 in the Sermons, and none in
the Constitutions (surprising, considering their par-
ticular literary genre). These quotations are clearly
recognizable because usua1ly they are introduced
by the expression “Paul says” or such 8 are from
the Latin text; 11 are in the Italian translation (usu-
ally very liberal, especially in paraphrases); 7 the
conflatae quotations, where the Latin text, the Ital-
ian translation, and some personal addition are
mixed together.
b) The Way of Quoting
In his research, Fr. Motta had made the observation,
“The quotation from St. Paul with which especially
the Sermons are crammed, are by far from being ex-
act: at least a word must be changed; perhaps, just
one, but there must always be a divergence from
the canonical text. This shows that this was all ma-
terial he had assimilated, and so he was quoting by
heart. Moreover, in the original text of the Sermons,
the Pauline quotations are never reported in full;
but, after one or two words, a quick ‘etc.’ ... implies
the rest, which supports what was said before that
he used to quote by heart, since the familiarity
with the sacred text was making the book useless”.
In his most recent study, Fr. Rizzi has confirmed
these findings. The 59 quotations are given mostly
by heart with the beginning or few words from
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
the original text, followed by a meaningful ‘etc.’ In
many cases there is the mingling of two or more
biblical texts, with substantial transformations in
some cases, and most of the time with style and
context adaptations. This is why the quotations as
such from the Latin Scripture text can be reduced
to very few.
c) Source of the Quotations
The question has been raised more than once,
which Latin version of the Bible was the Founder
using? Fr. Rizzi has observed that in the Zaccarian
writings the quotations come from the Vulgata and
from the Vetus Latina. Most likely, Anthony Mary
did not have a single complete text of the Bible.
From what we have read in the various ancient re-
ports we can deduce with certainty that he had at
his disposal a collection of the Epistles of St. Paul,
probably in the Vulgata text. Keeping in mind what
has been said by Fr. Motta and Fr. Rizzi, it seems
that both for the Corpus Paulinum and the other
books of the Bible, the principal direct source of
biblical quotations for Anthony Mary was rather
his memory, recalling passages read in various
biblical texts or in the works of the Fathers and
Doctors of the Church used for his formation, and
which he continued to consult.
d) Purpose of the Quotations
As we said, usually the Pauline quotations are in-
troduced by the expression, “Paul said” or the like.
This expression, besides being an introduction,
gives to the quoted passage a certain solemnity,
underlining the fact that Paul is the master who
teaches. Fr. G. Motta had already pointed this out,
“(Paul) is the ‘master’ par excellence, whose au-
thoritative word is always side by side with the one
of the highest master, Jesus.” Equally valid is the
other observation: “The apodictic proofs, reported
always after the other scriptural proofs, are always
obtained from Paul.” In The Handbook for the Spir-
it, I have pinpointed how Paul is a master not only
17
 Reflections and Meditations
with his teaching, but also with his example. One
quotation is enough, “Paul never wanted to tell an
untruth, although he could have gained the whole
world, and gained for Christ” (Sermon II).
4. Pauline Doctrine
Zaccaria takes from St. Paul not only some sen-
tences, but most of the doctrine contained in his
writings. Here we cannot exhaust the subject, also
because this field still has to be explored. We will
just give some indications which will demonstrate
how Paul is the source of our Holy Founder’s
thought. Fr. Ghilardotti, following the content
of his thesis, gives the following summary of the
“Gospel Interpreted by Paul,” and announced by An-
thony Mary:
• Jesus Christ, Incarnate Word;
• the symbolism of the two men;
• the Pauline metanoia or renewal;
• the theory of God’s two books;
• man referee of his own destiny;
• contrast between the Old and the New Testament;
• social sense of charitas and its dynamism.
Let us add other elements, always of Pauline
origin, or somehow traced back to the Apostle,
Zaccaria derives from Paul the theology of the cross,
the characteristic of his spirituality. For sure it is
the Pauline doctrine of the need for charity devel-
oped in Sermon IV IV, and of the mediation of man
and of the creatures generally treated in Sermons
I and VI, also in Sermon IV. Deduced from Paul
is the doctrine of the “Middle Way,” based on the
recurring quotation of 2 Cor 6:7-8 “wielding the
weapons of righteousness with right hand and left,
whether honored or dishonored, spoken of well
or ill” (cf. Sermon V, VI, VII). Even the distinction
between the precepts and the counsels goes back
to St. Paul. Utilized to remove lukewarmness, one
starts with the observance of the precepts to pass
then, almost insensibly, to follow the counsels (cf.
Sermon VI). Even the distinction of the ‘four kinds
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
of prayer’ has a Pauline origin (cf. Constitutions X).
The terminology of the ‘gain’ so widespread in the
Zaccarian writings is also of Pauline origin. And we
could keep going. A question to ascertain is if these
doctrines are taken directly from St. Paul or are
they instead filtered through intermediate authors.
We shall return to this.
5. Reference to St. Paul’s Life
In the Zaccarian writing we find many references
not only to the letters of St. Paul, but also to his
life. I have found at least six. It would be enough
here to remember how Letter IX is drafted on the
presentation of Paul to the apostles by Barnabas
(cf. Acts 9:26-27). That shows how the Holy
Founder was familiar not only with the writings,
but also with the life of the Apostle. This confirms
that Paul is a master not only with his teaching,
but also with his example.
6. Comments to the Letters of St. Paul
As we have seen, the historians note that the
preaching by Zaccaria was basically Pauline. He
drew ideas and words themselves mostly from the
Apostle. We have noted that the speech of October
4, 1534, is nothing more but a lectio on a Pauline
text. The first part of Sermon IV is nothing more but
a commentary, albeit well-done, to the hymn of
love by St. Paul.
7. Familiarity with the Apostle
The relationship between Zaccaria and Paul, as it
emerges from the writings, is an extremely famil-
iar one. Sometimes Anthony Mary addresses the
Apostle with the greatest of confidence, “Oh, Paul,
if your chains are so good, why do you want Festus
to be a Christian without them?” (Sermon VI). Also
a text, which up until now has always been referred
to Fra Battista, I think instead to be addressed to
the Apostle, “O sweet Father, you have sweat and
you have been sorrowful, and we shall receive the
fruits; yours has been the cross, and ours shall be
18
 Reflections and Meditations
abundant rest; that is, carrying and eating crosses
continuously, we shall deliver your fruits as well as
ours” (Letter VII).
The familiarity between Zaccaria and Paul is also
expressed in the, sometimes quite daring, compari-
sons he makes between his experience and the one
of the Apostle. Think, for example, at the beginning
of Letter V. Anthony Mary even expresses the desire
to cause the envy of Paul for his daughters, the An-
gelics; or the beautiful dialogue we find in Letter
X, “You, Dionisius, and you, Timothy and Titus,
how were you acting with your Paul? You were not
acting like this, but you, always aware of his pres-
ence, had deep love for your Father in your hearts,
and you had no other intention but to please him.
Alas, it is not the same with me!” (Letter X). The
same vital relationship existing between Paul and
Zaccaria, must exist between the Apostle and the
children of Anthony Mary. “Tell them, then, that
this Paul preaches to them a Christ crucified in ev-
ery way: crucified not only in himself but in them
too” (Letter IX).
8. Affinity in the Epistolary Style
We have already mentioned how Soresina and,
following his example, the ancient historians have
noted even an affinity in the epistolary style. To the
point, Fr. Premoli affirms, “The letters of St. An-
thony Mary testify, on their own, the study he used
to make of the Pauline epistles. In the greetings
then, used to close, we can almost reread St. Paul”
(Cinquecento…, 52). In the introduction to the
Sermons of the Bologna edition, Fr. Vittorio Mi-
chelini adds, “If the love of children would not be
an impediment, we could say that what happened
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
to St. Paul’s style of life and apostolate happened
to Anthony Mary’s style. Both master and disciple
are far away from any literary purpose. The writ-
ings reveal an impromptu approach for the occa-
sion, using the little free time available to jot down
notes, write some letters, as the impelling spirit
dictates, and so, at times, the thought becomes
disorderly and obscure” (Writings, 64).
Even Fr. Bonini faces the question, “In the letters
of the Founder even the tone conforms with the
one of the letters of Paul, from the initial greeting
to the development of the theme, to the exhorta-
tive moment, to the final greetings. It is evident in
the two Saints the drive which urges them to write,
that is, the exclusive desire ‘to gain in themselves
and the neighbors,’ either they write to individu-
als, or to the community. And the assimilation of
Paul’s spirit by Anthony Mary has been such that,
although with a style which is his own, made of
expressive urgency and familiar vocabulary, it is
possible to catch echoes and reflections of Pauline
expressions, if not a translation of Paul’s phrase.”
III. The Origins of the Zaccarian Paulism
A question raised by the authors, and which we
cannot avoid, is the following: where did Zaccaria
acquire his paulism? Fr. Ghilardotti is resolute in
his answer, “At this point of our study we are able
to say by now from where Zaccaria attained this
Pauline imprint: from the Evangelism.” Fr. Bonini
shows more caution: “It would be exciting to know
which ones were the external impulses which ori-
ented Zaccaria toward the study and the love of
St. Paul; but according to our present knowledge,
ours could be nothing else but pious desires.” But,
19
Reflections and Meditations
after this general statement, he
follows with the indication of a
precise research track, “Although
we do not know the modalities,
he must have received a strong
impulse from Fra Battista Cari-
oni, the Dominican with a lead-
ing role in the spiritual life of the
first three decades of the Lom-
bard Sixteen Century, spiritual
director and inspirer of so many
Zaccarian initiatives. The experts
on the Dominican, indeed, are
in agreement in affirming that
among the sacred books he has a
very clear preference for St. Paul,
as the one whose thought is bet-
ter in line with his character and
ideals: spiritual battle, unrelent-
ing fight against lukewarmness.”
On another occasion, I have
warned about presenting
Zaccaria as “a man of the Renais-
sance.” I have expressed some
reservation about the traditional
key used in the reading of our
Founder, which interprets it in
the light of Christian Human-
ism, of Evangelism, and of De-
votio Moderna. On that occasion,
I suggested to interpret Anthony
Mary in the light of the patristic-
scholastic tradition in which he
had been formed, and of which
he was heavily imbued.
Now I would like to propose
a hypothesis, which will have
to be carefully examined to re-
spond to the present question.
I do not believe that Zaccaria’s
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
interest and love for St. Paul
derived from his contacts with
the North Europe clubs, contacts
which, need to be documented. I
rather think that it derived from
a “Pauline mainstream” which
has always been present in the
Christian spirituality. Condi-
tioned as we are by the histori-
ography of the Reformation, we
have a tendency to think that
Paul, after Augustine had been
forgotten and that Luther was
needed to rediscover him. We
have never worried for clarity
how, inside the tradition, the
Apostle Paul had continued to
be well-present, especially with
some authors.
Very appropriately Fr. Bonini
and, before him, Fr. Colciago
have emphasized Fra Battista’s
unquestioned influence over
Anthony Mary. Now, it was
not by chance that Carioni had
this Pauline vein: it is part of
the Dominican tradition. It is
enough to think of the attesta-
tion over St. Dominic found in
the Libellus de principiis Ordinis
Praedicatorum, “He constantly
carried with himself the Gospel
of St. Matthew and the letters of
St. Paul, and meditated at length
over these last ones to the point
that he knew them by heart.”
But, besides the Dominican
school of which Zaccaria was
an alumnus, I think we can go
behind to reach that patristic,
20
 Reflections and Meditations In the Footsteps of St. Paul

or better yet, monastic tradition which the Founder Holy Spirit has said something through the mouth
had gradually absorbed during his formation. He of St. Paul uselessly or without reason.” In the XVII
constantly drew sustenance from this for his spiri- Collatio, we read the beautiful page describing what
tual life. Not to make any up in the air affirmations, today we would call St. Paul’s diplomatic behavior;
it would be opportune to make reference to the not to mention the second to the last Collatio, the
sources. In the precious Attestations by Fr. Soresina, XXIII, which is totally Pauline from top to bottom.
right after the passage reported above, on the Zac- It is not a surprise to find so many Pauline refer-
caria’s devotion toward the Apostle, it says, “Besides ences in Cassian, because, although a follower of
the doctrine of St. Paul, he put great emphasis on Origin and Evagrio Pontico, he was also a disciple
the Collationes and treatises by John Cassian. Hence, of St. John Chrysostom. It is well-known that the
in his own conferences he utilized Cassian’s writ- great Bishop of Constantinople was a great admirer
ings and had his listeners read passages from them of the Apostle Paul. So, when Cassian came out of
which he commented on, so that everyone derived Egypt in 399, where he had been in contact with
wonderful profit from this kind of exercise” (Docu- the desert monks, he went to Constantinople and
ments, 68). stayed there until 404, becoming a deacon under
St. John Chrysostom, having in this way the oppor-
I think this is a field still in need of thorough in- tunity to listen to the teachings of the great orator
vestigation. Fr. Espen has tried with his thesis a pa- and to absorb his love for St. Paul.
tristic approach to the Sermons. I believe that Zac-
caria’s dependence from the Fathers, and especially So, here is my thesis: if in this author, for sure so
Cassian, needs further study, reaching out to all the widely used by Zaccaria (as witnessed by Fr. Sore-
writings. sina, and by Anthony Mary himself in Constitutions
VIII), there is such a “wide spread Paulism,” it seem
If, then, we read the works of the one who has been to me a natural conclusion to say that Zaccaria’s in-
defined as “a disciple in the East, and a master in terest and love for St. Paul, the Apostle could have
the West,” we will realize that, although the accusa- derived, to some degree, exactly from reading Cas-
tion of semi-plagiarism hung over him, they are full sian. I do not think we are dealing with a useless
of Pauline references. In the Coenobite Institutions, I question, because it has notable consequences for
have counted 99 quotations of the Apostle over 334 the hermeneutics. It is one thing to say that Zac-
biblical quotations (that is, 30%, almost a third, of caria’s Paulism is derived from the Evangelism, and
the total); in the Collationes, I have counted 363 so from a movement which, in the Humanistic and
Pauline quotations over 1,465 scriptural quota- Renaissance spirit, returns to Paul neglecting the
tions (that is, 25 %, almost a quarter, of the total). intermediate tradition with the possible danger of
In the Collationes, often there is a reference to Paul’s subjectivism and “rupture.” It is another thing to af-
vocation; he is considered “the ancient ambidex- firm that Anthony Mary got his Paulism from Cas-
trous doctor of the Gentiles,” “our centurion of sian or from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church
the Gospel,” “the most valuable master of the Gen- or from the Dominican teachers, that is, from the
tiles,” “the vas of election through whom Christ living tradition of the Church. It means that it is not
spoke,” “the architect of spiritual artifacts”; usually a novelty, but an heredity which is transmitted and
he is designated as “the blessed Apostle.” In the IX it is constantly been enriched. Which is not little!
Collatio he affirms: “One could not believe that the But at this point we have to ask another question.

21
 Reflections and Meditations
IV. Which Paul?
It is easy to talk about Paulism. But, when we talk
about Paul, which Paul do we mean? The Apostle’s
figure is extremely many-sided. We can make refer-
ence to him from so many different angles. Which
ones are the aspects Anthony Mary has dealt with
most? I believe we can answer: just about all of
them.
1. The Theologian
We have already said that in his writings Anthony
Mary looks at Paul as the teacher. Surely, if we look
in Zaccaria for the great theological controversies
present in Galatians and Romans, we are going to
be disappointed. Anthony Mary is not a Luther,
and the Paul of our Founder is not the one of the
great Reformer. Anyway, although not a profes-
sional theologian, Zaccaria shows to posses a dis-
creet theological formation.
It would be extremely interesting to deepen the
theological presuppositions of the Zaccarian
moral-spiritual doctrines. For example, no one
has ever taken the time to examine the theological
motivations which are the base for our Founder’s
fight against lukewarmness. If we should do it, and
we would relate them to the motivations of Jesus’
conflict with the Pharisees, or to the ones which
inspire Paul’s polemic against those in favor of cir-
cumcision, we would discover, with great surprise,
that they are ... the same! Another question which
should be theologically investigated is the relation
between grace and free will. It would be interesting
to confront Zaccaria’s position with that of Paul
and Augustine on one side, and the one of Cassian
and Fra Battista, accused of Pelagianism, on the
other.
2. The Apostle
Paul was not only a theologian, he was also, and
especially an apostle, the Apostle par excellence.
And probably this is the reason why Anthony Mary
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
has chosen him as his inspiring model. He too
wanted to be an apostle, and wanted his disciples
to be apostles. He said to the Barnabites: “(Our
vocation demands) from us who have started to
follow, although from far away, on the footsteps
of the holy apostles, and of the other disciples of
Christ, not to refuse to share in their sufferings,
especially those trials which are by far lighter than
theirs” (Gabuzio, Historia, 54).
Speaking of the Angelics, he affirms, “My (daugh-
ters) - not one, but all of them - banishing any per-
sonal reputation and human satisfaction ... wish to
be apostles to eliminate not only idolatry and other
big defects from the souls of people, but to destroy
that most deadly and greatest enemy of Christ Cru-
cified, which reigns in our modern times: I mean
that incredible lukewarmness” (Letter V). Paul, for
Letter V
anyone who wants to be an apostle, must be the
fundamental point of reference, since he was not
only one of the Apostles, but the first among them:
“He (Barnabas) presented him (Paul) to all the
Christians as a column, and as if he was the prince
of the Apostles” (Letter IX).
3. The Martyr
Paul is also the one who ended his life shedding
his blood for Christ. This was not by chance, but
the realization of a desire he had cherished for a
long time: “The wise Paul…wanted to be, in actual
life and in the opinion of all, a living example of
Christ Crucified” (Letter IX).
Also in this the Barnabites wanted to imitate their
master, and so they were called “Clerics Regular of
St. Paul decapitated.” Fr. G. Motta notes that what
Fr. Premoli affirms is not true, that is, that the ad-
jective decapitated was added only in 1552, since
from January 1545 we find in the Liber capitulorum
the “House of St. Paul decapitated” mentioned.
Later the cult toward the Apostle-martyr was codi-
fied in the Constitutions of 1579. The title “Clerics
22
 Reflections and Meditations
Regular of St. Paul decapitated,” Fr Gabuzio ex-
plains almost quoting verbatim the Constitutions,
“was kept for a long time, because those ancient
Fathers thought to be according to their desires,
that is, they tried to care not only for the doctrine
of the Apostle, but also to imitate his sufferings”
(Historia, 95).
4. The Mystic
What seems to be often neglected
is another aspect of Paul, which
instead is the source for the theo-
logian, the apostle, the martyr, the
mystic Paul could be who he was,
only because he had a profound
experience of God. Our Apostle
joins the list of the long tradition
of Old Testament Fathers who met
God during their earthly existence:
Abraham, Moses, Elijah. It is not by
chance that Zaccaria refers to Paul
with the expression used by Scrip-
ture to designate Abraham “that
true friend of God, Paul, said about
himself and other faithful ministers:
‘God has revealed to us things that
no prince of this world, that is, no
philosopher nor wise man of the
world, has known’”(Sermon II). We
find this affirmation in a context
which is particularly mystic in the
Zaccarian writings: the Sermon III,
where Anthony Mary distinguishes
between two levels of Christian life: the one which,
with a Pauline term, we could call the justification,
destined for all, and the perfection, reserved only
for the “friends.”
“His Bounty gives us, unfaithful and deceitful
servants and His enemies, many gifts in spite of
our negligence; nevertheless, He does not want
to give to anyone but his friends and faithful dis-
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
ciples the gift of perfection, the taste of God, the
knowledge of His secrets” (Sermon III). Model of
these “friends,” to whom God reveals his secrets,
is precisely Paul, he who encounters Christ on the
road to Damascus, the Paul who, ruptured to third
sky, hears words which cannot be uttered (II Cor.
12:4).
Conclusion: Anthony Alter
Paul
From what we have been saying
up until now, we can conclude
that Zaccaria somehow must be
considered as an alter Paul. We can
truly say that in the 16th century,
Anthony Mary incarnated, if not
the person, for sure the spirit of the
Apostle. A vision which does not go
against our Catholic faith. The book
of Wisdom says, “ And she, who is
one, can do all things, and renews
everything while herself perduring;
And passing into holy souls from
age to age, she produces friends of
God and prophets” (Wis 7:27). It is
the same divine Wisdom, the same
Holy Spirit, who age by age, enters
in the Saints, often with the same
characteristics. It is possible that the
spirit of Paul, which was nothing
else by the Spirit of God possessed
by Paul, could relive 1500 years later
in Anthony Mary.
I believe that this answers a need inherent in the
economy of salvation: the apostolic charisms,
somehow, must perpetuate themselves in the
Church throughout its history. Therefore, as Peter’s
charism is perpetuated in the Church especially
through the ministry of the Roman Pontiff, so the
Pauline charism somehow must continue to be
present in the Church through the centuries. This
23
 Reflections and Meditations
happens through some saints who have lived St.
Paul’s spirit during their time. Among them our
Founder, who in a particular way has identified
himself with the Apostle. Zaccaria too is not any-
more on this earth, and therefore he cannot make
Paul present in the Church and in the contempo-
rary society. Anthony Mary, differing from other
“Pauline souls” always present in the history of the
Church, has founded a religious family which has
inherited his charism. We are the ones to render
present in the world the spirit of the Apostle; his
Paul, the Paul of Anthony Mary, becomes then our
Paul.
Are we up to this vocation? Are we really ready to
be the carriers of Paul’s charism in the world of
today? If this question refers to the presence in
us of the spirit of the Apostle, then, I believe we
have to answer in the affirmative. When we think
of the number of apostolic activities carried on by
the meager number of religious, when I think of
the untiring work done by Barnabites and Angelics
of today, when I think of their continuous avail-
ability, I cannot help but think that it is the spirit
of Paul that drives them; Caritas Christi urget nos
(II Cor 5:14). If we, then, think of the missionary
spirit which has always animated our Congrega-
tion, how can we not think that she continues to
imitate her “divine Father,” made all to all to save
some at any cost?
But if we look at the exterior forms of our Paulism,
perhaps, some reflection is needed. Fr. Bonini in a
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
communication at the week of spirituality in Lodi
1980, made this observation. In a certain period
of our history (as acknowledged by our historians)
the ideal of Paul has become weaker in favor of the
Holy Founder. Now, besides the good tradition of
dedicating some of our churches to St. Paul, and
some of the things expressed in the Constitutions,
whatever happened to the Paulism of the origins?
In reading Fr. Boffito, I have realized the outstand-
ing accomplishments of many scholarly confreres
in many fields of knowledge, but on St. Paul there
is very little. In Rome we have, thanks be to God,
a well equipped library on St. Paul, but our Con-
gregation, the first to be dedicated to St. Paul, does
have produced as yet a scholar on St. Paul.”
... I think today we have reached a balance be-
tween acknowledging the leading role of the Holy
Founder, and the natural position of Paul in a Con-
gregation dedicated to him. Anyway, the Zaccarian
studies should lead us to this. Anthony Mary is by
nature a son and disciple of Paul; to say Zaccaria, it
means to made a reference to Paul … For Anthony
Mary, the following of Christ had passed through
the Apostle: we follow Christ, following Paul; we
imitate Christ, imitating Paul. Still today, we can
describe the relationship between Zaccaria and
Paul with the phrase: “Cor Antonii, cor Pauli.” We
can add to it, “cor autem Pauli, cor Christi,” a phrase
which, then, would summarize our spirituality. As
we turn to our Founder, we find Paul. Once we find
Paul, we will have found Christ.
24
 Reflections and Meditations
January: That stripped of the
old self with its practices and
clothed with the new self, we
may be renewed in the image of
our Creator – and live in commu-
nion with persons of every culture
and standing so that Christ may
be all in all. (Cf. Colossians 3:
9-11).
February: That the word of
Christ dwell in us abundantly in
all its richness – and that all we
do, in words and deeds, be done in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through
him. (Cf. Colossians 3: 16-17).
March: That our love may
abound more and more with
knowledge and full insight
– that we may always discern what
is best and be pure and blameless
for the day of Christ, filled with the
fruits of righteousness that come
through Jesus Christ for the glory
and praise of God. (Cf. Philippi-
ans 1:9-10).
April: That the Son of God,
born of a woman and under
the law, to ransom those un-
der the law, so that we might
receive adoption as children of
God – will make us aware that
his Spirit, who cries out “Abba!
Father,” constitutes us brothers and
sisters and coheirs with him. (Cf.
Galatians 4:4-7).
May: That the God of persever-
ance and encouragement grant
us to live in harmony with one
another, following the example
of Christ Jesus – so that with
one accord we may with one voice
glorify the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. (Cf. Romans
15:5-6).
June: That our conversation be
always sincere and unequivocal
– as was Christ’s faithfulness to the
promises of God. (Cf. 2 Corinthi-
ans 1:19-20).
July: That, having crucified
our flesh with its passions and
desires, we may live by the Spirit
– bearing fruits of love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faith-
fulness, gentleness, and self-con-
trol. (Cf. Galatians 5:16-25).
In the Footsteps of St. Paul
August: That, as we are be-
ing rooted and grounded in
love, we may have the power
to comprehend the love of Christ
that surpasses all knowledge – so
that we may be filled with all the
fullness of God. (Cf. Ephesians 3:
17-19).
September: That, we do not
allow our difficulties and limita-
tions crush us, confident that
the Lord – can use even our every
adversity to advance the gospel.
(Cf. Philippians 1:12-18).
October: That, following the
example of Christ, who though
he was rich, yet for our sakes he
became poor – we may seek no
other wealth except Christ himself
and his poverty. (Cf. 2 Corinthi-
ans 8:9).
November: That, as men of
God we pursue righteousness,
devotion, faith, love, patience,
gentleness – and fight the good
fight of the faith to take hold of
the eternal life, to which we were
called. (Cf. 1 Timothy 6:11-12).
December: That, the Lord Jesus,
new Adam, source of justifi-
cation and life for all people
– grant us the grace to imitate his
obedience that destroys the deadly
dynamic of sin. (Cf. Romans 5:
12-21).
25
 Reflections and Meditations
The Paulism of St.
A
Anthony Mary Zaccaria
by Fr. Mike M. Mancusi, CRSP
nthony Mary Zaccaria, the founder of the
Clerics Regular of St. Paul, the Angelic Sisters of St.
Paul, and a third order of laity called the “Laity of
St. Paul,” was proclaimed a saint by Pope Leo XIII,
on May 27, 1897. In a speech the Pope proclaimed
that St. Paul the Apostle was a master from whom
Anthony Mary had developed his thought, his ac-
tivity, his life.
“He enjoyed the letters of St. Paul so much that
he took them as the model, both in doctrine and
behavior, and invoked him as an intercessor to
Our Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul was always there
... Paul was always before Anthony’s eyes; he had
Paul, his patron, stirring in his heart and always
prayed to Christ Crucified with Paul’s name on his
lips.”
In stating that Paul was his master, and he a servant
of Paul, we are stating that Anthony Mary derived
his identity from the Apostle Paul. We can say this
on the premise that “a servant compared with
someone who simply performs services, identi-
fies with the master, deriving a sense of personal
identity from him.” However, it is not only that
we say that Anthony Mary lives through Paul,
but also that Paul continues to live and function
through Anthony Mary. “The Holy Founder of the
Barnabites, with an ardent heart as that of Paul,
took as a model to his children the Apostle of the
Gentiles.”
Hopefully, the Pauline spirituality as presented
through this work will enlighten the mind of the
reader to the dynamism and modern application of
this unfamiliar saint. It is this Pauline spirituality
which we wish to present, this Pauline spirituality
of Anthony Mary Zaccaria that affected the Church
of the Reformation era, and still today affects the
Church through those who follow in his footsteps.
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Our purpose is to examine the Pauline thought of
St. Anthony M. Zaccaria, from its origins to its final
form in the interior and exterior manifestations of
our Holy Founder
2. Paul is Chosen as Anthony’s Patron
and Model
Most religious congregations have some patron
saint other than the founder associated with their
congregation. Anthony Mary chose for his follow-
ers St. Paul, as he had already chosen him as his
personal patron and model.
2.1 Similarity in their Characters
Anthony M. Zaccaria found in St. Paul a great deal
of himself, as his entire being captured the strength
and temperament of the Apostle Paul, “Paul was
the one most suiting to his temperament and ide-
als of reform, proclaiming the need of a radical
renewal.”
Many aspects of their characters were similar. It was
the Christ-event of the Cross that stirred their souls
to preach a reform aimed to the love of neighbor
and the glory of God, “they both had strong and
quivering souls, roused by the bloody reality of the
Crucified Lord which enlightened and guided their
work.”
Using today’s terminology, we can say that both
souls were open to the Spirit, letting it blow where
He wished. They listened to the movement of the
Spirit within their souls for they both had the same
tenderness that links them together and “allows
the Spirit to enlighten their souls”
We can say that in reading the works of St. Anthony
Mary, we seem to be reading St. Paul. When we
meditate on the epistles of Paul we unknowingly
26
 Reflections and Meditations The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

find ourselves meditating on the letters of Anthony

Mary. That which moved Paul also moved Anthony
Mary. The two saints, who preached a metanoia for
theirs times, “were of one heart and mind” (Acts
4:32). “It certainly can be said of Anthony Mary
that he was the most faithful imitator of his Paul.
Thus, the Zaccarian Paulism can be summarized in
the formula familiar to every Barnabite, “Cor Anto-
nii, Cor Pauli” (the heart of Anthony, the heart of
Paul).

There was a certain character about their lives that

kept them in touch with the reality in which they
lived, spiritually and temporally. This enabled
their apostolates to grow, not only in size, but
in the depth of their love for God and neighbor.
“They both felt their work as an irresistible urge
to expand; they considered the austerity of their
life as a control against illusions and, therefore, a
guide for their steps.”

Paul boasted of nothing other than the Cross of

Jesus. It is in this same Cross of Jesus that Anthony
Mary found a source of grace in his work. Because
of their openness to the movement of the Spirit in
their lives, they realized that their work could not
be measured as their own but only in their person-
al ongoing conversion to allow the Spirit to work
through every aspect of their character. “For they
were both humble when experiencing success.” Be-
cause they lived in the newness of life in the Spirit,
with the Cross always before their eyes, they both
experienced a foretaste of the life of glory through
the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-25).

In times of persecution they were so united with

Jesus, they allowed themselves figuratively to be
crucified with Him. They both spoke of themselves
Anthony Mary Zaccaria learns from the Apostle Paul the
sublime wisdom of the Cross
suffering for and with Christ (I Cor 4:8-13). As Paul
G. Mercoro, 1763 accepted his persecution in a Christian manner, so

27
 Reflections and Meditations
did Anthony Mary. (This is ex-
emplified in St. Anthony Mary’s
“Magna Carta” of his Pauline
and Christocentric spirituality:
his speech of October 4, 1534).
For as Jesus was forced to suffer
and die on the cross and then be
vindicated in the new life of the
Resurrection, so will those who
suffer in Jesus be vindicated for
they, too, live in the newness of
the divine life of the Resurrec-
tion (Rom 6:1-11). Therefore,
both Paul and Anthony “were
steady in times of sorrow and
persecution.”
Both Paul and Anthony can say
together with one heart, “I have
preached faith in Our Lord Jesus
Christ, and now I fear no danger.
I do not count my life more pre-
cious than my work, to finish
my course, of preaching and
proclaiming the good news of
God’s grace. I am not ashamed
of the Gospel.” Thus, these two
saints continued their lifestyles
and preaching. St. Anthony
Mary was vindicated not only
by being acquitted in the courts,
but also by Pope Paul III himself
who “ratified the method of life
of the Saint and his sons, and
with the name of the Clerics of
St. Paul, convoked them imme-
diately under the jurisdiction of
the Holy See.”
It is obvious that St. Anthony M.
Zaccaria found his character in
St. Paul, his master and guide.
The times needed a man with
the Pauline thought of a meta-
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
noia and who would bring to
it the spiritual vitality of Paul.
It was through Anthony Mary’s
reception of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit that he was able to capital-
ize on the actual graces that God
offered him.
“God poured into Anthony
Mary’s heart all the elements
of character, of a cast made to
resound to any urge of Saint
Paul’s spirit. He also enriched
Anthony Mary’s will with the
resolution and decision as well
as generous undauntedness,
thus allowing him to gather
and absorb all common ele-
ments and make them spring
up and bring forth fruit.”
2.2 The Attraction Found in St.
Paul
Since the Church’s very begin-
ning, especially with the Fathers
of the Church, there has been a
great attraction toward the Apos-
tle Paul who has always had a
great influence on all. Anthony
Mary is no exception. Through
the knowledge of Paul’s person-
ality, by means of his studies,
and especially through Paul’s
epistles, Anthony M. Zaccaria
was also taken into the attrac-
tion for Paul as he opened his
heart to him.
Anthony Mary grew with a deep
and ardent love for the Apostle
beyond that of the ordinary
Christian. He developed an
“inspiring love and a passion-
ate study of the Apostle, peculiar
28
 Reflections and Meditations
to the Dominican tradition, recalling that of John
Chrysostom.” This was alluded to earlier in the
speech of Pope Leo XIII when he said that “Paul
was always before Anthony’s eyes.” This speech of
St. John Chrysostom (to which various authors
refer) opens his first homily on the letter to the
Romans:
As I keep having the Epistles of the Blessed Paul
read, and that twice every week, and often three
or four times, whenever we are celebrating the
memorials of the holy martyrs, gladly do I enjoy
the spiritual trumpet, and voice so dear to me, and
seem to fancy him all but present to my sight, and
to behold him conversing with me. But I grieve
and I am pained that all people do not know this
man as much as they ought to know him, as not
even to know for certain the number of his epis-
tles. And this comes not of incapacity, but of their
own not having the will to be continually convers-
ing with this blessed man. For it is not through
any natural readiness and sharpness of wit that
even I am acquainted with as much as I do know,
if I do know anything, but owing to a continual
cleaving to the man, and an earnest affection
towards him.
These words can easily be placed into the mouth
of our Holy Founder for he constantly studied,
meditated on, and preached the Apostle. It was the
Apostle Paul and his thoughts that filled Anthony
Mary’s soul with a deep and ardent love for God
through Christ Crucified and the Eucharist. His
love for Paul brought him closer and closer to the
glory of Crucified Lord. From Pope Paul III who
ratified his Pauline mode of life, to Leo III who
proclaimed him a saint, and recent Pontiffs, all
have emphasized the deep and binding relation-
ship between the Apostle Paul and St. Anthony
Mary.
Not only have Anthony Mary and the Barnabites
been attracted to Paul the Apostle, but many other
founders and their congregations have looked to-
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
wards Paul’s footsteps to lead them to their Lord.
We only have to look at the names of a few: The
Missionary Society of St. Paul founded by Isaac
Hecker; The Society of St. Paul founded in Malta;
the Company of St. Paul founded by Cardinal
Ferrari; the Society and the Daughters of St. Paul
founded by Don Alberione, etc. What must be not-
ed is that Anthony Mary and his followers were the
very first religious to call upon the name of Paul.
“That the Barnabites and the Angelics were the first
two religious orders that took their name and their
program from Paul is a fact.”
The preoccupation that St. Anthony Mary had for
the Apostle Paul and how this influenced his sec-
ond foundation, the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, can
be found in a manuscript of the Angelic Sfondrati:
His desire to honor God and save souls was so upright
and burning that it suggested the Angelics of St. Paul to
choose this particular name, making the Apostle stand
out amidst all others as a furnace of love for God, and
made by God himself an object of choice and grace
-being so alert in his charity to neighbor and so perfect
in this virtue (as all saints can testify) - the Angelics
thought that they should never give up imitating him;
neither should they ever waiver from his doctrine and
example.
We see that the attraction with the personality and
the writings of Paul the Apostle has grown since the
birth of the Church. It was St. Anthony M. Zaccaria
who was attracted by the Apostle Paul and it was
the Apostle Paul who instilled in him an ardent
love for Christ Crucified and gave him the strength
needed to carry out his spiritual mission.
3. Development of the Devotion to St.
Paul
Anthony Mary’s development of the devotion to
St. Paul is an interesting and important factor in
discussing his Pauline thought.
29
 Reflections and Meditations
3.1 Origins
“It is certain that Anthony Mary had, since the very
first years, a particular veneration for St. Paul, and
as soon as he could enjoy his scripts, he found
spiritual benefit in reading the epistles and fondly
meditating over them.” The previous statement by
the learned Father Moltedo can easily be accepted.
However, there remains one problem. What sig-
nificance do the words ‘since the very first years’
have? It could easily be applied to his childhood
as it is taken for general knowledge that he often
meditated on those things that he had learned in
the church. However, there are no valid documents
that can testify definitively to this. Another possi-
bility is that he became devoted to St. Paul through
his friendship with Serafino Aceti da Fermo, a Lat-
eran Canon, while at the University of Padua. This
possibility is much more credible than the former
since our young Founder often preached in the
small church of San Vitale after leaving Padua.
Again, however, there are no existing documents
that would validate such a possibility. It is most
plausible, though, that this holy friendship with
Serafino Aceti did develop some Pauline thought
within Anthony Mary. Nevertheless, the only other
possibility is through the abiding advice of his
spiritual director, although not much is known
about him. More than likely, through the openings
from his studies and friendships at Padua, it was
this Dominican spiritual director who was the one
to spark the flame of Anthony Mary’s burning love
for the Apostle Paul.
“It will be this holy friar (Fra Marcello) to initi-
ate the Founder to the studies of theology and
thusly, to the studies of the Fathers of Scripture,
and Thomas Aquinas. The Scriptures, especially
the letters of St. Paul, can be found in the spirit of
his thought.” As the Holy Founder was preaching
and gathering groups to catechize at San Vitale, Fra
Marcello propelled him to the aforementioned
studies to deepen his understanding of the truths
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
of faith. To any student who studies the Fathers
or Thomas Aquinas, an understanding of the
theology of the epistles must come to light. “The
Apostle Paul emerges at the very start to whoever
wants to penetrate Catholic theology and leads
him throughout the study giving him as research
material his luminous inspired epistles.”
As a side note it is also very possible that Anthony
Mary’s veneration and imitation of Christ Crucified
could have been nurtured by Paul with some help
from the works of Thomas Aquinas. His studies of
Thomas Aquinas, which could most likely have led
him to an ardent love for the Apostle, is well-attest-
ed to. It is St. Thomas who says that “The Cross ex-
emplifies every virtue.” We also know that Anthony
Mary’s mother formed him in the virtuous life. All
this may have had an impact on him, causing him
to delve deeper into the meaning of the cross and
thus St. Paul, to whom the cross-event of Christ is
a central aspect of theology.
“It was from Fra Marcello, perhaps, that young
Zaccaria arrived at the certainty of Catholic doc-
trine, acquired the zest for the Word of God, es-
pecially the letters of St. Paul, and the ardor for
preaching the revealed truth.” However, it must be
noted that it was under the direction of Fra Battista
da Crema that Anthony Mary embraced the priest-
hood. It was under the Dominican’s direction that
he more seriously “dedicated himself to the study
of the Bible and Thomistic theology, particularly
the letters of St. Paul and the Summa Theologica
of St. Thomas,” and often frequented the mon-
astery of the Dominicans. “He availed himself of
the study of the Bible from Fra Marcello and more
particularly from Fra Battista da Crema, a man of
vast cultural theology and a profound knowledge
of Sacred Scripture, especially of St. Paul as was
typical to the Dominicans.”
30
 Reflections and Meditations
While he was preparing for the priesthood, under
the guidance of the Preaching Friars, Anthony
Mary was not only a student of the works of St.
Thomas Aquinas, but soon found that it was Paul
who was the central figure in the study of any as-
pect of Catholic theology because, “to the student
of theology, that is to the one preparing for the
priesthood ... St. Paul appears as the great Master,
the Doctor par excellence.”
We can see that, beginning with the influence of
his maternal schooling towards the virtuous life,
under the direction of Fra Marcello and more in-
tensely under Fra Battista da Crema, it was Paul the
Apostle and his writings that were to be planted and
nurtured into the soul of Anthony Mary Zaccaria.
Through his studies for the priesthood, Paul was
to enflame and enrich his heart through the sacred
theology of the Apostle’s epistles, through the stud-
ies of the Fathers of the Church, and through his
study of the works of Thomas Aquinas. Thus, we
can basically state that it was under the guidance of
the Order of Preachers that Anthony Mary was to
be nourished into the devotion of the Apostle Paul
for the “experience on university life and the first
apostolic years enriched Anthony Mary. Undoubt-
edly, conferring to his thought the constant desire
for a concrete life. Overall, the meeting with the
person and the doctrine of St. Paul will give a dis-
tinctive mark to the spirituality of Anthony Mary.”
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
3.2 Master and Teacher of Truth
As we said at the start of this paper, a servant finds
his identity from that of his master. The Holy
Founder sought to find his identity in St. Paul, the
one upon whom he grew to consider the Master of
Truth.
The young priest tends to be dogmatic and theo-
retically systematic. The same applies to Anthony
Mary for “like every newly-ordained priest, An-
thony Mary often sounded theoretic (systematic),
his emphatic style showing traces of the teachings
of Dominican theologians.” This is verified in the
first few Sermons of the newly ordained priest.
Anthony Mary had a “clear and synthetic mind ...
for his writing of the youthful sermons manifested
an orderly logic and an inclination to the preci-
sion of concepts.” Thus, like every young student
of St. Thomas, Anthony Mary sought the truths of
the faith in Scripture and systematic logic. It was
in the writing of St. Paul that he was able to find
the truths of Christianity and for the desperately
needed reform of the times. He, therefore, con-
fessed the words, thoughts, and actions of Paul as
representative, or rather as an explanation, of the
one and only Truth, Jesus Christ.
“When writing them (the Sermons), Zaccaria con-
sidered Paul as the Master of Truth, as an object of
study, admiration, and contemplation. He is the
31
 Reflections and Meditations
master of excellence,” for his very thought is based
upon the Truth of Jesus. Throughout Anthony
Mary’s sermons we can find scattered such state-
ments as “Paul says that…,” “It is by the Apostle
that ... ,” “The Apostle Paul testifies that. .. “
Paul says that the love of money is the cause and root
of every evil (I Tim 6:10) and avarice which is ‘in effect
an idolater’ (Eph 5:5) And our Savior said that avarice
is the cause of the extinction of charity, saying. ‘Because
the iniquity of many will be overwhelming, charity will
be extinguished’ (Mt 24: 1). And Paul says that in these
last times men who are self-cen-
tered, grasping, boastful, arro-
gant, and rude, and followers of
their own opinions, will domi-
nate (I Tim 3:1-3)” (Sermon I).
As most seminarians have
learned in an homiletics class,
the one who preaches should
leave his congregation with a
conclusion to contemplate and
study, to put forward into their
lives Anthony Mary again is no
exception. Concluding the sec-
tion on the necessity of the vir-
tue of charity in his Sermon IV IV,
the Holy Founder uses the thoughts and words of
Paul as the source of contemplation, because Paul
has captured the essence of Truth and, therefore,
is the Master of Truth to be studied and devoured.
Fr. Ghilardotti says that to Anthony Mary, “the
Apostle Paul himself is considered as an object of
contemplation.” We can, therefore, presume that
it is not only the writings of St. Paul that must be
contemplated but also the person of Paul himself
who assimilated the Truth into his very being. “In
fact, after establishing that spiritual life reaches his
highest in the friendship with God, Zaccaria adds
that Paul is a Master and Model of such a perfect
condition.” Fr. Ghilardotti is alluding to the sec-
tion of Anthony Mary’s Sermon III where he says,
“that true friend of God; Paul...” (p. 97).
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
What is most interesting is the manner in which
the Holy Founder writes this section of the Ser-
mon. He first quotes Jesus speaking to the Apostles
from John 15:15. Having referred to Jesus as the
Incarnate Truth, he then turns to Paul, calling him
the true friend of this Truth, by quoting I Cor 2:6,
and continues the thought by quoting Jesus both
in Matthew 11:25 and Luke 21: 15. (Note that all
these quotes are associated with wisdom, pru-
dence, or revelation.)
In being at the summit of
spiritual life, that is friend-
ship with God, Paul can eas-
ily be considered an object
of contemplation. However,
considering the fact that
Anthony Mary calls Paul
“the true friend of God,”
and having placed this state-
ment among quotes on the
wisdom of God revealed to
men as spoken by the “In-
carnate Truth,” we can easily
assume that Paul is not to be
just ‘considered as’ but, for
Anthony Mary, ‘definitely
is’ an object of contemplation as the Master and
Teacher of Truth.
It is from here that we must treat the insights of
Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII) into
that mentioned above:
“To the school of Paul, the future founder took that
richness and depth of doctrine which would make
Anthony Mary a very good teacher, enabling him
to teach others: St. Paul can say to Anthony Mary,
‘Now you are the executor of my doctrine.’ Which
doctrines do his listeners hear? That out of which
the Apostle judged there is none greater, namely
Jesus and Jesus Crucified as the power and wis-
dom of God. To the school of Paul, Anthony Mary
32
 Reflections and Meditations
knew that the foolishness of God is better than the
foolishness of man, such as the weakness of God
is stronger than the weakness of man. Here is the
great mystery hidden in our redemption, in the
healing of our misery.
Cardinal Pacelli perceives that it is in Paul that An-
thony Mary was able to deduce the truths and the
Truth of our faith. This deduction could only occur
after much study, meditation, and contemplation
in order that the hidden mystery be revealed. It is
only through the wisdom of Paul that Anthony
Mary could perceive this r evelation of the hidden
truths of the faith. Due to the climate of the times,
these truths and Paul had been hidden. It was An-
thony Mary who again found them by seeking and
developing his devotion to St. Paul as the Doctor
par excellence and a true friend of Truth itself. St.
Anthony Mary found that the truth and doctrine
that Paul rallied upon was that of Christ Crucified.
It became the same rallying call for Anthony Mary.
Most of his writings are based upon the Christ-
event of the cross. It is to this that he constantly
referred in his sermons, speeches, advice, and
letters while referring to the Apostle at the same
time. Thus, Cardinal Pacelli is correct in stating
that Anthony Mary has become the executor of
the doctrine of Paul. It is in this doctrine of Paul,
the rallying call of Anthony Mary, that we find the
culmination of the teachings of Truth itself. It is
because of this development in his devotion to St.
Paul that we find that “the letters of St. Paul have
always been an object of study and meditation on
the part of the children of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria.
In the first Constitutions, written by Anthony Mary
himself, he suggested for study the words of Scrip-
ture, especially the works of Paul: “The Brothers
ought to study Sacred Scripture, and avidly take de-
light in understanding and comprehending it so as
to uncover and bring to light its hidden meanings”
(Chapter VIII). Thus it must have been, as stated by
Fr. Moltedo, that Anthony Mary “was always studi-
ous of Paul’s epistles and delighted in them all.”
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
From the above, as detected by various biogra-
phers and postulators for the canonization cause,
Anthony Mary grew steadily in his development
of devotion to St. Paul It was through this devout
study and ardent contemplation of this true friend
of God that our Holy Founder was able to discover
the hidden mystery of the truths of the faith. It was
by studying and contemplating Paul as the Master
and Teacher of Truth that Anthony Mary was able
to preach the central doctrine of St. Paul, namely,
Jesus and Jesus Crucified.
3.3 Master and Teacher of Life
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn
14:6). It was through his cradling devotion to Paul
that Anthony Mary was ensured that Jesus is the
Way. In the development of this devotion Anthony
Mary looked upon St. Paul as the Master of Truth
and thus called upon Jesus as Incarnate Truth. It is
in seeking out Paul as the Master and Teacher of
Life that Anthony Mary looked upon Jesus as Life.
As Anthony Mary saw the truths of the faith in Jesus
through Paul as the Master of Truth, so too “with
the doctrine of Paul, Anthony Mary also followed
the form of his (Paul’s) life, for he made himself
an illuminated likeness of his life, for it says: ‘Be
imitators of me brothers ... according to the model
that you see’ (Phil 3:17).” The model that Anthony
Mary saw was not only Paul but Jesus Himself, for
the Apostle tells us that “it is not I who live but
Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
When St. Paul said to be his imitators that is ex-
actly what Anthony Mary did, even to the point of
his style of writing. It can be said that “the figure
of St. Anthony Mary emulated the Apostle Paul.”
In every aspect of his life, Anthony Mary was illu-
minated by the doctrines and the life of St. Paul.
Anthony Mary grasped one of the principal themes
of St. Paul and preached it with the vigor of Paul.
“He preached life with a potency of the figure of
33
 Reflections and Meditations
Paul and his spirit, a life that ar-
rived and placed itself in Jesus
Christ.” In the spirit of Paul, he
preached Paul’s metanoia from
death to life. “For the wages of
sin is death, but the free gift
of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus Our Lord” (Rom 6:23).
“The concept of the life of Christ
continued and extended in the
Church to each of its individual
members is one of the great Pau-
line themes and one of his most
original insight.” Anthony Mary
was able to totally grasp Paul’s
insight and, thus, his devotion
to the Apostle grew to call upon
him as Master of Life.
Where is this life to be found
that Anthony Mary preached? It
is to be found in Jesus Our Lord,
particularly through his death
and resurrection. Therefore, like
Paul, Anthony was to preach a
new life in the Spirit of the Risen
Lord by the power of the cross.
Theologically it is very sound,
but also very sacramental. Thus,
part of the reform of life that
Anthony Mary preached was a
return to the life-giving sacra-
ments, especially the Eucharist
and devotion to the Eucharist in
order to nourish the life within
us. Thus it is “from St. Paul that
Anthony Mary apprehended two
strong ideas: the central position
of Christ in the Christian life
and the impetus of reform.”
St. Paul had become the Master
to learn from in every aspect of
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Anthony Mary’s life. The Holy
Founder was the one to see the
truths of the doctrines of Paul
and learn to live in them and
place his life as such. It is in liv-
ing the life that Paul called forth
from him that Anthony Mary
lived the life of Jesus Christ.
“The hero (Anthony Mary), il-
luminated in his mind by Paul’s
doctrine and enriched in the op-
erations of his will from his love
of Paul, was vehemently yearn-
ing of following the Apostle’s
thought: ‘Now you are the exec-
utor of my doctrine, institution,
and thoughts. You have learned
which is my sincere and entire
teaching; which is my way of life,
ministry of reconciliation and
peace between God and Man.
Learn now which is my thought,
that I look for in the office and
in the fatigue of my apostolate,
not personal advantages but the
glory of God through Christ, not
just what is useful to the multi-
tude, but rather to make yourself
all things to all for the salvation
of all. “And so it is this that is
the rallying call behind Anthony
Mary, that is, the goal for which
he aims at with thought, with
will, with work.”
From the above quote of Cardi-
nal Pacelli, we see that Anthony
Mary was not only to preach
the doctrine of Paul but to live
it. It became his everything: ‘to
become all things to all’ ‘for the
glory of God through Christ.’
34
 Reflections and Meditations
However, this is not just the outside we see but the
very life that caused Anthony Mary to breathe. It
was the apostolate of dying to oneself in order to
have life eternal in Jesus Christ.
Fr. Confalonieri tells us that “his (Paul’s) thought
was constantly compared to his (Anthony’s) ac-
tion; it was his apostolate’s mainspring, the aim
of all his endeavors.” Here we first see that the
thought and doctrine of Paul acted somewhat as
a guiding line. This would lead Anthony Mary to
his Crucified Lord in glory and steer him correctly
and directly. The writings of Paul became the ten
commandments to live rightly for God and neigh-
bor. Secondly, we see that it was Paul who became
the stimulus of all of Anthony’s work. The thought
of Paul acted as both the starting and finishing
line in which the race of life was lived. Anthony
Mary also speaks of running a race like Paul, for
the Founder says: “Let us rush like madmen not
only to God, but also to our neighbor” (Letter II),
through whom we reach God. It was in Paul that
Anthony Mary found the means to render glory
to God, and love of neighbor as the way of loving
God. “Furthermore, so necessary is this love that
Paul wished to be an anathema for his brethren”
(Rom 9:3). “Throughout the whole Scripture, my
friend, you find that God sets up our neighbor as
an instrument to reach His Majesty” (Sermon
Sermon IVIV).
From what has been said we can see then that “the
thought of Paul became the point of comparison,
the way of evaluating his every action, the force to
raise his apostolate, and the loving physiognomy
for the sons and daughters of his personal pater-
nity.” Thus it was that Anthony Mary showed the
Barnabites, the Angelics, and the Laity their moral
code in Paul: “He showed them their leader and
model” in living the life in which they were called:
first as Christians and then as religious. This he
spoke of in the October 4 speech. “Because we
have chosen as our Guide and Father such an
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Apostle, and we are proud to be his followers, let
us make the effort to follow his teaching and ex-
ample in our life.”
St. Anthony M. Zaccaria is most known for his love
and example of Christ Crucified. He was to receive
this also from St. Paul as the pivotal point of all his
thought. “The wise Paul, who wanted to be, in ac-
tual life and in the opinion of all, a living example
of Christ Crucified” (Letter IX) became for Anthony
Mary the master, the teacher, and the model of life
which was constantly burning with the ardor of
Christ Crucified.
We can deduce then that Paul was the logical
choice as the Master and Teacher of a life grounded
in Jesus. However, St. Paul was not only the teacher
of that life, but through his own example and writ-
ings, we can say that “St. Paul was the standard of
living” for Anthony Mary.
4. Assimilation of Pauline Spirituality
In examining the Pauline thought of St. Anthony
M. Zaccaria, it is only logical that we examine the
assimilation of Pauline spirituality.
4.1 Spiritual Influence of Paul upon the Interior Work-
ing of St. Anthony Mary
On the 400th anniversary of the approval of the
Order of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul (February
18, 1533, by Pope Clement VII), the Superior Gen-
eral at that time, Fr. Ferdinando Napoli, received a
letter from Pope Pius XI attesting to the Paulism of
our Founder. “Your Founder has chosen as patron
and model the Apostle St. Paul, faithfully embrac-
ing his doctrine interiorly, especially those of Christ
Crucified.” Various authors have cited that Antho-
ny Mary was the perfect and most faithful imitator
of St. Paul, emphasizing upon the Barnabites, say-
ing that their hearts had become one.
35
 Reflections and Meditations
As a scholar of literature captures within his entire
being the works of his most cherished author or
poet, his words are so often on his lips that they
become his own. The same applies to Anthony
Mary and his most cherished guide and model. Fr.
Giuseppe Motta has found all interesting fact in his
studies on this aspect. He states that, “Fr. Gabuzio
and Fr. Secchi often repeated that the Founder al-
ways had at hand and on his lips Paul’s teachings;
they used two very peculiar verbs: ‘dictitabat’ and
‘lectitabit.’” Thus, like the learned professor of a
university, Paul was embedded into the very es-
sence of Anthony Mary’s being.
It is here that it would be most
fitting that we should quote the
scholarly Fr. Angelo Confalonieri:
He mastered St. Paul’s deepest
thoughts, and assimilated them
so that they became his own. His
thought was constantly compared
to his action; it was his apostolate’s
mainspring, the aim of all his en-
deavors; the countenance he hoped
for his spiritual children to attain.
It even suggested the name for his
religious families: Clerics Regular of
St. Paul, and the Angelic Sisters of
St. Paul.
Let us take just one line from the above quote: “his
thought was constantly compared to his action.”
As mentioned previously, Anthony Mary consid-
ered the Apostle Paul to be the Teacher of Life. It
was Paul who had become his moral code of liv-
ing. One’s personal morality is considered one’s
second nature. Thus, with Anthony Mary, Paul
became so second nature to him that these two
saintly men were one.
A most impressive fact is that the “Magna Carta”
of Anthony Mary’s Paulism (the famous speech of
October 4, 1534), had been uttered with the ut-
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
most effectiveness and spontaneity. In his constant
attempt to resemble Paul, there are the deep and
strong concepts, which always refer to the content
or spirit of Paul’s writings. His quotations from
St. Paul appear quite frequently, especially in his
sermons. However, they are not always exact quo-
tations. At least one word is changed or there is a
slight difference from the original text. Thus, the
Holy Founder was quoting from and by heart hav-
ing had fully assimilated Paul’s writings in both his
mind and heart.
Another point that must be
brought to light here is that An-
thony Mary, in the original version
of the sermons, never completed
a citation of St. Paul. After some
writing, he would complete the
phrase with “etc.” This also dem-
onstrates that he often quoted by
heart the writings of the Apostle
Paul.
There are some who consider
the original text of the sermons
a “scriptural hodgepodge.” How-
ever, this does not reveal so much
a jumbling of Pauline writings
as an interiorization of Pauline
thought. The saintly Anthony
Mary had thought so much with-
in his soul that, although we cannot understand
where the “etc.” will lead, we are more than cer-
tain that a few quotes from Paul would enable the
Founder to continue his quoting by simply only
writing the note “etc.”
Pope Paul V spoke of our Holy Founder as “a great
figure…in the spirit of St. Paul.” Before Cardinal
Pacelli was elected Pope Pius XII, he too spoke of
St. Paul as being found in Anthony Mary: “in doc-
trine, in temperament, and intention of his aim.”
The doctrine that Cardinal Pacelli was concerned
36
 Reflections and Meditations
about is not just one but the entire thought of
Paul. The temperament of soul was their com-
mon humility and steadfastness in the Lord, while
the intention of his aim was the ongoing Pauline
metanoia within himself, his followers, and within
those to whom he preached. Cardinal Pacelli prob-
ably could have come to this above statement on
Anthony Mary from the decree of canonization
written by Pope Leo XIII, who says that Anthony
Mary “saw himself in St. Paul, as the important
author handed down, recreated ...”
Anthony Mary often called upon St. Paul as his fa-
ther. He could be likened to a child who listens
to his parents and follows the norms set by them.
Should anyone ask me which was, besides the Lord’s
grace, the secret of perfection which raised Anthony
Mary above all mean (temporal) things that surrounded
him, which was the star guiding him safely to the one
and only Infinite Beauty, I should reply that it was
his filial and operating love to the Apostle Paul. This
operating love is certainly the most evident and tangible
characteristic of the Founder.
It was Anthony Mary who placed the filial admira-
tion into his functioning form, therefore, allowing
to flow through his faith “the illuminating quality
of the Apostle of the Gentiles, which transforms
the light and ardor of his children.” Therefore, this
filial love and imitation became an operating force
within Anthony Mary not only to imitate St. Paul
but, rather, to live in St. Paul by having St. Paul to
continue to live through him.
We can, therefore, state clearly that the spiritual in-
fluence St. Paul had upon Anthony Mary’s interior
workings had gone beyond just an influence but
had become a lived reality. St. Anthony Mary could
most probably have paraphrased St. Paul, saying
that “it is no longer I who live but rather Paul who
lives in and through me.”
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
4.2 Exterior Manifestations
Within this area we wish to examine three aspects:
a) the preaching of Anthony Mary, b) the spiritual
direction offered by Anthony, c) an overall view of
his writings in general.
a) Preaching
There are some who preach by their words and
there are some who preach by their example. St.
Anthony Mary was a man who did both. As an ad-
olescent, after the Sunday Mass he “would gather
the servants and others in the house into the little
chapel... and from his heart, burning with love of
God, he would repeat the truths he heard in the
church and had meditated on himself. He not only
taught, but he lived St. Paul’s words on charity by
his disposition and heart full of compassion for
the needy, both spiritually and temporally.
It was during his first two years as a priest that he
preached in the small church of San Vitale. It was
here that he spoke of the truths of the faith, being
filled with the spirit of Paul the Apostle, in order to
bring others into a refining union with Christ. “Ev-
ery ardent word, incisive and profound, inspired
by Paul, nurtured intense love to Christ.”
The subject of the preaching was not always the
actual text of Paul’s epistles. When this was the
case, the various subjects were preached in light
of Paul’s teachings. “His speeches were based on
and included a large number of Paul’s sayings and
teachings.” However, “during feasts, Anthony Mary
held lectures on St. Paul’s epistles to a vast laity
that came to hear him.”
“He preached with the intense force of Paul, whom
he had diligently studied and communicated his
thoughts of reforming one’s life to Jesus Christ.”
In this way he delighted the populace, not in the
words of human wisdom, but in the divine words
of his Master and Guide, Paul the Apostle, for he
37
 Reflections and Meditations
preached the metanoia of Paul. Thus, “St. Paul ap-
pears as the great Master, the Doctor par excellence
for this is presented in his preaching.”
The Sermons of Anthony Mary were filled with cita-
tions from Paul. “His listeners often heard, with an
ardent spirit from Anthony Mary, the words of Paul
as if sung a song.” It was not just the citations but
the thought of Paul that prevailed in his preaching.
The best example is the Speech of October 4, 1534,
to his followers. It is so Pauline that it does not
seem to be as much Anthony speaking with Pau-
line thoughts, but rather Paul speaking using the
mouth of Anthony. Mary Many times we can see
that Anthony Mary insists that “Paul preaches to
them” (Letter IX).
b) Spiritual Direction
St. Anthony M. Zaccaria, as the Founder of three
distinctive Institutes, was the director of many
souls. Even before the foundation of the Angelic
Sisters of St. Paul, Anthony Mary was the spiritual
director of Countess Ludovica Torelli of Guastalla,
and those young girls placed under his charge it
was through St. Paul that he directed the souls
coming to him: “Delighted in his patron, guide,
and model, St. Paul was the stimulus to virtue and
Anthony Mary derived the majority of his direction
of souls from Paul’s words.”
In his direction to the Angelics, our Founder says,
“It is this that Paul preaches to them (the novices)
a Christ Crucified in every way: Crucified not only
in Himself but in them, too; and you beg them to
chew well this one word” (Letter IX). It is in this
that Anthony directed his daughters and Paul’s, not
to devour their needs, but rather Christ Crucified.
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
He was preparing them for the constant battle be-
tween the Flesh and the Spirit (Rom 8:1-8). Thus,
St. Anthony said that “It is not appropriate for
them to babble ... Similarly not to deny themselves
but to go after their desires, (which) would lead
them to death, because their desires are of the flesh
... it would pull them completely out of the desire
and life of Paul” (Letter IX).
For Paul, the renewed man is no longer subjected
to the law of the flesh but is under the grace of
the Spirit. Anthony Mary saw that for Paul it was
at the Resurrection that the Spirit-filled body of
Jesus became the life source of all who believed
and lived in Him (l Cor 15:45-49) and not in their
own selfish desires. However, since man, although
baptized, still lives in the flesh, there is a constant
struggle between the old and the new man.
For Anthony Mary, since man is coexisting in both
the Spirit and the flesh, he must learn to walk by
the Spirit (Gal 5:16-25) by listening to the law of
the Spirit (Rom 7:6; .8:9-17) and nourishing him-
self with the Eucharist (I Cor 10:1-4). Thus, for
Anthony Mary and Paul, man may now be in the
flesh but it is not totally under the flesh, but under
the Spirit since with the Christ-event of the cross
we have been initiated into the new mankind of
the Spirit.
When Fr. Bartholomew Ferrari was living and
preaching in Venice to spread the reform in that
city, he believed his mission to be a failure. An-
thony Mary’s words to the dejected Ferrari were
the following, “Be sure, then, that you will build,
on the foundations of Paul, structures neither of
hay nor of wood, but of gold and precious stones
38
 Reflections and Meditations
(I Cor 3:12)” (Letter VI). Supporting him with the
cross of Christ, Anthony Mary reminded him that
we are always victorious in Jesus (Rom 8:37-39).
Thus, Anthony Mary reassured Ferrari that the limit
of his success to reform was only limited to the ex-
tent to which the Crucified Lord, and therefore the
thoughts of Paul, preceded him.
A basic point of Anthony Mary’s spirituality and
his direction especially to the Angelic Sisters is the
typology of the old man of Adam and the new man
of Jesus Christ. From Paul, Anthony Mary sees that
through the Christ-event of the cross and the Res-
urrection, we are now partaking of a new mankind
in a new creation (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15). The old
has passed away and the new has dawned for those
who believe and live in Jesus and put on Christ.
Thus, for Anthony Mary, Paul was telling us that
to live for one’s own self is to live in the old man
of Adam to live in the flesh; yet, to live in the new
man of Jesus is to live and walk in the freedom of
the Spirit (Rom 6:15-19).
“Look, they are absent from meditation, or they
are always busy with exterior activities, or sleep in
late, or they are just lazy” (Letter IX). This direc-
tion to Angelic Negri was saying that these Sisters
nullify the new life found in Christ and His cross
by their lukewarmness (a disease that Anthony
Mary considers the greatest enemy of the cross).
He continues by comparing these poor souls to the
old man of Adam by calling it “Saul’s face.” Thus
Paul is referred to the old man in the time of his
conversion. Therefore, we hear again the entire call
of Anthony for a Pauline metanoia, a conversion, a
turning about. To partake of the divine life in the
Spirit, man must live in Jesus or die by his relation-
ship to Adam (I Cor 15:20-22).
As stated, Anthony Mary’s apostolate was to preach
a Pauline reform, a metanoia. Preaching can be
given through example. Therefore, Anthony Mary
said to the Angelic Negri in the same letter, “look
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
and see if when she talks she does not raven with-
out noticing you, touching every aspect of your life
... look and see, if when she leaves you she always
edifies you with a word” (Letter IX, 47-48). Based
upon Galatians 5:22-26, Anthony Mary saw that in
living in the Spirit, in walking in the Spirit (and
not in the flesh of the old man), the Church is
to be built up. Thus, in giving good example and
building up one another, the fruits of the Spirit will
flow forth abundantly. It is through these lived-out
fruits that the community preaches and, at the
same times, lives an ongoing Pauline metanoia.
Therefore, deriving his direction from Pauline
thought, Anthony Mary directed those who sought
him, and those who were under his charge to live
as one walking in the newness of the Spirit. How-
ever, because of the constant struggle between the
flesh and the Spirit, there is need for constant con-
version. Basically, this is a summation of the Pau-
line thought to be devoured by those who sought
the direction of Anthony M. Zaccaria, a priest of
the Apostle Paul (as he signed his name).
c) Writings in General
There are few existing writings of St. Anthony M.
Zaccaria. Perhaps it is that he only wrote down a
few things. However, those writings we do have
give us the spiritual orientation and doctrine of the
Holy Founder namely, they are Pauline in nature.
We can state this clearly for, as Fr. Colciago says,
“his discourses, as well his letters, were grounded
in and weaved with the doctrine and sayings of the
Apostle. In his letters he held a similar style to that
of Paul and these took on a Pauline spirit.” Antho-
ny Mary’s Sermon of October 4, 1534 to the fellow
members of his congregations, given in the face of
persecution, can be considered the saint’s “Magna
Carta”. It is in this that we have “more than enough
to prove that Paul represented the principal source
of the whole Zaccarian thought.” Our Saint used
the thoughts of St. Paul from 1Cor 4: 10-13; 2 Cor
39
 Reflections and Meditations
6:4’8; Rom 5:2-5; and 2 Tim 3:12 to build up the
morale of his followers in the face of this persecu-
tion. Like Paul, Anthony Mary exhorted his fol-
lowers not to think evil of their persecutors, for
evil can only be overcome by goodness (Rom 12:
14-21). The Founder called Paul the guide, patron,
and father of his followers throughout the sermon
and cited, directly or indirectly, various quotes
from the Apostle’s letters. At the conclusion of this
discourse, Anthony called his followers to fidelity
as children of Paul: “It would not be proper that in
the ranks of such a commander there would be sol-
diers who are cowards or traitors, and it would not
be proper that the sons of such a glorious Father
would be degenerate” (Sermon VII).
Throughout this sermon, and the Saint’s other
writings, there is a strong emphasis on Christ
Crucified. This is a central theme to both Paul and
Anthony Mary. It was in the cross of Christ that we
find the Christocentric Paulism of Anthony Mary.
It was the understanding of the Crucified Christ,
derived from Paul that he constantly set before his
spiritual children. This cross was the perfect cause
for the consummation of union with God and
must be recognized as the charism peculiar to St.
Anthony Mary.
Excluding his thoughts on Christ Crucified, six
principal points of Anthony Mary’s spirituality
are derived from his writings. These have been de-
duced from Saint Paul, for “the most used and best
expounded concepts are those taken from Paul’s
epistles.”
The first concept of Anthony Mary’s spirituality is
that of the Incarnation. It is Jesus Incarnate who
is the only one to restore man to the supernatural
order. It is through the Incarnation that Jesus be-
comes the Mediator between God and man. An-
thony Mary affirms this from Paul’s letters to the
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Philippians (2:7) and to the Romans (8:22,32),
and from the letter to the Hebrews (7:25) - which
at that time was attributed to Paul. This is especial-
ly reflected in the Sermons that often quote these
passages (Sermons I, IV, V, and VI).
The second area to be considered in the spirituality
of St. Anthony Mary is that of St. Paul’s typology of
the dead in the old man of Adam and the living of
the new man of Jesus Christ. In his second sermon
Anthony Mary said, “Sanctification means to put
off the old man - that is, the things of the past and
the vices - and to put on the new man,” (Sermon
III) for it is Paul who states directly that life is to be
rooted in Jesus (1 Cor 15:20-22). Anthony Mary
used this typology in his letter to Paola Antonia
Negri concerning the Angelic Sisters, “‘Behold
Saul,’ that is the face of our first man?” (Letter IX).
Here Anthony Mary applied the typology to Paul
before and after his conversion. From Paul’s letters
we also learn of a need of a renewal or metanoia. Al-
luding to the aforementioned typology of the two
men, Anthony sought this metanoia, this change of
heart or conversion of ways of his followers. This
metanoia that Saint Anthony Mary sought not only
of his own but of all, could be easily seen in his
Letter VII (using Rom 13:14 and 1 Tim 3:15) and
in his second sermon, in which Paul was often
quoted.
A fundamental idea of Saint Anthony Mary was
that of the theory of the two books of God.
From Romans 1:20 the Founder saw that the cos-
mic revelation and biblical revelations are mo-
ments, or rather movements, of God’s revealing
love for man. Creation (the first book), having
been obscured by sin, can only be reoriented to
its supernatural splendor through the redemption
won for us in Christ (the second book).
40
 Reflections and Meditations
Another aspect of the Pauline
spirituality seen in the writings
of Anthony M. Zaccaria is the
contrast of the slavery in the Old
Testament to the law as com-
pared to the freedom found in
the New Testament. St. Anthony
Mary said in his Sermon I that,
“Especially to us Christians ...
He has given a law of love, not of
fear; of freedom of the spirit, not
of slavery; and an inborn law in
our hearts” (Sermon I, p. 70). He
assumed this especially from the
letter to the Romans (2:5), from
Galatians (3:19-29; 4:1-7, 21-31)
and the first letter to the Corin-
thians (3:18). It is in this that we
are able to see a true profession
of faith in the redemptive work
of Jesus Christ.
Of all the thoughts given to us
from Paul, the most popular one
is that on charity taken from his
first letter to the Corinthians. St.
Anthony Mary, by no means,
was exempted from the effect of
this thirteenth chapter of Paul’s
letter upon him. It is the dyna-
mism of his apostolate. In An-
thony Mary’s Letter V V, he asked
the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul to
give “a proof of noble dedication
to Christ Crucified ... longing to
lead our neighbor to the attain-
ment of perfection” (Letter
Letter V
V).
However, it was in Sermon IV
that Anthony M. Zaccaria sum-
marized his though on charity:
Throughout the whole Scrip-
ture, my friend, you will find
that God sets up your neighbor
as an instrument to reach His
Majesty. Therefore, do you want
to climb to perfection? Do you
want to gain some souls? Do
you want to love God, be dear to
Him and be a good child of His?
Then, love your neighbor, orient
yourself toward your neighbor,
acquire a benevolent disposition
toward your neighbor, excluding
all malevolence (Sermon
Sermon IV
IV).
Charity, therefore, was one of
the most concrete aspects of Zac-
caria’s metanoia. One no longer
lives for oneself, but for God
manifested in living for one’s
neighbor. It is exactly in this
point that we unite ourselves to
Jesus and put on the new man
living in the freedom of the
Spirit. One fact must be pointed
out that is definitely seen in Let-
ter VII. The Barnabites and the
Angelics are called the sons and
daughters of Paul, stock of Paul.
It is also here that Anthony Mary
signs his name to this letter as
“Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Priest
of Paul the Apostle.”
Pope Pius XI attests that our
Holy Founder “has chosen as
patron and model the Apostle
Paul, faithfully embracing his
doctrines interiorly, especially
those to Christ Crucified.” We
41
 Reflections and Meditations
can affirm what the Holy Father and others have
said for we have seen the manifestation of such in
the writings of St. Anthony M. Zaccaria.
4.3 Christ Crucified and the Cross
In our study of the Paulism of Anthony M. Zaccaria
we must conclude with a point central to both
saints; namely, Christ Crucified. We have been say-
ing, directly or indirectly, that “the spirit of St.
Anthony M. Zaccaria is taken from St. Paul and
Jesus Crucified.” We must perceive that “the un-
derstanding of the Cross that St. Anthony Mary
had taken from St. Paul, the great master, and that
which he considered the perfect cause for the con-
summation of union with God ... must be recog-
nized as the charism peculiar to St. Anthony Mary.”
It is from this point of view that we wish to devote
this last section of our study to that of the spirit of
Christ Crucified found in Anthony Mary.
Just prior to and following the time of the Vatican
Council II, the emphasis had been placed on the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and rightly so. The
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Cross of Jesus has not been down-played; rather,
the two have somehow meshed together into one,
for the flower cannot bloom unless the seed dies.
“Paul lives in Jesus, the pioneer and the perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured
the cross. (Heb 12:1-2).” One must willingly ac-
cept the cross of Christ before one can enjoy the
new life of the Resurrection. However, one can
surely taste it in the victory of the cross. This is the
doctrine as derived from Paul which Anthony Mary
preached (Rom 6:1-8).
We can find the concept and the exact words of
“Christ Crucified on almost every page of An-
thony Mary’s writings. There are many writings
and sermons that Anthony Mary gave in the streets
of Cremona and Milan that are not available to
us today. Nevertheless, as a good follower of the
Apostle Paul, Anthony Mary preached Christ and
Christ Crucified,” for no follower of Paul can boast
anything other than Christ and His Cross. With the
works we do possess, we can see that “within every
42
 Reflections and Meditations
sermon of Anthony M. Zaccaria, he announced to
all Christ Crucified.”
As it has been stated earlier, preaching is not re-
stricted to oratory skills. It was Anthony Mary to
initiate the tolling of the church bells on Fridays to
remind the people that it was of the hour that their
Crucified Lord had died and won for them salva-
tion. Fra Bono would toll the bells of the church
“at three in the afternoon on Fridays to commem-
orate the Lord’s death, at which time Anthony
Mary’s men and Ludovica’s girls would gather in
the cathedral to meditate with heads bowed and
arms outstretched. “ Thus, in this sermon of activ-
ity, Anthony Mary was to preach the Paulism of
Christ Crucified without saying a single word yet
saying so much.
If we wish to give a summation of Anthony Mary
we could say that “To love the Cross and to imitate
the Cross was the work of Anthony M. Zaccaria”
This was the work given to Anthony Mary by Paul
- to be an imitator of Christ Crucified. Thus, in the
speech of October 4, 1534, “Anthony Mary under-
lined the Crucified Lord by exhorting the fourth
chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians ... exhort-
ing to give principally to the imitation of Christ
by embracing the evangelical vows and the virtues
together which is given to us in the Cross.” Thus, it
was in the cross of Christ that we find the Christo-
centric Paulism of Anthony Mary. It was the under-
standing of the Crucified Christ, derived from Paul
that he constantly set before his spiritual children
The Christian aim is perfection. It is for this state
of perfection that Anthony Mary set the cross be-
fore the eyes of his followers. “I promise you that
Christ Crucified will give you such a high degree of
perfection” (Letter X). The cross is the sign of the
most perfect charity. “There is no greater love than
this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend” (Jn 15:
13). Therefore, “with the cross in their heart, and
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
with an ardent desire for perfect identification with
Christ, the Angelics are able to run in the direction
of perfect charity.”
Here we see that the Angelic Sisters took to heart
Anthony Mary’s sermon on charity and the words
of his Letter II, which speak of the love of neigh-
bor, “Let us rush like mad men not only to God
(towards the cross), but also to our neighbor, for
he is the one who receives what we cannot give to
God” (Letter II). Anthony Mary sees the cross as the
mode of perfect love, for he looks upon the Lord
running to the cross, heedless of its shame, out of
His love for man (Heb 12:2).
In introducing a quote from a telegram to Father
General received from Pope Paul VI, which speaks
of Anthony Mary as “a restorer of the spiritual life
and apostolate in the spirit of St. Paul,” Fr. Andrea
Erba states “the message of the Gospel and of the
cross of Christ was incarnated into the life of An-
thony Mary.” Here the learned Barnabite historian
combines the message of the cross with the spiri-
tual renewal proposed through Paul. The constant
spiritual metanoia of Paul is of an on-going dying
to sin leading to the development of a virtuous life
in Christ. Therefore, “the love for, and the imita-
tion of Jesus Crucified was the principal intention
and constant end which he proposed to the chil-
dren in the practice of virtue.” Through Anthony
Mary’s combined studies of Paul and Thomas
Aquinas, he came to look upon the cross “as an
example of how to act...for the cross exemplifies
every virtue.” It was “in the cross and Christ Cruci-
fied that he indicated, to his sons and his Angelic
daughters, the glory to which they had to strive.”
Thus in seeking the virtuous life for his followers,
“Zaccaria wanted in the Barnabites the imitation of
Christ Crucified, the image of which is precisely the
means for attaining the engraving of the cross into
one’s heart.” We can, therefore, understand why
43
 Reflections and Meditations
the Holy Founder would wish to have the image of
the cross before the minds of his children prior to
every act. This also enhances the meditative action
of kneeling with arms outstretched as mentioned
earlier. It is from meditation and viewing the cross
that Anthony Mary and his children were able to
preach and live Christ Crucified for the purpose of
the spiritual reform of the times.
For Anthony Mary, like Paul, the cross became the
school from which to learn how to live the virtuous
life and the spiritual life. Anthony Mary could say,
“the cross will become an illumination and guide
for often he will say that Calvary is a great and sub-
lime school.” It is from the cross that we learn the
fundamental message of the Gospel and it is from
the cross that we learn how to live. When difficulty
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
or an occasion arises in our life to which we do
not know how to respond, Anthony Mary tells us
to “talk and chat in a familiar way - as you do with
me - with Christ Crucified, and ask him for advice”
(Letter III). In seeking this advice from the Christ
of the cross we respond virtuously to life; yet, at
the same time, it is the virtuous life that leads us
to the cross. “If you observe these things ... very
easily you will become close to the Crucified Lord
and the Cross” (ibid.). At the time of Paul, the cross
represented to the Gentiles folly and foolishness
The cross meant to them that human wisdom and
knowledge were powerless to save (1 Cor 1:18-25).
It was difficult Letter for them to see in the mystery
of the cross that man needs God’s help which He
gave in Jesus Crucified (1 Cor 2:1-2). “With a pro-
found love for Christ Crucified, derived from the
44
 Reflections and Meditations
school of the Apostle Paul,” Anthony Mary was to
preach the Pauline metanoia to the people of his
times and to come upon the same difficult Letter.
It was the “mystery of the cross as it penetrated St.
Anthony M. Zaccaria” that gave him the strength
of Paul to run the race of reforming the people of
his times.
Notice must be made of the habit of Anthony Mary
of printing a cross on every piece of his works. “The
sign of the cross was a habit of Zaccaria. In the
original texts, in the upper margins of every page
as inclusive to the title, the author traced the Greek
initials of Christ Crucified, followed by a small
cross” (IC.XC.+). Anthony Mary included Christ
Crucified in all his works, not only in words but in
design, and set it before him prior to each work as
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
a reminder to his audience, as well as to himself, of
what awaited them and the style of life that should
be led. This insignia also became a form of medita-
tion for Anthony Mary and it is “in following the
Apostle Paul which explains the banner of Christ
Crucified.”
“The Crucified Lord was for St. Anthony Mary an
object of assiduous meditation, but more of a liv-
ing affection.” This affection was lived out in his
apostolic activity, likened to that of Paul. “Both of
their energetic and vibrant souls have a love for
God, excited by the crucial reality of the Crucified
Lord ... that explains the majesty of their vast ap-
ostolic activity.” The apostolic activity of both St.
Paul and St. Anthony Mary would carry them and
their followers far from whom to preach Christ
45
 Reflections and Meditations
Crucified. Thus, Anthony Mary was able to say to
his spiritual children that “Christ Crucified soon
will send you to proclaim everywhere an energetic
spirituality and zealous spirit” (Letter
Letter V
V).
In living daily with Christ Crucified, Anthony Mary
identifies each of his followers with Christ Cruci-
fied. In so doing, Christ becomes again victorious
over sin in them. “A Christ Crucified in every way:
Crucified not only in himself but in them, too”
(Letter IX). This he addressed to the young novices
of the Angelic Sisters. “Therefore, for every voca-
tion it is necessary to participate in the sufferings
of Christ.”
Anthony Mary often writes about one disease that
not only affected the people of his age but also
that of today; namely, apathy or lukewarmness.
Anthony Mary abhors any form of tepidity within
anyone. “If by any chance you let lukewarmness
get hold of you, you will not become spiritual but,
sooner than you think, you will become carnal,
and, to use a more appropriate term, very fast you
will become like a Pharisee, rather than Christian
and spiritual” (Letter XI), (Gal 5:16-25). Thus, for
Anthony Mary “lukewarmness is the pestilence
and major enemy of Christ Crucified.”
It is Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli who truly captures
the connection between Anthony Mary’s devo-
tion to Paul and the devotion to Christ Crucified.
“I can sense in him, in his soul, the abounding
adora tion of Paul for Jesus, and Jesus Crucified.”
We can verify this through the writings of the Saint
himself. “Remember this: the one and the other
Blessed father (St. Paul and Fra Battista) ... have
given such a proof of noble dedication to Christ
Crucified ... that if we ourselves would not have
such an infinite desire for these things, we would
not consider ourselves his sons and daughters”
(Letter V). Again it is Cardinal Pacelli who tells us
Letter V
that Anthony Mary executed the doctrine of Paul.
It is the doctrine “which the Apostle judged there
The Paulism of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
is none greater; namely, Jesus and Jesus Crucified
as the power and wisdom of God.” Thus, it is Paul
who stands before Anthony Mary and the two have
Christ Crucified preceding them. “Before and dur-
ing your talk, Christ Crucified (and thus Paul) will
inspire and sustain you not only in every word but
also in every holy intention of yours” (Letter VI).
It is only in presenting the cross that the spiritual
reform of Paul can be preached in word and action
and, therefore, that Anthony Mary truly be an imi-
tator of Paul, “for presenting to all without distinc-
tion the way of the cross is as imitating the divine
model” found in Paul.
5. Conclusion
St. Anthony M. Zaccaria may have lived only 37
years. He may have left us few writings. However,
the depth of those years and those writings have
enriched and renewed numerous generations in
the spirit of St. Paul.
In identifying himself with the Apostle Paul, he
was able to perceive the mystery of Christ Crucified
and the message of the Gospel. It is this that he has
left us by presenting Paul. Through his understand-
ing of Paul, he was able to found two religious con-
gregations and a third order for the laity. Through
his understanding and devotion to Paul, he was
to grow with him in bringing about a desperately
 needed ongoing metanoia. It is through Paul that
Anthony Mary found his breath and his identity. It
is in his grasp of Paul that Anthony Mary has been
able to run towards the cross of Christ and to live
in its victory.
46
 Reflections and Meditations Spiritual Writings

Spiritual Writings

T
By Angelica Paola Antonia Negri
Translated by Sr. Rorivic P. Israel, ASP

o you who have been risen through grace, pierced by the sword of sorrow,
Reverend Fathers, Sons and Daughters of St. Paul: but now being transformed in an incomprehen-
“Surrexit
Surrexit Dominus vere. Alleluia!”
Alleluia! sible happiness,
in a celestial joy, and raised in the presence of the
Peace to you, O Fathers, and my sweetest sons and ineffable divinity,
daughters, rendering infinite thanks to the eternal Father?

Let us sing a new canticle to the Lord, Now, don’t you feel, or take delight in
because He manifested Himself gloriously. the contentment of those happy women,
Lo and behold today, glorious and risen, to whom He appeared, telling them:
He who slept and he who with death have “God saves you”?
been relegated, Don’t you hear the voice of the An-
He who was placed in the inferior gels,
lake, who announced His resurrection
in the dark place and the shadow of and said:
death, “Come and see the place where
Has returned to life! It is true, do they laid Him”?
not doubt! Don’t you feel within you a new
change, a new being?
Now, have you not heard of the On the occasion of the Don’t you feel being free from ev-
news that has reached us pro- 500 Anniversary of the
th ery turmoil
nounced by faithful voices? birth of Angelica Paola and make yourselves unleavened
And has your own conscience not bread,
testified to it,
Antonia Negri kneaded with the water of true sincer-
Which comes clear and bright as a revi- ity?
talizing, splendid Sun? Don’t you feel new desires, new ideas,
Don’t you feel the testimony of renewal and more joyful thoughts, more love for the cross to
change in your whole being and in all? the point of suffering,
… through which you see our Lord had been greatly
Now, should this not be an occasion for us to sing exalted?
and celebrate? …
Don’t you feel, each of you, O chaste hearts, Don’t you feel your hearts being lifted from the
The joy, the contentment, the sweetness, the rejoic- earth and drawn straight to God (…), who is in
ing, the satisfaction that he is risen within you? heaven and who lives in high places?
Will you not participate in the joy of the holy, Don’t you feel in your heart overwhelming charity
blessed, happy, but a short while ago, mournful that makes each burden light?
Mother?
Don’t you seem to see, and to be present in that So then, my sweetest sons and daughters,
very holy soul, because He is risen, and this is certain (…),
47
 Reflections and Meditations
should we not have an occasion to sing the new
canticle and rejoice like the disciples of our just
and risen Lord?
Let’s render ourselves worthy of the sweet greetings
of peace which He gives us,
and having fed yourselves of the true Lamb, (…)
I send you to Him… so that in every action
Christ may make you His true sheep
whom He sends among wolves, with all those gifts
and grace,
and with the charity and generosity
and the desire to win over your neighbor,
so that you may no longer be in the tomb
of your will and imperfections
and little desire to help in the works of the Blessed
Christ, with whom I leave you,
desirous of hearing your own resurrection,
and that you have been risen from the tomb.
Now…nothing more: consider the mystery
and confirm it each of you in your heart.
Greet each other in my name.
He is risen indeed! Alleuia!
Your servant in Christ Jesus,
A.P.A (Angelica Paola Antonia)
Taken from one of her spiritual writings
addressed to the Barnabites, the Angelic
Sisters, and the Laity of St. Paul.
Spiritual Writings
Biographical Notes:
Virginia Negri, an Angelic Sister of St. Paul,
was born in Castellanza, then a province of
Milan, Italy in 1508. (No precise date is
available.) In February 27, 1536, she received
the veil from the hands of the Holy Founder,
St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, who was also
then her confessor and spiritual director, and
took the name Paola Antonia for her great de-
votion to the Apostle Paul and in honor to St.
Anthony Abbot.
Angelica Paola Antonia Negri, a strong-willed
woman, revered as the “Divina Maestra” by
all her spiritual sons and daughters, and con-
sidered a saint, even by those who would later
become her adversaries, guided the three fami-
lies of the Barnabites, the Angelic Sisters, and
the Laity of St. Paul especially after the death
of their founder, St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria.
She died in Milan, Italy on April 4, 1555.
Sr. Donna Sr. Rorivic
Sr. Teresa Sr. Lilia
Angelic Sisters
48
 Outstanding Barnabites Saint Francis Xavier M. Bianchi

Saint Francis

S Xavier M. Bianchi
Written by Fr. Felix M. Sala, CRSP
Translated by Fr. Frank Papa, CRSP

AINT FRANCIS XAVIER M. BIANCHI.

was born in Arpino, Italy (1743-1815). He
joined the Congregation of the Barnabites, his
teachers. After his ordination he taught at the
University of Naples; then he zealously minis-
tered to the people by preaching and through
the Sacrament of Reconciliation, works of
mercy and spiritual direction of the clergy, reli-
gious and laity. Because of his apostolic zeal he
was called another “Philip Neri” and “Apostle
of Naples.” He was gifted with outstanding
charismatic gifts: he predicted Napoleon’s de-
feat in Russia and the return of Pope Pius VII
to Rome; he stopped the flow of lava when Ve-
suvius erupted; for years he endured “fire and
thorns” in his legs. Tirelessly he ministered with
fatherly care to the penitents lining up at his
door. He died in Naples on January 31, 1815.
His memorial is on January 30, not to interfere
with the one of St. John Bosco.

The Apostle of Naples from contemplation to action. Even in the final

Preface
If our love for St. Francis Bianchi does not impair
our judgment, we can affirm that all the requisites
desirable in a saint for our modern days are to be
found in him. His life of union with Christ reveals
his ascetic soul. Besides possessing the gift of
miracles, he also experienced the torment of excru-
ciating suffering and the joy of exhilarating ecstasy.
Being a positive and efficient individual, endowed
with the admirable faculty of easy adjustment to
given situations, he knew how to pass with ease
years of his life, he preserved intact the perennial
youth of his heart, reflected in his particular fond-
ness for the youth.
He manifested an inspiring kindness toward the
poor; still, he did not disdain the rich whom he
guided and directed in the ways of God. He be-
friended the simple and, at the same time, kept
a close contact with the nobility. With his intelli-
gence and perception, being accepted in both the
academic and simple circles, he was keenly aware
of all the problems which agitated his century.
49
 Outstanding Barnabites
He underwent the mortifications of an an-
chorite, that is, the mortifications of one who has
withdrawn from the world for the sake of religious
seclusion. At all times, however, he radiated a joy
which, even during the martyrdom of his illness,
knew no shadow.
He possessed the heart and sensitivity of a true art-
ist. He might have carved a lasting niche for himself
in this field had not the thirst of his soul induced
him to embrace the road of the apostolate.
The historical vicissitudes of his tempestuous
times, found an attentive and watchful spectator
in him. With the eye of a prophet, he followed the
rapid ascent of Napoleon, and predicted his defeat
and decline right up to that eventful year 1815
which saw the disappearance of the Napoleonic
greatness.
Agonizing in spirit, he accompanied the sorrow-
ful Way of the Cross of Pius VII, and foretold the
great sorrows the Pope was to endure, as well as
the peaceful triumphs which were to follow. King
Charles Emmanuel IV and the Venerable Clotilde
of Savoy, during the humiliating time of their exile,
were to find a consoling angel in him.
He raised his hand in benediction against the fury
of Vesuvius and amazingly stopped the flow of
the devastating lava. During a century highlighted
with anger and vengeance, and ravished with ha-
tred, he preached by his own example the word of
love which gives light and life to the world. Not
one event of his day found him either uninterested
or indifferent. He had his eyes keenly fixed upon
all the questions of his day and he evaluated each
individual with the care and prudence befitting a
man of God.
In an historical period which was defined barren,
superficial and anti-mystic, he renewed the vigor-
Saint Francis Xavier M. Bianchi
ous ardor and fervent impetus of the greatest lovers
of Christ.
By renouncing the world, he dominated it with
humility mixed with the wonder of a living love
for sacrifices. He was a man of his times but, above
all, he was a saint. Thus, truly a complete man; a
saint who still today generates a strong, kind, and
irresistible fascination among his devotees wishing
to be close to him just as those who were fortunate
enough to experience the joy of his nearness on
those streets of Naples which were the site of his
sleepless apostolate.
I. A BEAUTIFUL DAWN
St. Francis Xavier M. Bianchi was born in Arpino
on December 2, 1743. The child was baptized on
the following day. His parents, Carlo and Faustina
Morelli, gave him the names of Francis, Xavier,
Philip, and Justinian. .
Very little has been preserved of his childhood. He
grew up in an environment which was warm with
faith and resplendent with his father’s honesty and
his mother unusual virtues, from whom he was to
St. Francis Xavier M. Bianchi
Studied in Naples, Italy. Barnabite at age 14 over
the objections of his family. Ordained in 1767.
Served as the president of two colleges. Noted for
his endless ministry to the poor and neglected, his
work to prevent girls from turning to prostitution,
for his personal austerities, his gift of prophecy, and
as a miracle worker. Reported to have stopped the
flow of lava from Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy
in 1805. His health destroyed by overwork; late in
life he lost the use of his legs, but continued to work
with those who felt were worse off than himself.
When the Barnabites were expelled from Naples,
he had to be left behind due to his poor health, and
he died separated from his brothers.
50
 Outstanding Barnabites
learn tender love for God and neighbor, which was
to make him so amiable to all. It was from her ex-
ample that he developed a special love for the sick
and the poor. His mother transformed a section
of their home into a small hospital where several
beds were always prepared for the sick who lacked
assistance. If any of them died in her home, she
provided for the funeral and burial with care and
generosity.
II. THE DIVINE CALL
When he was twelve years old, he was entrusted to
the Barnabites who, in Arpino, directed the school
of Sts. Charles and Philip. He was barely thirteen
years of age when, among the students of theology
and philosophy, he was chosen to compose and
deliver a short sermon on the Patronage of the Vir-
gin Mary. The brief but well-placed pauses punc-
tuating his discourse surprised his listeners. There
was vigor and enthusiasm in all he was saying.
Above all there was his great love for the sorrowful
and good Mother Mary.
His companions nicknamed him Panciotto (chub-
by) because of his rosy and plump features. “Here
comes Panciotto!” they would be heard whisper-
ing in the places where groups gathered. With this,
the vulgar conversations in which they might have
been engaged came to an abrupt end.
Meanwhile, a mysterious and irresistible voice was
drawing the young man toward the Sanctuary. God
had placed his hand upon him and was saying to
him, “You are mine!” On March 26, 1757, the Bish-
op, who eight years before had made him soldier
of Christ in Confirmation, cut his hair and traced
the Tonsure upon his head. It was the young man’s
desire, however, to serve God in a Religious Family.
Although he was a disciple of the Barnabites, he
gave his preference for the Society of Jesus. He was
directed in this choice by his devotion to St. Fran-
cis Xavier, whose name he bore.
He made his plans known and there was opposi-
Saint Francis Xavier M. Bianchi
tion by his family. They agreed to his being a priest
but not to be a Religious. It was for this reason
that in order to dissuade him they sent Francis to
the diocesan seminary in Nola (outside Naples).
Francis obediently bowed his head in assent. God,
however, was to guide his elect in a manner very
different from that envisioned by humans.
III. IN THE SHADOW OF THE
SANCTUARY
God’s will manifested itself more clearly at Nola.
It was here that Francis met St. Alphonsus Liguori
who had come to preach the Spiritual Retreat to
the Seminarians. It was this saintly man who, very
decisively, induced the wavering Francis to em-
brace Religious Life.
His parents insisted he put aside his clerical habit
and go to Naples to enroll in the University law
school. Through friends, who had been ill-in-
formed, he was directed to a certain renting house
which continually resounded with disorderly
shouts, loud singing, and vulgar words. The meek
and saintly young man clearly and simply de-
scribed the director of the renting house as a “fine
deceitful fellow.” He was so uneasy here that he
became ill. Things went even so far that the money
his family had given him to buy books was stolen.
“It was then,” the young man wrote to his uncle,
a priest, “that I became visibly disturbed.” It was
his uncle who induced Francis’ parents to permit
him to return home. Confronted with his firm and
decisive determination, all opposition fell. A short
while later he was able to leave for the Novitiate of
the Barnabites in Zagarolo. He had a letter from the
Superior of the Barnabites in Arpino, who wrote of
him, “He is healthy and has a good complexion.
He is of sanguine nature and has a happy disposi-
tion. He presents a fine appearance and is of good
stature. He gives every indication of being skillful
and prudent. He has excellent natural talents. He
writes well. He is not scrupulous; is humble, deci-
sive, and frequents the Sacraments.”
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 Outstanding Barnabites
The year of his Novitiate passed quickly, and the
Fathers were able to testify that he was “a young
man of the highest saintly habits, very devout, and
humble, and possessing the greatest talents. He
gives clear indication of becoming a learned reli-
gious who will be a credit to the Congregation and
a great asset to his fellow men.”
On December 28, 1763, Francis swore fidelity to
his God in the perpetual observance of poverty,
chastity, and obedience. The voice of obedience de-
creed he immediately leave for Macerata where he
was to study philosophy and science. He remained
there from January, 1764 until October of the fol-
lowing year, at which time he experienced difficulty
with his lungs. In the spring of 1766, he journeyed
first to Arpino and then to Naples where he began
his theology and where he fully recovered.
He completed his sacred studies in Naples at St.
Charles alle Mortelle. On January 25, 1767, he
was ordained a priest. Four days later the newly
ordained ascended the altar to offer his first Eucha-
ristic Sacrifice.
IV. A PRIEST AND A TEACHER
In September 1767, he was assigned as a professor
of Humanities at the Barnabite school in Arpino.
Even from his teaching desk, in commenting upon
Latin and Italian authors, he knew how to radiate
Christ. He was more intent in educating than in
instructing, in forming hearts than in informing
minds. He knew how to enrich the teaching of the
usual subjects with a personal touch. Above all, he
never forgot he was a priest, and consequently he
alternated his ministry with his teaching, especially
by preaching the Word of God.
In the autumn of 1769 he was sent by his Supe-
riors to the college of St. Charles in Naples as a
professor of philosophy and mathematics to the
Saint Francis Xavier M. Bianchi
Barnabite seminarians. Because of the unfair laws
in the Kingdom of Naples, the Barnabites had been
compelled to concentrate both Novices and Scho-
lastics within the same dwelling.
On the evening of September 18, 1771, St. Francis
was in his cell with Domenico Ceraso, one of two
novices. Together, they were very devoutly alternat-
ing the recitation of the Psalms. The other novice,
Francis M. Castelli, was in agony at his father’s
house in St. Anastasia, where the Superiors had
sent him in the hope he might regain his health.
Unexpectedly God had manifested to St. Francis
what was happening at St. Anastasia. In spirit he
saw the suffering Castelli giving his last breath. In-
terrupting the recitation of the Psalms, he said to
Domenico, “Let us kneel and recite a De Profundis.
At this very moment Francis has passed away.” The
news which arrived the following day confirmed
the truthfulness of the Saint’s vision.
V. THE SUPERIOR
God was already beginning to manifest His mar-
vels in the newly-ordained priest who, with youth-
ful dedication, had committed himself to his two-
fold ministry in the Church and in the school.
In April 1773, Fr. Bianchi was elected Superior of
St. Mary in Cosmedin at Portanova. He got there at
a critical moment: the civil authorities were arbi-
trarily interfering in the election of his predecessor.
He had much to suffer and was compelled to face
great difficulties. With kindness and gentleness,
however, he was able to win the people to him-
self.
There were abuses which had to be removed. With
prudence and long-suffering patience, he was suc-
cessful in eradicating them, making some conces-
sions in form so as to obtain results in substance.
There were times when the work was oppressing. In
his correspondence dating to this period, frequent
reference to this fact can be found. “I must get out
52
 Outstanding Barnabites
of the maze of business ... “ “I am extremely busy,”
“I am filled to the brim with bothersome matters
...,” “It is very hot and there is always something
to be done ... “ At all times, however, one could
see how practical this man (who had always lived
among books) was given the assurance with which
he handled the thorniest matters.
VI. JOURNEYING THROUGHOUT
ITALY
The General Chapter of the Order assembled in
Milan in April 1779. St. Francis, together with the
Superior of St. Charles alle Mortelle was appoint-
ed to represent the Neapolitan Province. Before
starting off, he visited Sister Mary Frances of the
Five Wounds, the Neapolitan saintly mystic. His
spiritual daughter gave him words of wisdom and
suggested he record daily in detail what happened
during the trip. This would have kept him from the
dangers of dissipation.
St. Francis Bianchi stopping the
flow of lava from Mount Vesuvius
Saint Francis Xavier M. Bianchi
He left Naples on March 25, and reached Milan
on April 23. The fame of his doctrine and sanctity
had preceded him, and the aristocratic intelligen-
tsia gathered around this religious man who was
barely thirty-five at that time. He was elected sec-
retary of the Chapter. The new Superior General,
Fr. Scipione Peruzzini, wanted him as companion
during his visits to the communities in Lombardy,
Piedmont, Liguria, and Romagna. He thus trav-
eled from Turin to Genoa, from Pavia to Mantua,
proceeding as far as Venice. From there he arrived
in Bologna where the Barnabites had four houses.
Finally, after seven months absence, he returned to
Naples to take up once more the administration of
the Portanova community.
Thoughts of Sister Mary Frances of the Five Wounds
had accompanied him throughout his itinerary
and the protection of this saintly woman had been
a great help to him in some moments of danger.
There was, for instance, the time when he was
traveling in a public carriage with Father General
and others. Twilight had vanished. The coachman,
who was tired and sleepy, did not realize he was
dangerously close to the edge of a precipice. Sud-
denly the earth which had become soft owing to
recent rains, gave way. The carriage over-turned and
the occupants fell headlong into the deep hollow.
While cries of fear rose from the travelers, the Saint
invoked Sister Mary Frances. Truly it was an act of
Providence that all were unhurt. Yet how could
they find their way to the road again in that dark-
ness? And above all, how could they ever recover
the carriage and horses? Francis invoked once more
Sister Mary Frances’ help, and suddenly a young
man on a horse appeared. Descending into the
hole himself, he guided their way with a beaming
torch, thus making their climbing out easier. With
his strong arms he helped the horses out too, and
recovered the carriage. He then guided the travelers
to a nearby lodging-house. It just so happened at
53
 Outstanding Barnabites
that moment young missionaries were departing,
thus leaving the rooms free for the newly-arrived.
Francis was to learn later from Sister Mary Frances
that the Archangel Rafael had once again visibly
exerted his mission as Patron of Pilgrims.
VII. ST. MARY FRANCES OF THE
FIVE WOUNDS
It is time to say a few words about Sister Mary Fran-
ces of the Five Wounds and her relationship with
St. Francis. Francis used to say that God had be-
stowed three graces upon him: baptism, religious
vocation, and his acquaintance with Sister Mary
Frances.
This saintly woman exerted a tremendous and
decisive influence in Francis’ life. The friendship
between these two great souls dates from 1777:
Francis was 34 then, and St. Mary Frances was al-
ready 62. Their spiritual relationship which was to
last uninterrupted for 14 years, soon became a true
exercise of perfection. In this kind of friendship of-
ten the function and roles of teacher and disciple
blend together.
From Francis Xavier’s very first visit God spoke to
Sr. Mary Frances’ heart and revealed to her what
was Francis’ way toward holiness. Fr. Bianchi never
was her confessor, yet he was always told of all the
gifts God had enriched her soul with.
On the Fridays she would relive the pains of Christ’s
Passion, and often Francis was allowed to witness
the wondrous repetition of the pains of the suffer-
ing Christ. He experienced then a saintly jealousy
of that soul that was allowed to suffer because she
was united with Christ in a most perfect love. At
times the saintly Sister, who had a prophetic gift,
predicted things that were to happen. She laid her
hand on his knee once and said, “Oh, how these
legs will suffer!” Another time she foretold him
the unjust Napoleonic suppression of Religious
Orders.
Saint Francis Xavier M. Bianchi
While celebrating Mass, St. Francis noticed more
than once that the wine he had poured in the chal-
ice had visibly diminished and that the small parti-
cle of the Sacred Host which he had allowed to rest
in the chalice according to rite had disappeared. At
first he ascribed these facts to distraction or even
to imagination. But he had to convince himself
the fact was true, having a mysterious explanation:
Sister Mary Frances, who was ill, was nevertheless
present in spirit when he celebrated the Divine
Sacrifice and received Holy Communion from
angelic hands. From that time on, Francis often
placed besides the large host a small particle which
would disappear wondrously after Consecration to
satisfy the saint’s hunger for Jesus.
It often happened that while the two were engaged
in a sacred conversation, Sr. Mary Frances would
suddenly fall in ecstasy. The Archangel Rafael ap-
peared visibly to her and invisibly to St. Francis
who could perceive a heavenly fragrance. It also
happened that while Francis was speaking of the
miseries he was hoping to alleviate and of the little
money he had to do this, rolls of golden coins
wondrously appeared at the feet of the Crucifix.
One day the Saint dared ask his privileged friend
to obtain permission from God to contemplate
the temporary sufferings of Purgatory. St. Mary
Frances started praying and shortly afterwards
Francis could see the purging souls. While he was
still alive, God revealed to Francis the future glory
of his faithful servant, and allowed him to see her
soul ascending to heaven in a radiant beauty be-
yond human imagining.
Such friendship between two great souls is not un-
usual. We just need remember St. Jerome and St.
Paul; St. Francis of Assisi and St. Claire; St. Therese
and St. John of the Cross; St. Frances de Chantal
and St. Francis de Sales. St. Francis Xavier M. Bian-
chi owes his ascent to the summit of perfection to
his encounter with St. Frances of the Five Wounds.
54
 Outstanding Barnabites
R
St. Francis Xavier M. Bianchi’s Ascetical Writings
EFLECTIONS
Our Hope
King David placed all the trust of his salvation in
his future Redeemer and said, “Into your hands I
commend my spirit; you will redeem me, LORD,
faithful God” (Ps 31:60). Now, how much more
should you put your trust in Jesus Christ, since He
has already come and has brought Redemption to
its completion? Therefore, with greater trust each
one of us must say and always repeat, “Into your
hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me,
LORD, faithful God.”
If we have serious reasons to fear the eternal death
because of the offenses against God, we have, on
the other hand, much greater reasons to hope for
eternal life in the merits of Jesus Christ, which
have an infinitely superior value for our salvation
than the value would our sins make us lose. We
have sinned and we have merited hell; but our Re-
deemer has come to load on himself all our faults
to satisfy with his suffering, “It was our infirmities
that He bore, our sufferings that He endured” (Is
53:4).
Saved by the Blood of Christ
In the very unhappy moment when we sinned, the
eternal death penalty was written by God against
us; but what did our merciful Redeemer do? “Oblit-
erating the bond against us ..., He also removed it
from our midst, nailing it to the cross” (Col 2:14).
With His blood he canceled the decree of our con-
viction and then nailed it to the cross, so that we,
looking at the sentence of our damnation because
of the sins committed, would look at the same time
at the cross where Jesus Christ, dying, has canceled
it with his blood, and so we would regain the hope
of pardon and of the eternal salvation.
St. Francis Xavier M. Bianchi’s Ascetical Writings
Translated by Fr. Frank Papa, CRSP
The Great Confidence We Should Have
In The Love Shown Us By Jesus Christ
In All That He Has Done For Us
Oh! How much better spokesman is for us, as it
obtains for us the divine mercy, the blood of Jesus
Christ than what was the blood of Abel against
Cain, “And Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more elo-
quently than that of Abel” (Heb 12:24). As if the
Apostle would say: Oh! Happy you sinners who,
after the sin, have made recourse to Jesus Crucified,
who has shed all His blood to become a mediator
of peace between the sinners and God, and obtain
pardon for them. Your iniquities cry aloud against
you, but the blood of the Redeemer pleads in your
behalf, and at the voice of this blood the divine
justice cannot stand placated.
Christ Is Our Judge
It is true that the account of our sins we have to
give to the eternal judge is very rigorous. But who
will be our judge? “The Father… has given all judg-
ment to his Son” (Jn 5:22). Let us be consoled: the
eternal Father has entrusted our judgment to the
same Redeemer. Hence, St. Paul encourages us say-
ing, “Who will condemn? It is Christ (Jesus) who
died...., who indeed intercedes for us” (Rom 8:
34). Who is the judge who should condemn us?
It is that same Savior who, not to condemn us to
eternal death, wanted to condemn himself and
has died; and not satisfied with it, now in heaven
He continues to procure our salvation in front of
His Father. Hence, St. Thomas of Villanova writes,
“What do you fear, o sinner, if you abhor your sin?
How could He condemn you the one who dies not
55
 Outstanding Barnabites
to condemn you? How could He chase you away, if
you return at His feet, the one who has come from
heaven to search for you, when you were running
away from Him?”
Confidence in Christ Crucified
If we are afraid because of our weakness to fall at
the assaults by our enemies against whom we have
to fight, this is what we have to do. As the Apostle
warns us, “Let us rid ourselves of every burden and
sin that clings to us and persevere in running the
race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed
on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the
sake of the joy that lay before Him, He endured
the cross, despising its shame” (Heb 12:1-2). With
high spirit let us go to the fight, gazing on Jesus
Crucified who from His cross offers us His help,
the victory, and the crown. In the past, we have fall-
en because we have omitted to gaze on the wounds
and outrages suffered by our Redeemer. We have
not made recourse to Him to receive His help. But,
in the future we will keep in front of our eyes what
He has suffered for love of us and how He is ready
to come to our aid, and to Him we make recourse,
for sure we are not going to be overcome by our
enemies. St. Teresa, with her very generous heart,
used to say, “It is not my intention to tremble to
the devil; where we can say ‘God, God’ and make
him tremble.”
Instead, the Saint used to say, if we do not put all
our trust in God, all our shrewdness will be good
for nothing. “All our shrewdness,” these are her
words, “are of little help if, taken all confidence
completely away from us, we do not put it in
God.”
The Passion of Christ and the Sacrament of the Altar
Oh! What great mysteries of hope and love are for
us the passion of Jesus Christ and the sacrament of
the altar! They are mysteries which, if not assured
by faith, who could believe them? An omnipotent
St. Francis Xavier M. Bianchi’s Ascetical Writings
God wanting to become man, shed all His blood
and died out of pain on a cross; and why? To pay
for our sins and save us, rebel worms! And then
wanting to give us that very body of His as food,
one day sacrificed for us on the cross, so that He
could be totally united with us! Oh God! These
two mysteries should turn to ashes out of love
all the hearts of men. And which sinner, as dis-
solute as he might be, could despair of pardon
if he repents of the evil done as he sees a God in
love with men and inclined to do them good? So
everything with trust, St. Bonaventure used to say,
“How could the one who has done and suffered
so much to save me deny me the graces needed for
salvation?” “So let us confidently approach the
throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace
for timely help” (Heb 4:16), the Apostle exhorts
us. The throne of grace is the cross where Jesus sits
as if on His throne to dispense graces and mercy
to whoever makes recourse to Him. But we have
to make this recourse often, now that we can find
the right help for our salvation. Perhaps there will
be a time when we could not find it anymore. Let
us go, then, in haste to embrace the cross of Jesus
Christ, and let us go to it with great confidence. Let
us not lose heart because of our miseries. In Jesus
Crucified we will find every richness and grace for
us. “In Him you were enriched in every way, ... so
that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift” (1 Cor
1:5-7). The merits of Jesus Christ have enriched us
with the divine treasures and have made us capable
of any grace we might desire.
In Jesus We Are Given All Graces
St. Leo says that Jesus with His death has brought
us greater good than the damage brought by the
devil with sin. And this affirms what St. Paul had
said before, that the gift of Redemption has been
greater than the sin. Grace has surpassed the crime.
“The gift is not like the transgression ... where sin
increased grace overflowed all the more” (Rom 5:
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 Outstanding Barnabites
15-20). Hence, the Savior encouraged us to hope
for any favor and any grace out of His merits. And
this is how He taught us the way to obtain whatev-
er we want from His eternal Father, “Amen, amen,
I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my
name He will give you” (In 16:23), “When,” He
says, “you desire something, ask my Father in my
name, and I promise you it will be granted to you.”
But how could the Father deny us any grace if He
has been the one to give us His only Son, whom He
loves as himself? “He who did not spare His own
Son but handed Him over for us all, how will He
not also give us everything else along with Him?”
(Rom 8:32). The Apostle says “all”; so no grace is
emphasized, nor the pardon, nor perseverance, nor
the holy love, nor perfection, nor paradise: gave us
everything. But we have to pray to Him. God is
infinitely merciful with those who pray to Him.
“Enriching all who call upon Him” (Rom 10:12).
Here the Saint adds a note, “I would like to add
here many other beautiful thoughts written by the
Venerable. John of Avila in his letters, about the
confidence we should have in the merits of Jesus
Christ.”
The Blood of Christ Repairs Our Faults
Do not forget that between the eternal Father and
us there is Jesus Christ as mediator. Therefore, we
are loved and we are bound by ties of love so strong
that no fault could untie them, if man does not
break them through some mortal fault. The blood
of Christ screams, asking mercy for us and screams
so that the noise of our sins is not heard. The death
of Jesus Christ has made our faults die. “O death!
Where is your sting?” (Hos 13:14). Those who get
lost, are lost not because of lack of satisfaction,
but because they do not want to take advantage,
through the sacraments, of the satisfaction given
by Jesus Christ. Jesus remedied for us as if He had
to do for himself, so that our sins, although He did
not commit any, He has claimed them as His own,
and has asked pardon for them, as if praying for
himself, so that all those who wanted to come clos-
St. Francis Xavier M. Bianchi’s Ascetical Writings
er to Him would be loved. And as He has asked for
it, so He has obtained it, because God has disposed
for Jesus and us to be so intimately united in one,
that both He and us would be loved, and He and
us would be hated. Since Jesus is not hated and
cannot be hated, in the same way, if we are bound
to Jesus through love we, too, are loved. Since He
is loved by God we, too, are loved. It is more valu-
able for Jesus Christ to make sure that we are loved,
than be hated, while the eternal Father loves the
Son more than He hates the sinners.
The Greater Love Overcomes the Minor Hate
Jesus says to the Father, “Father, I wish that where
I am, they also may be with me” (In 17:24). The
greater love overcame the minor hate, and so we
have been forgiven and loved, sure of never being
abandoned, since there is such a strong bound of
love. The Lord says through the Prophet Isaiah,
“Can a mother forget her infant ... ? Even should
she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the
palms of my hands I have written your name” (Is
49: 15-16). He has written us on His hands with
His blood. Therefore, we should not be upset for
any reason, while everything is disposed by those
hands which have been nailed to the cross as a tes-
timony of the love He has for us.
Jesus Is Our Advocate
Nothing can terrify us as much as Jesus Christ can
give us trust. May I be surrounded by all the sins
I have committed, by the fears of the future, the
demons may accuse me and try to ensnare me, beg-
ging mercy from a whole gracious Jesus Christ, my
lover until death. I cannot but trust, as I see myself
valued so much that a God has given himself up
for me. O my Jesus, safe refuge for those who, in
the midst of the storm, make recourse to you! O
watchful shepherd, will be deceived the one who
does not trust you, although he wants to amend.
This is why you said, “It is I! Don’t be afraid. I am
the one to suffer and to console. Sometimes I give
57
 Outstanding Barnabites
desolation to some, so that it seems they are in
hell, but then I free them and lift them up. I am
your advocate who has taken up your cause as my
own. I am your guarantor who has come to pay
your debts. I am your Lord who has redeemed you
with my blood, not to abandon you, but to enrich
you, having ransomed you at a great price. How
could I flee from those who are looking for me, as
I have gone towards those who were looking for
me to insult me? I did not turn my face away from
those who were hitting me; would I turn it from
the one who wants to adore me? How could my
children doubt that I love them, as they see me
in the hands of my enemies out of love for them?
Who in the world have I despised, and he has loved
me? Whom did I ever abandon who has asked for
my help? I am even looking for those who do not
look for me.”
If you believe that the eternal Father has donated
his Son, then believe that He will even donate to
you everything else since it is all much less than
the Son. Don’t you ever think that Jesus Christ has
forgotten you while, in memory of His love, He has
left you the greatest pledge He could have: He him-
self in the Sacrament of the altar.
FEELINGS OF LOVE AND PRAYERS
Oh! My Jesus, I Love You
Oh! My Jesus, my love, what beautiful hopes your
passion gives me. How could I be afraid not to
receive the forgiveness of my sins, paradise, and
all the needed graces from an omnipotent God
who has given me the whole of His blood? Oh!
My Jesus, my hope and my love! Not to lose me
you have wanted to lose your life. I love you above
every good, my Redeemer and my God, you have
given the whole of yourself to me, and I give you
the whole of my will, and with this I repeat that I
love you, I love you, I love you; and I want to re-
peat it all the time: I love you, I love you. I want to
say so my whole life long and I want to die giving
my last breath with these dear words on my lips,
St. Francis Xavier M. Bianchi’s Ascetical Writings
“My God, I love you,” to start at that moment a
continuous act of love to last in eternity without
ever stopping loving you. I love you, then, and
because I love you, I repent for having offended
you so much. Wretch me! Not to lose a brief satis-
faction, I have wanted so many times to lose you,
my infinite goodness! This thought torments me
more than any penalty; but I am comforted by the
thought that I am dealing with an infinite bounty
which does not know how to despise a heart who
loves Him. Oh, could I die for you who have died
for me! My dear Redeemer, I surely hope from you
eternal salvation in the other life, and in this one
I hope for holy perseverance in your love. This is
why I propose to keep asking you for it all the time.
And you, through the merits of your death, grant
me the perseverance to keep praying to you. This I
ask and I hope from you, Mary, my Queen.
Virgin Mary, My Mother, Mother of My Lord
Virgin Mary, my mother, to you, the mother of my
Lord, sovereign of the world and Virgin of para-
dise, the advocate, hope, refuge of sinners, I, the
most miserable of all, make recourse to you today.
I honor you, my queen, and I thank you for all the
graces granted me so far, especially for freeing me
so many times from the hell I had deserved. I love
you, my most lovable Lady, and because of the
love I have for you I promise to want to serve you,
to live and die at your feet; after Jesus, my sweet
Savior, I entrust my hope and firm trust of salva-
tion in you, my dear mother. Accept me now as
your servant and son; receive me under the mantle
of your sure protection. I desire nothing else from
you but a solid, constant, and tender love for Jesus
Christ. Obtain for me a great purity of mind and
body, hate for the world, horror for any evil, love
for holy virtues. I beg to obtain for me the strength
to resist any temptation by my enemies; allow me
to lead a life as a true servant of yours, humble,
chaste, and patient, detached from this world, and
from all creatures. My dear mother, I am your son,
58
 Outstanding Barnabites
do not leave me until you see me already safe in
heaven. Meantime, give me your maternal blessing
to confirm it for all eternity in paradise, where you
reign. Amen.
Three Glory Be, with: Blessed be the most holy and
purest Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
St. Francis Xavier M. Bianchi’s Ascetical Writings
Virgin and Mother of God, always immaculate and
most merciful Mary, my mother, with your power-
ful intercession secure that I and all creatures may
know and always love Jesus Christ, your most be-
loved Son.
Salve Regina
Saint Francis
Xavier M. Bianchi
59
Anthony’s Angels Choices

Anthony’s Angels
Elizabeth Gambino Choices Theresa Marlin

Love for the Eucharisrt

Choices are very important. Some are not so important,
such as what to wear or eat, but others can affect our
future. Here are some examples of good and better choices..

60
Anthony’s Angels Choices

Clueless Clare’s Choices

Here is an example of a girl who struggles to figure out

what is best for her. What do you think of her choices?

61
Anthony’s Angels
u iz
e q
i c
C ho Now, it’s time to find out how much you’ve
learned. Try our quiz to see if you’re a
smart choice maker.
1. You go to a store. You see a candy bar lying
at the entrance. A little boy is crying for his
candy bar because he can’t find it. You:
a. Leave it where it is- You’re too lazy to
give it to him.
b. Give him his candy bar.
c. Keep it- finders, keepers, losers,
weepers!
2. The new kid at school is getting bullied. You:
a. Stand on the sidelines and watch.
b. Go stand up for him. You know what it
feels like to be bullied!
c. Join in! It’s been a long time since
you’ve gotten to bully someone!
3. Your mom is away for the night. You’ve just
woken up and you’re really hungry. Your
mom always tells you to feed your cat first,
but you really don’t want too, because you’re
REALLY hungry. You:
a. Put toast in the toaster, get some eggs
frying, and feed your cat.
b. Feed him right away.
c. Take time to eat a leisurely breakfast,
email a friend, then go feed your cat.
Choices
4. You watch your best friend steal a yoyo. Then,
an announcement comes over the intercom
asking if anyone know the whereabouts of the
yoyo. You:
a. Send a cryptic message saying you
know about it.
b. Say that you saw your friend took it,
and give a detailed description of your
friend, then tell your friend how bad
stealing is.
c. Ignore it- friendship is better than
doing good- good is for sissies!
5. You have a feeling that you have a calling to
be a priest or a sister. You:
a. Make a little effort to find about it, but
it doesn’t really matter to you.
b. Speak to a priest or sister about getting
into seminaries and convents.
c. Ignore it and read about other careers
hoping that you aren’t supposed be a
priest or sister.
SCORE
Mostly A’s- You could still use a little work, though
you’re definitely on the way!
Mostly B’s- You’re a very good choice maker! Keep up
the good work!
Mostly C’s- You could still use a lot of work. Try to
really figure out what would be best.
62
 Each man should give
what he has decided
not reluctantly or
in his heart to give, under compulsion,

for GOD loves a cheerful giver.

(2 Corinthians 9:7)

Sponsors
Primo & Ida Baggio Joseph M. Hollister Frank & Dolores Stummer
Kenneth J. Dahms Virginia McDermott Antonietta Toscano
Greg & Mary Gambino Maria Ramos 2064design
Fran Stahlecker
We would like to thank all our the generous patrons for their
prayers and support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
 ������������
1502–1539 2008
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Barnabite Spiritual Center Newsletter
The Clerics Regular of Saint Paul • BARNABITES
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