July 5 | Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine being a brilliant, highly successful young doctor living in the early 1500s. You have your entire life ahead of you, a prestigious and respected career, and the incredible skills to heal the sick and serve the poor.

But deep down, you realize that the people around you need an entirely different kind of healing. You decide to trade your successful medical career to become a priest. Then, on the most important day of your life, the day of your very first ordained mass, something absolutely impossible happens. As you begin the consecration, a blinding supernatural light suddenly surrounds the altar. And if that isn't mind-blowing enough, angels physically appear right there in the church, with many people witnessing and testifying to this miraculous event.

Today, we are talking about the patron saint of physicians, St. Anthony Mary Zachariah. To really understand Anthony, we have to start at the beginning. He was born in the year 1502 in Cremona, located in the Duchy of Milan, modern-day Italy. His father died when Anthony was just a baby, leaving his mother as a widow. But his mom dedicated her entire life to raising and teaching him, and Anthony grew up to be a super smart and driven guy. He traveled to Padua to study philosophy, and was so brilliant that he completed his medical doctorate by the time he was only 22 years old.

For a few years, he used his incredible medical talents to work and serve the poor, but God had a different plan. During his time working as a doctor, Anthony felt this overwhelming, strong attraction to the religious life. He realized he didn't just want to heal bodies, he wanted to heal souls. So, he made a massive life change and was ordained as a priest at the age of 26.

And that brings us back to that absolutely fascinating and dramatic moment at his very first Mass. During the consecration of the Eucharist, a supernatural light surrounded the altar, and angels literally appeared. Imagine being in the pews that day. Many people testified to witnessing this mind-blowing miracle both during and after his life.

After his ordination, Anthony didn't just sit around. The church was going through the Protestant Reformation, and Anthony became an early, passionate reformer of the Catholic Church. He went out into the streets of his hometown of Cremona and boldly preached to the crowds. He called people to repentance and wasn't afraid to put himself out there, often performing intense acts of public penance to show people how serious he was about faith. He was a natural leader who wanted everyone to get involved. He actually founded three entirely different religious congregations.

One for men, one for women, and, this was super unique for the time, one specifically for married couples. All three of these groups were totally devoted to reforming society and the church. The men's congregation he started is still around today, and is known as the Barnabites.

St. Anthony also introduced some really cool traditions that completely changed how people worshipped. He strongly encouraged people to receive communion frequently, which wasn't common back then. He also promoted the 40 hours devotion, which is a special period of continuous prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. And he started an awesome tradition of having the church bells ring out loud at 3 p.m. every single Friday. Why? To remind everyone to pause and remember the exact hour that Jesus died on the cross. His intense, bold example led to the spiritual reform of so many people.

Sadly, Anthony's life was a sprint, not a marathon. While he was out on a mission, working tirelessly to spread God's word, he became very ill. Knowing his time was short, he returned home to see the mother who had sacrificed so much to raise him.

Soon after making it home, he passed away on July 5, 1539, at the very young age of 36, packing more into his 36 years than most people could in a hundred. In 1897, Pope Leo XIII officially canonized him as a saint.

So, what can you take away from St. Anthony's epic life today? Anthony was the one who encouraged church bells to ring at 3 p.m. on Fridays to remind people to pray and remember Jesus' sacrifice. Since most of us don't live next to loud church bells anymore, grab your smartphone or watch right now. Set a recurring weekly alarm for exactly 3 p.m. every single Friday. You can even label it St. Anthony. When that alarm goes off, no matter where you are, walking home from school, at sports, or hanging out with friends, don't just swipe it away.

Take a 30-second silent pause to pray, thank Jesus for his love, and remember the young doctor who gave up everything to heal the world. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.