February 24, Second Sunday of Lent
Illustrations include the Belludi chapel in Padua; Luca invoking St. Anthony's intercession; and the saint and his disciple.
BLESSED LUCA BELLUDI (Italy, 1200-1285)
Franciscan priest, Disciple and Companion of St. Anthony of Padua
Tradition says that Luca, a young noble student at the University of Padua, walked up to Anthony after
hearing him preach and asked to join the Franciscans, and that Anthony was so impressed by him that
he eventually had him ordained by St. Francis himself. In any case, he became Anthony's devoted
companion in his travels and preaching for the rest of his life. After Anthony died, Luca was named
to succeed him as head of the Franciscans in Padua and he started to build the basilica in his honor. But
a local tyrant took over Padua and Luca was exiled. He is said to have asked for Anthony's intercession
to liberate the city. He came back to continue building the basilica, founded other monasteries and carried
on St. Anthony's work for another 30 years. He was credited with working miracles like Anthony did, and
when he died, he was buried in the same tomb as Anthony. His remains were separated only in 1971, and
are now kept in the Belludi chapel of the Basilica in Padua. An inscription said of him: “Disciple and
companion of St. Anthony, he was a truly learned man, most excellent of preachers, and in his teaching
and life little different from his master". Always called 'Beato Luca' since his death, he was not formally
beatified until 1927.
Readings for today's Mass: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022413.cfm
AT THE VATICAN TODAY
Benedict XVI leads his last Angelus as Pope - Fittingly, today's Gospel is on the Transfiguration, and
as he thanked the faithful for their prayers and affection, saying the Gospel was an invitation for man
to continually 'ascend the mountain' to meet God. He said that he felt called by God to make this ascent
in order to dedicate himself even more to prayer and to meditation. But, he said, "this does not mean
avandoning the Church. Rather, if God asks this of me, it is so that I may continue to serve the Church
with the same dedication and the same love with which I have sought to do but in a way that is more
appropriate to my age and my remaining strengths".