St. Anthony Countdown: Prayer for Control of the Tongue

Happy Corpus Christi, everyone!

If you ever have the chance to visit Padua in Italy, you must stop by the Basilica, because it houses the preserved vocal chords and tongue of St. Anthony. The summer after I graduated from High School, I had taken a trip to Italy, but since I was an atheist at the time, I didn't really enjoy the A-B-C tour...(aka, "Another Basilica or Cathedral" tour). I was of the view that everything could be explained via science and anything that fell out of that realm was pure superstition. At first I didn't believe my ears when I was told that St. Anthony's vocal chords were "miraculously" preserved....but when I was begrudingly taken into the Basilica and my family coerced me to pass by the Holy Relic, my incredulity was suspended. Perhaps it was through divine grace and St. Anthony's intervention that I came to consider that perhaps some things in this world can't be explained by science. Even though it would be two years before I came to accept Christ as my savior once again and came back to the Church, I did begin to believe in a God by the end of that trip to Italy. I can't help but think that it was via St. Anthony's intercession (not to mention the invercession of Sts. Clare and Francis, for I also visited Assisi on that trip) that I began my faith journey back to the Church. Hence, related to St. Anthony's tongue, here is a prayer to St. Anthony for control of the tongue. This is a prayer which I plan on using quite frequently!

PRAYER FOR CONTROL OF THE TONGUE

Dear St. Anthony, once again I greet thee and thank thee for thy readiness to come to my aid in my necessity. Slowly and surely my disposition improves. Thou has helped me to understand that my real fault lay in pride, preoccupation with myself, and lack of real concern for others. Now that I see this more clearly, thanks be to God, I do not think of myself as so hopeless. Thou used thy tongue to give praise to God, to preach in defense of the Faith and bring His message of salvation to sinners and to call down the blessings of Heaven on others. Please continue to help me so that I may use my tongue rightly, to be charitable when speaking of others and to others, to be ever ready to support them rather than wound them.

Because of thy powerful intercession with God, I am confident that thou wilt continue to assist me in my daily work. In the Name of Our Lord, Jesus, I ask thy aid. Amen.

Pray for us, St. Anthony, that we may be made worthy of Christ.