Miracle of the Fish | Saint Anthony of Padua to the city of Rimini

Once Anthony had travelled to the city of Rimini because it was a hotbed of heresy. The city leaders had ordered everyone to ignore him, so no one turned up for his homilies. Wherever Anthony went, he was greeted by silence.

Anthony walked along praying and reflecting upon what had happened. As he walked outside of the town, he came to the mouth of the Marecchia River where it flows into the Adriatic. There he began to address the crowds, not of people but of fish.

He called out, “You, fish of the river and sea, listen to the Word of God because the heretics do not wish to hear it.” Suddenly there were thousands of fish neatly arranged in rows, all pushing their heads through the surface of the water as if they were straining to listen to every one of Anthony’s words.

The people of Rimini, seeing this miracle, gathered to listen to Anthony. What began with simple interest in an extraordinary event turned into a passionate conviction that Anthony was speaking to their very hearts. At the end of his sermon, the Saint blessed them and they swam away. In the meantime, so deep was the impression made upon the onlookers that many hurried back to the city imploring their friends to come and see the miracle, while others burst into tears asking forgiveness. Soon after a great multitude gathered around the Saint, who exhorted them to turn back to God. So through this sermon, the city of Rimini was purged of heresy.

𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

With this miracle Anthony is, in a certain sense, addressing all of us. He is asking us, “Are you real Christians?” One of the most important things to understand about Christianity is that it is not primarily a philosophy, or a system of ethics, or a religious ideology, and not even a cult. IT IS A RELATIONSHIP. A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. To be a Christian is to know Christ as our friend. Jesus stands at the door of our hearts and he is knocking. He is awaiting a response. He wants to come in and be part of our lives. Have we opened the door or are we still waiting?