t, made him much more
pleasing to God than anything else. For God loves humble people, who are
willing to do His Will, instead of choosing for themselves.

Seeing that God wanted his life rather than his death, St. Antony
decided to go back to his own country and become as strong and well as
possible. So he set sail. But when God sees that a man has altogether
given up his own will, He takes full control of his journey through
life, and makes things happen to show the man what to do. In this case
God made St. Antony's ship get driven ashore on the island of Sicily.
Here there happened to be a small house belonging to the Franciscans. It
was while St. Antony was resting there that he heard that there was
going to be a great chapter (or general meeting) of the Friars, at
Assisi, and that St. Francis would be there; so he asked leave to go,
and then set forth. This was to be the beginning of a new adventure.

When he got to Assisi he found two thousand Friars collected there for
the chapter. The country people were providing all their food free.

You can imagine what St. Antony felt when he saw St. Francis! But when
St. Francis called for volunteers to go on a dangerous mission to the
fierce Germans, it must have cost him an awful lot to keep quiet. But he
had learnt his lesson--God did not want of him a glorious death, only a
patient life.

When the chapter came to an end all the Friars dispersed, some going
gladly off on their dangerous quests, others collecting in little bands
under their "ministers," as the head ones were called, and starting to
tramp back to their friaries.

But St. Antony stood all alone. He had no brave quest to follow; no
minister looked for him to go home with a party of cheerful Friars; no
one cared what became of the young Portuguese stranger.

So St. Antony asked one of the ministers to take him and "form him in
the practice of religious discipline." The minister little knew the
wonderful gifts of this pale young stranger, with the beautiful, sad
face, and sent him to a humble friary on the top of a steep, rocky
mountain. There were only a few simple Friars there. One of them had
hewed out a little cave in the rock. This he gave to St. Antony, who
made it his cell. There he spent most of his day in prayer. But one job
he specially made his own. What do you think it was? Why, washing up the
plates and greasy dishes.

He didn't tell the Friars anything about himself, and of course they
ne