13.06.2024 – St. Patrick Catholic Church, Largo, FL

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O Holy Saint Anthony – Pray for us

1Kings 18:41-46, Psalm 65, Matthew 5:20-26

Today, the Church celebrates St. Anthony of Padua, one of the great heroes of the Christian faith. St Anthony of Padua was born in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal to a wealthy Portuguese family. He became a canon regular at the Abbey of St. Vincent. He later studied theology at the Prestigious Abbey of the Holy Cross in Coimbra, Portugal.

Although he was ordained a Priest in the Augustinian Order, he later joined the Franciscans because of his zeal to go on mission in Africa. He was inspired to go on mission after seeing the bodies of five Franciscan Priests (including some of his friends) who died as Martyrs in Morocco where they were sent to preach the gospel, being brought back. He too became inflamed with a desire to go on mission and if need be, to also shed his blood as a Martyr for Jesus. He was sent to the same Morocco as a Missionary.

However, while in Morocco, he fell seriously ill and had to make his way back to Portugal. However, on the way, the ship in which he traveled encountered a violent storm and hence was driven rather to a different place, Sicily (Italy).

In Italy he met with St. Francis and was called to preaching. From this moment, God used him mightily for the work of expanding his kingdom. His gift of preaching and erudition particularly took him all the way to the Papal court, where he served under Pope Gregory IX and was commissioned to write a collection of sermons.

He was also granted the gifts of miracles, of tongues and of prophecy. As a powerful and an outstanding preacher, he converted thousands to the faith. God also used him to work several miracles and many people set free from various forms of captivity. He eventually settled down in Padua where he continued to carry out his ministry of preaching and healing until he died in 1231 at the age of thirty-six. He is known for his vehement preaching against heresy in France and Italy for which he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946.

There are many lessons today we can draw from the life of St. Anthony. One is that which is embedded in the saying, “Man proposes, God disposes.”  It was Anthony’s wish to go to Africa and preach the gospel, and if necessary, die a Martyr’s death, but through God’s providence, he found himself in a different territory where he was used mightily for the spread of the good news. Similarly, if you have a goal, a plan, a vision etc, and you’ve given all you’ve got to realize it, yet things work out differently, don’t get devastated. God may have a different plan, and his plan is always the best. His plan for you is “that of peace and not of evil, to bring you to an expected end” (Jer.29:11).

Apart from the thousands of miracles people have gotten by invoking him, he was known for three in particular during his lifetime. 1. Preaching to the fishes. 2. The Miracle of the Eucharist in Toulouse, France. 3. Eating of Poisoned Food. 

Preaching to the fishes: Here, St. Anthony went to Rimini, Italy to preach and was treated in contempt. So, he turned to the shoreline and preached at the edge of the water until a crowd of fish gathered. When people flocked to see this extraordinary sight, he rebuked them saying that even fish were more receiving of the gospel than they were. The people were then moved to listen to his message. The Miracle of the Eucharist in Toulouse, France: Here, he was challenged by a heretic to prove Christ’s presence in the Holy Eucharist. The man in his jest brought a starving mule and showed it fresh fodder on one hand, and then communion on the other. The mule is said to have rejected the fodder and bowed before the communion host. Eating of Poisoned Food: He realized that the food that was given to him was poisoned and confronted the culprits. They admitted to the poisoning but challenged him to eat the food since the Bible says that Christians would eat poison and would not be harmed (Mark 16:18). St. Anthony blessed the food, ate it and nothing happened to him. Everyone who witnessed it was left in shock.

Today’s gospel reminds that about the danger of anger/revenge and the need to reconcile with our brothers and sisters before we come to offer our gifts at God’s altar. Are you ever driven by anger, rage, or revenge? The first person to hate his brother was Cain, the son of Adam and Eve. God warned Cain: Why are you angry? …Sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it (Genesis 4:6-7). Sin doesn’t just happen to us – it first grows as a tiny seed in our heart. Unless it is uprooted by God’s grace, it grows like a weed and chokes the vine and all its fruit.  What is the antidote to anger and rage? Mercy, kindness, and forbearance spring from a heart full of love and forgiveness. God has forgiven us and he calls us to extend mercy and forgiveness towards those who cause us grief and harm.

Let us ask God in this Eucharist to set us free and to fill our hearts and minds with his love and goodness against all forms of tyranny of wounded pride and spiteful revenge.

O Holy Saint Anthony – Pray for us