Fr Richard's words for the Memorial of St Anthony of Padua
Responding to a call
Elisha recognised it was God’s will that Elijah was calling
him to be his disciple. Indeed, Elisha was later to succeed Elijah as the Lord’s
Prophet. He worked miracles and worked great wanders, bringing justice to the people
of Israel. But to have his prophetic mission bestowed upon him, the moment of
his call and his response to it in today’s reading was decisive. His only delay
was to enjoy one last meal with his family and friends before he followed behind
Elijah.
St Anthony, like all holy pastors of the Church, also left
everything to follow the Lord. His calling to be a priest and a saintly
preacher was perhaps less immediate than Elisha’s. He will have developed a
sense of a vocation at the Cathedral School in his home city of Lisbon and he will
have been impressed by the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross – whose
abbey he joined at the age of 15. In fact, he was so dedicated to prayer and
service of the Lord that he even found visits from his family and friends too
distracting – and asked to be transferred to the Order’s mother house in
Coimbra.
After his ordination, it was the life of the nearby Franciscans
and the witness of the first five Franciscan martyrs in Morocco which inspired Anthony
to follow the way of St Francis and set out for the mission in Africa. On the
way he became ill and, attempting to sail back home, the ship was blown off
course and ended up in Sicily. His mission was to be on the Italian peninsula,
albeit with a short visit to France. He eventually settled in the beautiful city
of Padua, becoming the provincial superior of northern Italy. He performed miracles
and preached the Catholic faith with zeal. Many hearts turned to God by St
Anthony’s words and example.
We’re very conscious of the powerful intercession of saints because
of the popular cult associated with St Anthony, who was canonised just a year after
his death. Whenever we misplace the car keys, whenever we lose something important
– St Anthony always comes to our aid.
However, like Elisha and Anthony, saints can only become
saints if they respond to the Lord’s call first. We might not know where our
mission will take us, but we know we should follow the Lord’s will wholeheartedly.
Let’s pray especially today for all young people discerning their vocation –
that they may generously say yes to the Lord’s call. May the Lord send many
priests and religious to evangelise our Diocese.
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