Friday, June 13, 2025

 

Memory of Saint Anthony of Padua, priest and Doctor of the Church

(II Corinthians 4:7-15; Matthew 5:27-32)

It is said that early images of St. Anthony were made with him holding a book of Scripture.  In time, however, the Christ-child replaced the book as most images of Anthony depict him today.  The change is quite sensible since Jesus is the word of God.  In any case, Anthony knew, like St. Paul in today’s first reading, that Christ was the treasure within him.

Paul could not but preach Jesus Christ.  The Lord’s glory worked within Paul so that nothing stopped him.  As he will say later in this letter, he preached despite the fact that “(F)ive times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep; on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure.”

Christ did not live exclusively in Anthony or Paul.  He lives within most of us. As with them, Christ wants us to show him to others.  By our words and actions we are to give glory to Jesus Christ.