Faith in Jesus and Praying with Faith – Memorial: St. Anthony of Padua
(1 Kg 18:20-39; Ps 16; Mt 5:17-19)
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The readings and this memorial of St. Anthony of Padua today invite us to choose Jesus, reject false gods and pray to Jesus with complete trust, like Elijah.
One of the sites we visited in the Holy Land was Mt. Carmel, where the story of Elijah and the false prophets of Baal unfolded. A statue, cave and interpretive centre tells the dramatic story.
Israel had been totally unfaithful as a nation. They had chosen to follow the god Baal, along with numerous prophets. Elijah stood alone as a genuine prophet as he puts the prophets of Baal to the test by fire. The three dousing of water on his sacrifice symbolizes totality and perfection. This test would be the ultimate one about whose god was the true God.
Elijah proves to be a true prophet as the true God of Israel responds to his simple prayer of trusting faith, while the god Baal remains impervious to all the dancing and gashing of the false prophets. The story ends with the destruction of the false prophets and Elijah on the run from Queen Jezebel who wants to kill him.
In the gospel, Jesus identifies himself as the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets – he is the new Law and the new prophet. The message is clear: we are to believe in him as Son of God, let go of any false gods in our lives, and pray to him with complete trust and confidence, like Elijah.
False gods are an inordinate attachment to possessions and pleasure, prestige and fame, power and control. In the Big Book, they are listed as money, fame and power. Madonna once stated she uses her fame to garner wealth which gives her power. These false gods are all around us and tempting us all the time. We are to place our complete faith and total trust in Jesus, reject these false gods and pray to Jesus with the faith of Elijah.
Someone who lived these readings and whom we honor today is St. Anthony of Padua. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195, although Padua claims him as their own. At 15, he joined the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine and studied intensely for 8 years, becoming an accomplished biblical scholar. His contact with the Franciscans led him to join them. He was sent by Francis to teach his fellow friars in northern Italy, Bologna and then Padua. His reputation drew enormous crowds, and the power of his words concreted them. Ill and exhausted, he died at age 36, so beloved and revered he was canonized within a year. His aid is invoked to help find lost objects.
The Eucharist is an act of faith in Jesus as the Son of God whose love for us shown on the cross is made present for us today through Word and Sacrament.
May our celebration strengthen our faith in him, help us reject these false gods in our lives, and deepen our trust in our prayers to him.
Oh yes, Praying to St. Anthony of Padua does help people find lost items and misplaced things. I always pray for St. Anthony when I need to find things and lost items. Then it shows up in front of me or I would find it in five minutes. We should always believe and follow this one true God and his Son Jesus Christ who can save us from any sins and heal us from any pain and sufferings and our sickness we encounter. Being intimidated by false gods and evil spirits will not help us, it would help them gain fame and power and rich. We should know what is Good and Evil while communicating with people especially people proclaim the gospel when they do not know the full history. This is common in Christian communities and in certain countries. We should strengthen our faith in believing in this Trinitarian God, the father, the son and Holy Spirit . Blessings! blessings!
Thanks for the homilies and messages presented today. Bishop Lavoie.
Oh yes, Praying to St. Anthony of Padua does help people find lost items and misplaced things. I always pray for St. Anthony when I need to find things and lost items. Then it shows up in front of me or I would find it in five minutes. We should always believe and follow this one true God and his Son Jesus Christ who can save us from any sins and heal us from any pain and sufferings and our sickness we encounter. Being intimidated by false gods and evil spirits will not help us, it would help them gain fame and power and rich. We should know what is Good and Evil while communicating with people especially people proclaim the gospel when they do not know the full history. This is common in Christian communities and in certain countries. We should strengthen our faith in believing in this Trinitarian God, the father, the son and Holy Spirit . Blessings! blessings!