Everyone loves St. Anthony of Padua. He is in charge of God’s “lost and found” department. When we lose something around the house, we quickly ask St. Anthony to help us find it, and most of the time he comes through. (We’re still waiting for him to find a set of car keys that we lost about ten years ago). We like St. Anthony because he is so practical and so “homey.” He helps us with those little things in daily life that get us upset—like lost keys.
On the other hand, I feel sorry for St. Anthony. People don’t seem too interested in him until they lose something. They put him in the corner of the house and ignore him ninety-nine percent of the time.
I’m sure St. Anthony loves to give us little touches of God’s love now and then by helping us find a lost object. He reminds us that God cares about even the tiniest details of our lives, and that He is always available to us when we call upon him.
On the other hand, my guess is that St. Anthony is interested in more than lost objects—and that God is too. He was a great Franciscan preacher in northern Italy where he drew enormous crowds to listen to him. Thousands were converted to Christ while hearing his message. Saving lost souls was Anthony’s deepest passion. His passion for Christ overcame his physical limitations and he died from exhaustion at the age of thirty-six. He was so loved that the Church canonized him within a year of his death—a miracle in itself!
Between the times in which we lose objects, what about asking St. Anthony to help us with more important things. What about loss of interest in life? What about loss of fervor in our faith? What about the loss of purpose? What about the lost souls in our own families. It’s time we start talking to St. Anthony about the “lostness” that he spent his life in helping find.
The responsorial psalm today is from Psalm 119 ( v.129-135). The sentiments of the writer make us think about what we may have lost or may never have had.
“I gasp with open mouth in my yearning for your commands.”
Am I gasping for breath to hear God’s word? Do I yearn for deeper contact with God as much as I do for a summer vacation at the beach?
“Let your countenance shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.”
Have I lost my desire to see God’s face and watch him smile upon me? Have I lost my desire to learn more about him?
Jesus talked to his disciples about who they were and the danger of losing the gift of the Holy Spirit that would soon come into them (Matthew 5:13-16).”
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world…do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.”
When we receive the Holy Spirit, the salt of God is deposited in our hearts and the light of Christ begins to shine through us. If we lose our salt and our light, we leave the world tasteless and dark. Are we growing careless in our fervor for being God’s instruments in the world? Are we losing our flavor, or, out of fear or slothfulness, putting a bushel basket over ourselves so that others won’t see the light and start bothering us?
Today we call upon St. Anthony even if our houses are organized and everything is in place. We ask him to help us find the things in our lives that most count. We ask him to show us how to receive more of the Holy Spirit so that we can provide the world with the flavor of God’s love that it lacks, and the light which it needs so desperately in dark times.
“So your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16)
