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The appeal of St. Francis remains undimmed almost eight centuries after his death. In looking at him, people have always been helped to see Christ.
Near the end of his life, Anthony of Padua composed a collection of sermons or “sermon notes.” Having been an outstanding theology teacher and preacher for much of his life, Anthony wanted to help his Franciscan confreres in their preaching ministry. He wrote these so-called “sermon notes” for the benefit of his brothers.
In this blog, I want to share with you some passages from Saint Anthony’s sermons.
Sunlight Reveals Dirt
Let me begin with this short passage from one of Anthony’s sermons:
As a magazine, one connected to a sprawling digital outreach, we’re always listening. Yes, we listen to the news and to our many sources of inspirational information, always to bring strong content to you. More important, we listen to you, our loyal subscribers, to know your wants and needs, and to understand how well we’re meeting them.
We sometimes draw your attention to difficult moral issues, perhaps inspiring you to take action. At the same time, we maintain a steady stream of inspiration to nourish your spirit in other ways.
I’ve heard different explanations about how the books in the Bible got there. Who chose them and why?
The list of biblical books is called the canon (a Greek word from the Semitic term for a measuring rod). In this context, it’s a measurement of whether the writings called canonical belong to the inspired word of God.
All mainline Christians have agreed since the fourth century about which 27 books belong in the New Testament. Thus, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are there, but the Gospels of Thomas, Peter, Mary, and many others are not.
The Lost City of Z
In the early 1900s, Col. Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), an experienced traveler and surveyor, trains British soldiers in Cork, Ireland. He lives there with his wife, Nina (Sienna Miller), and young son, Jack.
Where is heaven? Will my husband who died two years ago know me and still love me? If we have hurt people, will they have forgiven us by the time we get to heaven? What if there’s nothing beyond a person’s casket and grave?
Heaven is more a state of being than a place such as Boston, St. Louis, Phoenix, or Los Angeles a place that you can find on a map. Christians understand heaven as being with God for all eternity.
I understand that my prayers for someone will not cause God to move that person to the head of the line or guarantee a desired outcome. Then why do we pray for other people?
We cannot pray honestly for someone else without at the same time growing in compassion toward that person in particular and indeed toward all suffering people. Through honest prayer, we become more like the God to whom we address those prayers.
When Michael Zoettl entered the Benedictines at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama, he had no plans of building a shrine. Taking the name Brother Joseph, he soon was assigned to the menial tasks necessary to keep the abbey running, including shoveling coal for the abbey’s power plant.
Although Joseph was obedient to his superiors and did his best, he found the work tedious. For relief, in his spare time he began to build miniature shrines that held little holy statues. These miniatures were sold at the abbey gift shop to support the missions.
His words about marriage have been welcomed by many but not by everyone. Conscience is the key.
I regularly read the prayer petitions that come in on the monitor at St. Anthony Shrine where I live. In a two-week period, just before Christmas, I was captivated by several requests for prayers for little boys with cancer.
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