
Sharing the Word for June 14, 2022
We are called to love our neighbor not because the neighbor is good, not because we are good, but because God is good and wants everyone to enjoy his goodness.
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We are called to love our neighbor not because the neighbor is good, not because we are good, but because God is good and wants everyone to enjoy his goodness.

Anthony of Padua is often called upon when we have lost something–our keys, wallet, homework, etc. Yet he was also an outstanding preacher. He spoke in a way that allowed ordinary people to understand the extraordinary mercy of God.

An Augustinian monk who was inspired by the martyrdom of Franciscan missionaries, Saint Anthony of Padua joined the Franciscans hoping to be a missionary. But God had other plans for him. He became one of the outstanding philosopher/theologians of the Order.

Jesus urges his followers to forgo the retaliation permitted by the Old Testament and thus interrupt the cycle of revenge. Doing violence to others solves nothing even when the violence is in response to injustice.

Was Anthony’s faith when he died in 1231 the same as when he became a Friar Minor in 1220? In many ways yes, but in other important ways no.

Blessed Jolenta of Poland and her husband assisted many from their means. Once widowed, and with two of her three daughters married, Blessed Jolenta and her third daughter entered the Poor Clares. She eventually became an abbess.

Anthony’s retirement as provincial minister lasted less than a year. He spent most of that time writing sermon notes for the feasts of major saints.

If you struggle or have struggled with drug or alcohol dependency, you have a friend in Venerable Matt Talbot—as well as a God who knows your pain and will love you through it.

What little we know about Saint Barnabas comes to us from Acts of the Apostles, where he plays a fairly big role in the expansion of the early Church. Closely associated with Saint Paul, he shared in several of Paul’s trips and difficulties.

The Jerusalem authorities sent Barnabas to Antioch to look into the situation there with Gentiles in the church. Impressed by what he saw there, he undertook a structured ministry among those Gentiles.