Feast of St. Anthony of Padua

There are several St. Anthony's in the Catholic Church. One of them is famous for the recovery of lost objects. I usually mix him up with another Anthony who was a hermit, probably the founder of Western monasticism. The Anthony the Church celebrates today is St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231), a Doctor of the Church and a wonder-worker (thaumaturgist). For a shorter biography of his life, you can check it out in Catholic Online.
At first, he was an Augustine monk. Later, after seeing the headless and mutilated bodies of some Franciscan monks, he decided to become one because his ambition was to become a martyr like them. In the end, he did not die a martyr. God had a different plan for him. I really admired him, be it an idealized St. Anthony, for his clear determination. Whatever our ambition, God would work out a life plan most appropriate for us. That is why, it is always essential to seek and do God's will. St. Anthony was famous for his fight against heresy and earned the glorious title of Hammer of the Heretics (Malleus Hereticorum). St. Anthony was also famous for his vision of the Infant Jesus. Probably it was an age of luxury, greed and tyranny, the apparition of Infant Jesus to St. Anthony was the most appropriate and timely sign from the merciful Lord.
Now, let us return to the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Paul was writing about his own sufferings and thought that it was insignificant compared to the eternal glory he would inherit in the age to come.
For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
Many of us groan and moan in our daily frustrations. We have forgotten the age old advice from Paul. He made it his aim to please the Lord. We should also make this our ambition. Then we will have the courage to bear the unbearable.
We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body (2 Corinthians 5:8-10).
The Lord loves us to the extent of giving up his life for all of us. There would not be any greater pain which he was unable to bear. In so doing, he has won us over to live and die for him. That was why St. Anthony wanted to die a martyr for him. That was why St. Paul had the courage to bear all the afflictions for the churches he had established. These great saints bore living witnesses to the powerful love of Jesus. In order to enable Jesus to animate us, we need to open up ourselves, invite the Lord in and walk with him down the path to heaven.
And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:16).
Not all sufferings are beneficial. Following the advice of Paul, we should direct our sufferings for the reconciliation between God and man, man and man.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
We are, in the words of St. Paul, ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20). God has set us an example in Christ. He sent his only begotten Son to take up our sinful flesh, to bear the sins of the whole world so as to reconcile the whole world to Himself.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

My Lord, we are sorry for our being egocentric, always groaning and moaning over trivial disappointments. Make us put away our frustrations and put on Your to reconcile the world to You. Amen.