Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua

Still bearing fruit
still green

In an acceptable time I heard you,

and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.

The Easter season formally ended yesterday though we’ll follow it up with a few more fireworks – Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi. As of today our lectionary readings return to “ordinary time” and we take up where we left off in March, in 2^nd Corinthians and the Gospel of Saint Matthew.

Today is also the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, as he died on this day in 1231, only five years after the death of Saint Francis. Although his published sermons added greatly to the Franciscan movement and he was a powerful preacher with an all-too-brief career, he is remembered especially for his patronage of devout souls. Millions of people, Catholic and Protestant, call upon his intercession for healing, financial assistance and to find lost objects.

I found a pair of wire-frame glasses in a small wood in Minnesota one time, by his intercession. The fellow who lost them, being half-blind, wasn’t too sure he had led his search party to the right spot! It really seemed hopeless until I said a prayer to Saint Anthony – you know the one: Tony, Tony come around; something’s lost and must be found – and, I kid you not, I hadn’t finished the rhyme before I spotted the brown wire among the brown twigs.

Skeptics can mock and call it bad religion, but nothing succeeds like success and Saint Anthony remains a great favorite with people who turn to him in prayer. You can read more about him on the New Advent website.

As we return to Ordinary Time, we hear the refreshing words of Saint Paul, “Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation.”

Occasionally the VA psychiatrists will ask me to visit Catholic patients who seem to have hit bottom and are ready to swear off alcohol. These can be wonderful conversations as the Veteran realizes he has lost much but may lose more and for no other reason than his insane drinking.

Sometimes the patient swears he’ll never drink again. He is “taking the pledge.” I try to assure him that’s not necessary. Tomorrow is another day and you can decide again tomorrow not to drink.

The AA spirituality teaches us to live one day at a time. That’s all we have and all we need. I really don’t need to know what will happen tomorrow, or what challenges I might face. I need only to live today well, for this is the day of salvation. If I live today well, tomorrow will take care of itself.

You might remember the White Queen’s discussion with Alice:

"You couldn't have it if you did want it," the Queen said. "The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day."
"It must come sometimes to 'jam today,'" Alice objected.
"No, it can't," said the Queen. "It's jam every other day: today isn't any other day, you know." (Looking-Glass 5.16-18)

Some people live that way, putting off their dreams until tomorrow, even the dream of sobriety. They cannot enjoy the peace of mind that comes with living well today. They have rules to live by like jam tomorrow and jam yesterday; and one of their rules is, “If I say I’ll never drink again, I can never drink again. But since I can’t be sure that I’ll keep my resolution I won’t make it. I can’t risk being a hypocrite.”

Daily prayer, weekly attendance at Church, annual celebrations of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, and year-round fellowship among the saints help us to pay attention to the opportunities of today. We might even enjoy jam on bread today.