TAKING CHRIST’S WORDS LITERALLY
The
St. Anthony that the Church honors today is not so well known. I invite
you to have a look at his life. He lived between 251 and 356, and was
105 years old when he died, in spite of a very ascetic life in the
Egyptian desert.
Anthony was the son of wealthy parents and so lived his early years in
luxury. When he was 18 years old, his parents died and he was left to
take care of the estate and of his sister. One Sunday, when he attended
Mass, the Gospel was about the rich young man, to whom Jesus said, “Go
and sell all you possess and give to the poor.” Young Anthony was struck
by these words. He felt as if the Lord had spoken to him personally. He
left the church and did literally what Jesus had said. He sold all his
inheritance and donated the proceeds to the poor. He kept just a bit for
himself and for his sister. On another Sunday, when he heard Jesus
saying in the Gospel, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow,” he regretted
his concession to prudence. He brought his sister to a convent, gave up
all he still had, and dedicated himself completely to God by living a
life of prayerful austerity in the desert.
There are at least two points that St. Anthony makes us aware of. One
is to listen well to the Gospel as if it were proclaimed just for you.
After all, our four Gospels are not just reports of what Jesus did and
said more than 2,000 years ago; Jesus is addressing us who read or
listen to His words. The Bible is God’s living Word for us! This
attitude towards the Gospel would change and improve our spiritual life,
even our whole lifestyle.
A second point is the demonic attacks. Anthony’s spiritual life appears
to be a matter of psychological warfare. The enemy is not the world but
the temptation to worldliness, to pleasure, complacency and pride.
These demons attack us also today to divert our attention from God and
from a life lived according to the Gospel. It would be good to recognize
these modern demons and reject them with the same decisiveness that
helped Anthony win his victory. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS: What is your attitude when the Gospel is read in Church? Do
you feel hit by God’s Word or do you just hear but not listen?
Lord,
I simply ask You for the wisdom to listen to Your Word as addressed to
me, and the strength to do what You tell me and fight all temptations to
worldliness.
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