St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

In today’s First Reading the prophet Jonah begrudgingly warns the people of Nineveh that if they don’t repent of their sins, they’ll be destroyed. The Ninevites were enemies of Israel, which is why Jonah did not want them to be saved, but the Lord did. The Ninevites didn’t even worship the Lord, but they believed He would follow through on His warning. They expressed their sorrow for whatever they had done wrong, and the Lord spared them. Repentance is the first step of conversion. Our Lord at the start of His public ministry, which we recall in today’s Gospel, invited people to “Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Paul in today’s Second Reading reminds us that if we get stuck on the things of this world, we will pass away just like them.  Christian life implies a healthy detachment from the things of this world. Detachment is not the same as renunciation. It’s not always about giving things up; instead, it is about using them properly to help you from here to eternity. It means relationships that do not separate you from your most important relationship: with God; not letting sorrow drive you to despair and self-destruction, spiritual or otherwise; not being so superficial and goofy in the light of your duties that you let down Our Lord or anyone else; purchasing what you need, not necessarily what you want, resisting the itch of consumerism or keeping up with the neighbor and lastly, not treating this world as if it is the be all and end all of things, but as something to help you live happily one day in Heaven.

In today’s Gospel Our Lord begins His ministry with a simple message and recruits four disciples who would soon become His apostles. John the Baptist had preached repentance, like Jonah, and was now under arrest. Our Lord goes beyond Jonah, starting at Galilee: He not only preached repentance, but the Gospel, the Good News able to not just forgive believers, but to transform them and transform the world. He intends that message to reach the whole world. Our Lord presents an opportunity for forgiveness and transformation that should not be passed up: “The kingdom of God is at hand.”  The Kingdom is not something that will come at the end of history. It comes with Christ (the King) Himself and is meant to spread and grow, transforming the world. With Simon, Andrew, James, and John He took it one step further: He invited them to be His disciples and to help Him with his work.

It didn’t mean abandoning the talents they had, just using them in a renewed way. Simon and Andrew would now be fishers of men. James and John left behind their family, their business, and their colleagues to follow Our Lord. Ultimately all four apostles laid down their lives to show that Our Lord was the one thing necessary for them. No matter what level of discipleship to which you are called, it always implies leaving something behind for the sake of something greater. It means leaving beside sin as the road to nowhere, but it can also mean leaving aside good things for the sake of more important, spiritual ones.

Our Patron St. Anthony the Abbot goes by many names throughout Church history. He is known also as Anthony of Egypt, of the Desert, and the Great. St.Athanasius in his Life of St. Anthony described the call of St. Anthony of Egypt, as simply hearing the Gospel to which we listen to every Mass and putting it into practice. Anthony was somewhere between 18-20 years old when he and his sister lost their parents and gained a considerable inheritance. Around six months later he was walking to church and thinking about how the Apostles had left everything to follow Our Lord (see Matthew 4:20), and the disciples in the Acts of the Apostles had sold everything to give to the Church (see Acts 4:35).

As he entered the church, the Gospel of the Rich Young Man was being read, specifically, Our Lord’s invitation to sell his possessions and follow Christ (Matthew 19:21), and he did just that, doing what the Rich Young Man could not do. Anthony sold everything he had inherited from his parents, including three hundred acres of land, and, except for a small reserve to provide for his sister, gave the rest to the poor.

Another day, returning to Church, he took the invitation to not worry about tomorrow to heart (see Matthew 6:34) and sold the rest of his possessions and started pursuing what would become the hermitical life, entrusting his sister to the care of a community of consecrated virgins. St. Anthony the Abbot  responded radically to Our Lord’s call, simply by accepting the Gospel and putting it into practice. We may not receive such a radical call, but we all have room to put the Gospel more into practice in our lives.

Detachment implies leaving something behind for the sake of something greater. Here are some practical steps toward greater detachment that you can try this week. Check your drawers, closets, and shelves and give away to the poor those things that you can live without. How long has it been sitting there untouched? If it’s been over a year, donate it. You don’t need it.

Do you regret that you haven’t spent quality time with someone in your life, or let a feud isolate you from a friend? Has someone done something you’re having a hard time forgiving? Reconnect and remind someone how much you love them. Forgive. Ask for forgiveness and say you are sorry.

Spend some time reading Scripture instead of surfing the web or watching dumb videos on YouTube or TikTok and stop reading tweets on Twitter or wasting time on Instagram or Facebook. Spend some quiet time in prayer to examine your life and see whether the way you are living it would please Our Lord. Ask Him to help you see beyond the status quo and strive to improve yourself spiritually.

A Note of Thanks!

I am overwhelmed by the kindness and concern shown for myself, but especially my mother, during our recent bout with Covid 19.  We are proof positive that the doom and gloom of the media regarding this illness is not the only reality. That being said, I would not wish it on anybody. I am especially grateful for all the care packages left at my door. From soup to nuts, to meals and treats. I am most grateful. As many left no name to thank personally, you know who you are and I offer an Ave on your behalf.