St. Anthony of Padua honored throughout the world, is arguably one of the Church’s most popular saints. But on this, his feast day, let’s consider him more than just the director of heaven’s “lost and found department.” He carried out, in his short thirty six years of life, an extraordinary ministry of evangelization. The people of Padua jealously claim Anthony as their own-even though he was Portuguese and lived in Padua only three years. His exceptional spiritual and intellectual gifts were at first hidden away. Anthony lived a rather anonymous life in the monastery kitchen. His gifts came to light only by chance when he was asked to preach as a substitute for a First Mass when the expected preacher did not appear. Only then did the friars discover to their amazement the treasure that had been in their midst all along.
His kitchen apron was quickly set aside to undertake a ministry of teaching and preaching. Anthony placed himself at the forefront of the re-evangelization of the region. In doing so, he did not preach only those aspects of the Gospel that were agreeable but also the difficult, hard truths that strike to the heart and challenge people to change. Anthony was concerned for their salvation as well as his own. He did not want his hearers to be cheated from hearing the whole Gospel and that meant preaching what people needed to hear and not always what they wanted to hear. Eight centuries later this remains a formidable task. Such a teacher and preacher can expect to be ridiculed, ignored, or rejected. This is why it has been said, “Speak the truth and run.”
But Saint Anthony’s ministry had the opposite reaction. In fact, the churches were not enough to contain the people who came to listen to the man whom Francis of Assisi called "my bishop." (Even though he was not a bishop!) Not only did crowds hang on his every word, heretics repented, and the indifferent were roused to a zealous practice of the Faith.
Why this reversal of expectation? It is because Anthony heeded the counsel of St. Paul—that the truth must be taught in love. Anthony understood that truth and love go hand in hand. He realized that difficult and challenging truths are more readily received and accepted when conveyed with clarity and love. We cannot (or rather should not) proclaim the truth with “a club in hand.” Truth without love can wound, and even harden hearts. Truth cannot be severed from love.
If we want to help another to see a truth, we should approach him or her with loving reverence, careful to avoid appearing arrogant. To convey a truth in love to is to discern the right moment, the proper place, and a respectful tone that would be conducive for another to be open and receptive to what is said. To pick a fruit before it is ripe, is to ruin it.
This was the extraordinarily fruitful approach of our patron saint. How much we need this approach in our families and indeed in our nation where there is a failure to be receptive, to listen and to dialog! So often we have the idea that to be loving and compassionate, we should avoid presenting a truth or speak about our faith for fear that we are imposing our views on another.
Saint Anthony did not impose his views upon others but proclaimed the truth of the Gospel with ardent love and the Holy Spirit did the rest! He kept truth and love united and so should we. May the saintly director of heaven’s “lost and found” aid us in our witness to the faith so that others may find the truth through the love we show one another.
