Homily for Friday, 13 June 2014‒ Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua

Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of the day: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16; Psalm 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14; Matthew 5:27-32

Has there ever been a time when we have had a plan, only to have that plan change? In light of our readings today, we can see that God sometimes has plans that differ from our own.

This was Elijah’s experience of God in our first reading today. We read in the First Book of Kings just before today’s first reading of Elijah having overcome the false prophets of Baal, the false gods worshipped by King Ahab of Israel and by his wife Jezebel. For this, Jezebel becomes furious at Elijah and wants to kill him, so Elijah flees to Mount Horeb, where we find him in today’s reading, and waits for God in a cave. In fact, Elijah is in such despair that he wants to die. But God has other plans for Elijah.

God says to Elijah, “Why are you here?” as if to say, “I have greater plans for you than to hide in this cave, waiting to die.” God sends Elijah out on a mission. Elijah is to “anoint Nazael as king of Aram,” Jehu as Ahab’s successor as king of Israel,” and the prophet Elisha as Elijah’s own successor.

God has other, greater, plans for Elijah: Prophet and missionary. What are God’s greater plans for us, and how do we discern and act on God’s greater plans for us?

As a Basilian associate just beginning to discern Basilian life about six years ago, I had a valuable experience in being open to God’s greater plan for me. A priest of our order responsible for formation announced to me that the Basilians wanted to send me to Cali, Colombia to teach French and English in our high school there. At the time, I spoke no Spanish and had not taught in a classroom before, and so I questioned (although I ultimately accepted) this plan to send me to Colombia.

Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, another person for whom God had a greater plan. St. Anthony was deeply moved when he saw the bodies of the first Franciscan martyrs being returned to Italy from Morocco where they had been killed. He left the Augustinians to become a Franciscan, with the hope of becoming a missionary; of risking his life for Christ. Instead, St. Anthony became known for his preaching and clarity in teaching the Catholic faith, and so his Franciscan superiors asked him to stay home in Padua. Because of his preaching and teaching ability, St. Anthony is known as the “Evangelical Doctor.”

St. Anthony wanted to be a missionary; perhaps even a martyr. But God had other plans for St. Anthony, just as God had other plans for prophets like Elijah and often has other, greater plans for us than we can even imagine. And so we are invited to discern: What are God’s plans for us, and are we open to God’s plans, especially when God’s plans differ from or exceed our own?