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PARISH OF ST KEVIN AND ST KILIAN

PARISH OF ST KEVIN AND ST KILIAN

Kilnamanagh – Castleview – Growing in Faith together

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Kilnamanagh-Castleview Parish

Kilnamanagh-Castleview Parish

Official Parish Page for the Parish of Kilnamanagh-Castleview.

Kilnamanagh-Castleview Parish

5 days ago

Kilnamanagh-Castleview Parish
Today’s Gospel speaks about three religious observances: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Jesus does not reject any of them. He teaches us how to practise them in a way pleasing to God. Give generously without showing off. Pray sincerely without performing. Fast humbly without drawing attention to yourself. In other words, let your faith be real before God, even when no one else sees it.That is a good Gospel for the memorial of St Anthony of Padua, whose feast day we celebrated last Saturday. St Anthony is one of the best-loved saints in the Church, and yet often we know him only in a very small way. Many people know the little prayer: ‘St Anthony, St Anthony, please come around; something is lost and cannot be found’. We ask the saint to help us find lost keys, wallets, glasses or papers. Then, if the missing thing turns up, we give something to the poor as an expression of our gratitude.That custom is neither wrong nor foolish. It is a lovely piece of popular piety. It comes from an old story that a novice, having decided to leave the order, once stole a precious book belonging to St Anthony. It was a book he needed for prayer, study and preaching. St Anthony prayed, and the young man repented and returned it to its owner. From that story came the practice of asking St Anthony’s help when something is lost. The donation to the poor also fits his Franciscan spirit. It reminds us that faith should never stop with ourselves. I may be looking for my keys or wallet, but someone else is looking for bread, dignity, hope, shelter or just a kind word and a bit of attention.Still, St Anthony was far more than the saint of lost property. He was born in Lisbon in 1195. His baptismal name was Fernando Martins. He first joined the Augustinian Canons, where he received a strong formation in Sacred Scripture and theology. Later, after seeing the courage of Franciscan martyrs who had died in Morocco, he was deeply moved and joined the Franciscans. He took the name Anthony. He wanted to dedicate his whole life to Christ and the Gospel.St Anthony hoped to become a missionary and even a martyr, but illness forced him to return from Africa. Through what looked like an act of divine providence, he came to Italy. There his remarkable gift for preaching was discovered. Anthony had a powerful knowledge of Scripture, a clear mind and a heart full of love for Christ. He became one of the great preachers of the early Franciscan movement.That is the real St Anthony. He was a man of the Word of God, a gifted preacher and a teacher of the faith. The book in his hand, in so many statues, is not mere decoration. It tells us who he was. St Anthony had listened to the Gospel until it had shaped his mind and heart. When he preached, people heard a man who knew Christ deeply.St Anthony defended and served the poor. He challenged greed, corruption and religious indifference among his contemporaries. He called people back to confession, repentance and the mercy of God. St Anthony was also a strong teacher against heresy, especially where people had lost faith in the sacraments or in the truth of the Church. His preaching was strong and convincing because his life and love for God were sincere. He did not practise faith in order to be admired, as Christ warned us in our Gospel today. St Anthony did not preach himself. He always pointed to Christ.St Anthony died near Padua in 1231, only 35 years old. He was canonised less than a year later by Pope Gregory IX, which shows how quickly the Church recognised his holiness. In 1946, Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church, giving him the title ‘Doctor Evangelicus’, ‘the Doctor of the Gospel’, because of his deep and faithful preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.In art, St Anthony is often shown holding the Child Jesus. This comes from a tradition that someone once saw him in prayer with the Christ Child appearing to him. He is also shown with a lily, a sign of purity, and sometimes with a book, because of his profound learning and preaching.In today’s Gospel Jesus warns us against religion done for attention and applause. St Anthony shows us religion lived for God. Prayer made him humble. The Scriptures made him wise. Love for the poor made his faith visible. His holiness was quiet, sincere and deeply rooted in Christ.So yes, we may ask St Anthony to help us find our keys. We are allowed to ask him to help us find our wallet. We can ask him to help us find the document we put somewhere ‘safe’ and now cannot locate. There is a simple, childlike trust in that. The saints are our friends, and God is not offended by the small worries of our daily lives.Yet let us ask this great saint and intercessor for more.St Anthony, help us find the prayer we have neglected in our daily lives. Help us recover peace in our hearts and minds. Help us find the courage to go to confession. Help us notice the poor whom we have stopped seeing in our neighbourhood. Help us return to the Word of God at Mass and in reading the Scriptures. Help us find Christ at the centre of our lives.That is the deeper meaning of our devotion to St Anthony. He helps us find what is lost because he spent his life helping people find the greatest treasure of all: Jesus Christ. ... See MoreSee Less
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