Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
Whoever is angry with his brother . . . (Matthew 5:22)
Angry saints. It sounds almost comical, but the truth is that many saints struggled with controlling their anger. Historians think Jesus nicknamed the apostles James and John the “Sons of Thunder” because of their anger. St. Paul was known for his angry outbursts whenever he felt that the gospel he preached was being misunderstood. Even sweet Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower, had to work on controlling herself.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that uncontrolled anger has the potential to reap the same spiritual consequences as killing someone. So how can we get our anger under control? Let’s turn to an expert: another saint, Francis de Sales.
First, try to recognize the first signs of anger as it creeps into your thoughts. Perhaps you recall a past hurt done to you, or perhaps someone just appeared to slight you. Peacefully but deliberately, set the anger aside before it takes root. St. Francis warns, “Give anger ever so little way, and it will become master, like the serpent, who easily works in its body wherever it can once introduce its head.”
Then pray. “When we find that we have been aroused to anger, we must call for God’s help, like the apostles when they were tossed about by the wind and storm waters.” Francis recommends saying something as simple as “Have mercy upon me, O Lord.” Prayer is your number one weapon against anger. Call on God whenever you need help so that you can keep walking along the road of holiness and humility.
Last, be patient with yourself. Change takes time. Francis encourages us, “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them—every day begin the task anew.”
If St. John can go from being a Son of Thunder to an apostle of love by walking with Jesus, you can too. With vigilance, prayer, and patient perseverance—and the help of the Holy Spirit—you can begin to set aside your anger and become a disciple of love.
“Have mercy on me, O Lord! Help me to turn to you whenever anger rears its head.”
When he arrived and saw the grace of God . . . (Acts 11:23)
St. Barnabas, one of the earliest missionaries, had many gifts, but one of his most valuable gifts was the ability to “see” what God was doing and to encourage it.
Think about how Barnabas was able to welcome Paul into the community of believers after his conversion (Acts 9:27). He “saw” what God had done in this former persecutor and chose to accept Paul in spite of his past. Again, when he went to Antioch, he “saw” what God was doing in bringing Jewish and Gentile Christians together (11:23). He could have just said, “That’s great,” and returned to Jerusalem, but his recognition of God’s grace compelled him to find Paul so that they could stay and teach there.
A few years later, Barnabas and Paul actually split up over a disagreement about another missionary, John Mark. Barnabas saw John Mark’s potential, even though this younger disciple had deserted them on an earlier mission trip (Acts 15:37-40). Paul didn’t want to keep working with John Mark, so Barnabas took him under his wing. Not only did John Mark prove to be a faithful companion, but he is also thought to be the same Mark who wrote the Gospel bearing his name.
In every age of the Church, God raises up people like St. Barnabas. Think of saints who were mentored and encouraged by godly men and women: St. Ambrose and St. Augustine; St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. Think of St. John XXIII, who saw that God wanted to renew the Church and took hold of it. Countless people, known and unknown, have had a domino effect on the history of the Church.
God wants to use you too as someone who can see his grace at work and embrace it. That might mean supporting a budding ministry in your parish, giving someone a second chance, or encouraging a son or daughter to develop and use their gifts for the Lord.
We can all grow in the gift of “seeing” when we learn to look at people and situations as God sees them. Then, like Barnabas, we can act on what we see—by mentoring, encouraging, and taking the next step forward in faith.
“Lord, thank you for opening the eyes of your people to see what you are doing.”
The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and conceived Christ in her womb. Now Jesus was gone from her, but he left behind a promise, “I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth.” (John 14:16-17)
All these [apostles] with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14)
Pentecost . . . reveals the face of the Church as a family gathered together with Mary, enlivened by the outpouring of the Spirit and ready for the mission of evangelization. The contemplation of this scene . . . ought to lead the faithful to an ever-greater appreciation of their new life in Christ, lived in the heart of the Church, a life of which the scene of Pentecost itself is the great “icon.” —(Pope John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 23)
Where did Mary go after that harrowing day at Golgotha? Did John’s family have a home in Jerusalem where he sheltered her as she grieved? We can only wonder where she was and what she thought as she kept the sabbath rest. Addressing “Our Lady of Holy Saturday” in his meditations, Cardinal Carlo Martini of Milan wrote:
You learnt, O Mary, to wait and to hope. You waited with trust for the birth of the Son that the angel proclaimed; you continued to believe in the word of Gabriel, even during those long periods of time when you understood nothing; you hoped against every hope under the Cross and right up to the Sepulchre itself; during Holy Saturday you instilled hope into the confused and disappointed disciples. Through you, the disciples were given the consolation of hope, the consolation that could be called “the consolation of the heart,” and through you our hearts are consoled too. (Our Lady of Holy Saturday)
Perhaps the women who went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body (Luke 24:1-12) ran to Mary with the news that they had seen the risen Lord (Matthew 28:1-10). Although all the evangelists remain silent here, might we suppose—as St. Ignatius of Loyola and Pope John Paul II have suggested—that Jesus came to his mother first of all?
At the Annunciation, Mary opened herself without reserve to power of the Spirit and to her maternal role. At Pentecost, her motherhood in the Spirit becomes universal: The church not only recognizes Mary as the mother of Jesus but also calls her “Mother of the Church.” As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger points out,
Mary’s motherhood is not just based on the biological event, which happened once, but on the fact that in her total being, Mary was, and is, and therefore will remain, a mother. Pentecost, the birth of the Church by the Holy Spirit, shows this in factual terms: Mary is in the midst of the praying assembly that, by the Spirit’s Advent, becomes Church. The analogy between Christ’s Incarnation by the power of the Spirit at Nazareth, and the birth of the Church on Pentecost, cannot be disregarded. “The person who links these two moments is Mary” [Redemptoris Mater, 24]. (The Sign of the Woman: An Introduction to the Encyclical)
First overshadowed by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) at the Annunciation, Mary also experienced the Spirit’s presence and work throughout her life. So now, in the upper room, she realizes how much the apostles and other disciples would benefit from the promised coming of the Spirit: It is the Spirit who will equip them to proclaim all that they had witnessed and to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name (Luke 24:47-48). Thus, “mindful of Jesus’ promise, she waited for Pentecost and implored a multiplicity of gifts for everyone, in accordance with each one’s personality and mission” (Pope John Paul II). Further explaining the significance of Mary’s prayer for this first Christian community, the pope added:
It fosters the coming of the Spirit, imploring his action in the hearts of the disciples and in the world. Just as in the Incarnation the Spirit had formed the physical body of Christ in her virginal womb, in the upper room the same Spirit came down to give life to the Mystical Body. Thus, Pentecost is also a fruit of the Blessed Virgin’s incessant prayer, which is accepted by the Paraclete with special favor because it is an expression of her motherly love for the Lord’s disciples. (General audience of May 28, 1997)
Those gathered in the upper room do not wait and pray in vain. True to his word, God sends his Spirit upon these expectant disciples in power manifested by wind and fire—and miraculous speech. In amazement, devout Jews in Jerusalem and visitors from all parts of the world hear the Spirit-filled followers of Jesus “telling in our own language the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:1-11). In this gift of new tongues, the confusion of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) is reversed as one common word—the word of God—is heard by all.
Filled with this new power, Peter boldly proclaims Jesus of Nazareth—crucified and now raised from the dead—as Lord and Christ (Acts 2:22-36). “Repent,” he urges his listeners, “and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (2:38). About three thousand people received Peter’s word and were baptized (2:41)—the newest members of the church that has just been born. A new age begins for the human race as God pours out his Spirit on Pentecost.
Surely we can imagine Mary—her heart filled with joy and gratitude—in the midst of this community of believers (Acts 2:44-47). John Paul II proposes that “after Pentecost her life would have continued to be hidden and discreet, watchful and effective. Since she was enlightened and guided by the Spirit, she exercised a deep influence on the community of the Lord’s disciples” (General audience of May 28, 1997).
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church (Memorial)
Behold, your mother. (John 19:27)
A young mother stood in line at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Holding her children’s hands, she wondered what to expect as the motorized sidewalk carried her toward the miraculous image of Mary on St. Juan Diego’s tilma. She had never had a particular devotion to Mary, but her own mother had died years earlier, and she wondered what place Mary might have in her life now. As she looked up at the tilma, the words Mary spoke to Juan Diego sounded clearly in her mind: “Am I not here who am your mother?” The words touched her heart, and she began to weep as the tenderness of Mary’s maternal love overwhelmed her.
This story shows how God has given mothers a unique ability to tend to their children’s hearts and heal their woundedness. This is, actually, one of the things Pope Francis emphasized last year when he instituted today’s feast of Mary, Mother of the Church. In his decree, he said he wanted to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church.” In a homily on last year’s feast, Pope Francis explained that tenderness is a hallmark of Mary and of all motherhood, including the motherhood of the Church.
We know that Jesus gave Mary to John at the foot of the cross so that he could care for her. But he also gave John—and all of us—to Mary so that she can care for us. Mary shows us the same tenderness she showed Jesus as she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger. She instructs us, just as she instructed the staff at the wedding at Cana, to do whatever Jesus tells us. She encourages us and prays with us as she did with the disciples awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit. She welcomes each of us because she loves us as her own children.
Today, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how Mary cares for you. Ask Mary herself to show you her love and tenderness. Her maternal care is not just for the Church in general but for you personally. So accept her into your home as John did. Let her care for you. Behold your mother.
“Thank you, Mary, for your constant love and care!”
As the Father has sent me, so I send you. (John 20:21)
Today we celebrate what is perhaps the most valuable gift God has ever given us: the Holy Spirit. Why would we say that? Because it’s the exact same gift that God gave Jesus at his baptism. Remember the scene? Just as Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens part, and the Holy Spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove.
Imagine that—God loves you and treasures you so much that he thinks you should receive the same blessings he has given his own Son. No second-rate gifts for you; only the best will do!
When he poured out the Spirit on Jesus, God also told him, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). This is another blessing that he shares with you! Day after day, God wants to give you the confidence of knowing that you too are his own beloved child.
But Pentecost is about more than what God has given you. It’s also about how God is sending you. Remember, Jesus told his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). So if the Father sent Jesus out with the Spirit, he is sending you the same way. Not on your own, but equipped with all the Spirit’s grace and power. He’s not expecting you to do all the work by yourself. His Spirit is always with you, offering you his strength, his guidance, and his confidence to help you.
But just what is Jesus sending you out to do? Again, the same thing God sent him to do: to be a witness to his mercy. He is sending you out to show his love by treating people with the same kindness and mercy he has shown to you.
Mercy. Love. Patience. Forbearance. These are the marks of everyone who has been filled with the Spirit. They are the gifts that God wants to fill you with today.
“Father, thank you for the wonderful gift of your Holy Spirit!”
What concern is it of yours? You follow me. (John 21:22)
How often do you compare yourself to someone else? Like Peter, you might say to yourself, “What about him?” But what starts out as innocent curiosity can often lead us down a path of unhelpful, divisive thinking. So often, when we see someone we think is doing better than we are, we begin to desire the things they have: a nicer house, perhaps, or a more prestigious job or better health. Even more faith.
But Jesus turned Peter’s question on its head: “What concern is it of yours?” he asked. “You follow me” (John 21:22).
These are the exact words we need to hear when our own thoughts lead us into comparison and envy. Why?
First, because Jesus has a mission for each of us. He wanted Peter to focus not on John but on his own calling to lead the Church by tending his sheep (John 21:16). Similarly, Jesus doesn’t want us devoting so much of our energy to thinking about what someone else has or what they do. He’d rather we think about how we can serve him in our own situations. What is the best way I can build the kingdom of God right here and right now?
Second, because only Jesus can fulfill the deepest desires of our hearts. The things we see that others have can’t really satisfy us. Neither can their status or their callings or their gifts and talents. Only God can truly satisfy us.
So the next time the question “What about him?” comes to mind, ask yourself this: “What about me? Am I following Jesus the best I can? Are my thoughts about this person helpful and upbuilding?” If you think you might be veering toward comparison or envy, refocus on Jesus. Thank him for the calling and talents he has given you. Share your thoughts with him and wait for him to respond. Perhaps he wants to give you his peace. Maybe he has a fresh way of helping you to look at your circumstances.
And most of all, take Jesus’ words to Peter as your own: “Follow me” (John 21:22). Keep your focus on Jesus and keep serving him. He will lighten your heart as you do.
“Thank you, Jesus, for all the ways you provide for me. Help me to keep my eyes on you.”
With each repeated question, Peter’s eyes swell with tears and his voice trembles. After proudly announcing at the Last Supper that he would lay down his life for Jesus, he is now ashamed at having denied him three times. He also wonders why Jesus keeps asking the same question. Is he just increasing the suspense until he delivers a stinging rebuke?
Somber yet full of compassion, Jesus doesn’t scold Peter. He doesn’t bring up Peter’s denial at all. Instead, he gives him the space he needs to confirm to Jesus—and, more important, to himself—that he really does love the Lord.
So Jesus forgives and encourages Peter as he had done many times before. After so many mistakes, Peter probably expected Jesus to write him off this time. But he didn’t. Peter’s past sins and weaknesses were simply not enough for Jesus to stop loving him and caring for him.
Like Peter, we can think that because we have fallen short in the past, Jesus is no longer interested in our friendship. But that’s just not true! Jesus hasn’t moved on, leaving us with nothing but memories of his love. His heart continues to be wide open and full of forgiveness. He is standing before us asking us if we can still open our hearts to him. Can we move past shame and confess that no matter what we have done, there’s still a love for Jesus in our hearts?
What’s keeping you from having a heart-to-heart encounter with Jesus today? Regret? Shame? Fear? Everyday embarrassment? Whatever it is, let him into that part of your heart and tell him what you’re feeling and why. Don’t worry about his reaction; he has already decided to forgive you. His love always precedes his forgiveness. Just remember how he chose to reveal himself to Peter and even fed him a hearty breakfast before their pivotal discussion. He loves to care for you, in every way.
It’s your turn now. Go ahead and talk with Jesus. Tell him how much you love him. Let the barriers fall away and receive his mercy. Again.
“Jesus, help me to return to you and repent as often as I need to. Lord, I place my confidence in you and your great love.”
