Gospel Mk 1:14-20
After John the Baptist had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel." As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.
REFLECTION
"'Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.' Then they abandoned their nets and followed him."
St. Anthony Mary Claret was a Spanish missionary, founder of a religious community, the queen's confessor, an archbishop, and a refugee. But most importantly, he was a "fisher of men."
Anthony was 11 years old when he had a strong sense of purpose or mission to save sinners from "eternal unhappiness" and he was impelled to help them to repent and be saved. So when a bishop while visiting his school asked him, what did he want to be when he grew up, he replied, "A priest."
One thought kept repeating in his mind,"What good is it for man to win the world if he loses his soul?" This was his call to follow Jesus and become a fisher of men. Anthony was 27 years old when he was ordained to the priesthood.
At. first, he was assigned a parish, but he was restless and wanted to be a missionary. Then he joined the Jesuits. During his novitiate year, he got sick and the Jesuits determined that God's plans may not include becoming a Jesuit.
Anthony returned home and preached missions near his home parish. His sermons became popular and he would travel from town to town preaching sometimes seven sermons a day and hearing confessions 10 hours at times. All of his efforts were offered to the Blessed Mother, Mary.
Claret was known for his virtue of charity. He said,
"Love is the most necessary of all virtues. Love in the person who preaches the word of God is like fire in a musket. If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands, he would hardly make a dent in anything; but if the person takes the same bullet and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill. It is much the same with the word of God. If it is spoken by someone who is filled with the fire of charity —the fire of love of God and neighbor— it will work wonders." The Pope heard of St. Anthony's efforts and gave him the title, "apostolic missionary."
Due to the unrest in Spain, Anthony did missionary work in the Canary Islands and then in Cuba. In Cuba, he confirmed 100,000 people and witnessed 9,000 sacramental marriages. Cuba claimed Fr. Anthony Mary Claret as their "Spiritual Father."
Queen Isabella II of Spain called Fr. Anthony back to Spain to be her confessor. Claret did not savor being with the aristocrats. He much preferred serving the poor, but he was obedient to the Queen. During the times he traveled with the Queen, he would preach in the towns they passed. After serving 11 years of service, there was a revolution and the Queen was sent into exile. Claret left Spain because his life was threatened.
So he went to France and then to Rome. Pope Pius IX met St. Anthony and later became one of the Council Fathers during the First Vatican Council.
St. Anthony defended the papal infallibility discussed during the Council. He "vehemently" advocated that the pope was infallible and this teaching became a dogma of the faith for all Catholics.
After St. Anthony Mary Claret returned to France, still in exile from Spain. He found that there was a warrant for his arrest so he went to a Cistercian Monastery in France to hide. There his health deteriorated and he died on October 24, 1870. He asked to have these words inscribed on his tombstone, "I have loved justice and hated iniquity, therefore I die in exile."
St. Anthony of Claret was a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ and he was a priest
"filled with the fire of charity for - the fire of love of God and neighbor."
Join us at our FACE ZBS (Face-to-Face ZOOM Bible Study) sessions on Wednesdays with another priest, Father Michael J. Truong Luan Nguyen, C.Ss.R., who is on fire to preach the messages of Jesus Christ in the Gospels. Here is the invitation.
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