Bishop Paolo at the Feast of St. Anthony: "Never be satisfied in being mediocre Christians!"

Ras Al Khaimah.

On the weekend of the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the parish of St. Anthony's Ras Al Khaimah celebrated their patronal feast. Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia was the principal celebrant for the Festal Mass.

Below is the text of the homily given by the Bishop during the Eucharistic celebration: 

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, the Patron of your Parish! A great saint who, in St. Francis of Assisi's footsteps, preached the Gospel tirelessly, converted hearts, and brought people to Jesus. Saint Anthony is one of the saints most loved by the Christian people. The Church proclaimed him in 1946 as Doctor of the Church. With this title, the Church intends to affirm that this saint possesses doctrine and wisdom capable of illuminating the mysteries of God and our salvation.

First, it is a beautiful occasion to remember some traits of his holy life. As we know, Antony is the name he received upon entering the Franciscan order. He had already consecrated himself to God at a young age by joining the Augustinian Priests; his name was Fernando of Lisbon. However, he desired to follow a stronger and more radical adherence to Christ.

One day, he joined St. Francis of Assisi in 1220 following an episode that made a strong impression on him. In fact, in that year, five Franciscan Friars were martyred in Morocco, and he had the opportunity to see their bodies when they were transported to a nearby convent in Spain. Thanks to this episode, Saint Antony then started an inner journey. He felt a burning desire to give his life to Jesus and spread the Gospel. His entry among the Franciscan friars was at first very silent; he was very humble and helpful. He soon adapted to the most modest and hidden services in fraternal life until, almost by chance, one day, he was called to preach on the occasion of priestly ordination of a confrere. The People and the Friars were amazed at his ability to preach and announce the Gospel, where he showed an extraordinary knowledge of the sacred scriptures.

After that, Saint Anthony was sent worldwide to preach, proclaim the Word of God, educate peoples, and correct the erring; he also became the trainer of the friars in the study of theology. The miracles that took place through his intercession gave him an enormous reputation for holiness, so much so that even today, all over the world, the Christian people turn to him in prayer.

St. Anthony indeed responded to the invitation of the Lord: ‘The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’. His life was all a response to the Lord's invitation. His life was lived entirely as a great mission for the kingdom of God.

Furthermore, as we heard from the prophet Isaiah, he presented himself in his mission as a man filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon him so that he might proclaim the joy of the Gospel to all. Saint Anthony possessed strong and deep wisdom inspired by God.

In the light of these episodes in the life of Saint Anthony of Padua, we can now ask ourselves: what should our parish be like, having this great saint as its patron?

First of all, Saint Anthony helps us cultivate a great desire to follow Jesus and grow in holiness. Following in his footsteps, let us never be satisfied with being mediocre Christians. We must never be happy with being superficial Christians. With his life story, St. Anthony teaches us to constantly grow and never consider ourselves reached perfection. In our Christian life, we must always be disciples who wish to grow in faith, hope, and love.

St. Anthony invites you to strive for holiness. In fact, with your baptism, you received the vocation to holiness. You are called to be a people holy and consecrated to God.

Furthermore, St. Anthony was a man who lived the fraternal life intensely. He was humble even though he had extraordinary abilities and was a man of great culture and wisdom. For this, I invite you to be a parish that fosters fraternal life and serene relationships in which we learn to serve one another.

From Saint Anthony, we also learn the virtue of humility. Today it is a little-known Christian virtue. We often show how important we are in front of others. We are often tempted to be proud and arrogant. St. Anthony showed us the way of humility, learning to serve the brothers and the sisters in silence and hiding without expecting special recognition. Those humble of heart are similar to Jesus, who, out of love for us, humbled himself to the point of giving his life for us.

Above all, Saint Anthony knew how to respond generously to the Lord's call. In the same way, having this Patron Saint, I invite you to respond to the Lord's call and to live your vocation to the full. The Lord calls us to follow him in different ways: he can call us to religious life or the priesthood, as he did with Saint Anthony. Or he calls you to form a beautiful family based on marriage.

I address in a particular way young people: do not be afraid to accept the Lord's call. You will never regret having left everything to follow the Lord and proclaim the joy of the Gospel to everyone as Saint Anthony did.

Of course, faced with these great ideals, we can feel weak and fragile. We often feel lost in the face of the sin that may affect our hearts or our limitations and infirmities. I invite you not to be afraid and to have recourse to the powerful intercession of Saint Anthony. Many faithful who have turned to him in prayer have obtained the graces they needed.

But let us never forget that the most important grace we need is that of faith. The most precious grace is to renew our encounter with Jesus and decide once again to follow him.

Dear faithful of the parish dedicated to Saint Anthony, may your patron help you to be a vibrant parish. Be worthy of your patron saint. Serve one another. May you always live in peace. May the Lord bless you and make you grow in love for one another.