St. Anthony Claret & Christian Zeal
theophilus October 24th, 2009
One of the things that I admire about our Evangelical Christian brethren is their zeal for Christ and their lack of shyness in showing it. Come on, face it, most Catholics are, at best, reserved and introspective about our faith in Christ.
We don’t talk about our faith in social settings; we do not wear our faith upon our sleeves; we tend to hide our belief in Christ. Even during Sunday Mass, we can be a quiet bunch when it comes to singing and expressions of prayer. And no one better catch us praying outside of church or having any identifiable object upon us.
I was thinking about this difference today when reading a passage written by St. Anthony Claret, whose feast day is today. He lived in the 19th Century, born in Spain, bishop of Cuba, very effective anti-slavery voice, recalled to Spain where he did important work for the Church in a tumultuous era. He was known for his zealous love of Christ and his fellow man. Some appreciated this zeal, others less so.
In this passage from the Office of Readings (Liturgy of the Hours), he preaches about Christian zeal-
“The love of Christ arouses us, urges us to run, and to fly, lifted on the wings of holy zeal. The man who truly loves God also loves his neighbor. The truly zealous man is also one who loves, but he stands on a higher place of love so that the more he is inflamed by love, the more urgently zeal drives him on. . . . The zealous man desires and achieves all great things and he labors strenuously so that God may always be better known, loved and served in this world and in the life to come, for this holy love is without end.”
Zeal get us “to fly” and to desire and achieve “all great things.” Zeal gets us to a “higher place of love” But its zeal for God that raises us to these heights.
Zeal also impacts our relations with others-
“Because he is concerned also for his neighbor, the man of zeal works to fulfill his desire that all men be content on this earth and happy and blessed in this heavenly homeland, that all may be saved, and that no one may perish for ever, or offend God, or remain even for a moment in sin. Such are the concerns we observe in the holy apostles and in all who are driven by the apostolic spirit.”
Zeal gets us to think about each other not just in our day-to-day relationships but also in a divine and eternal sense. We must love each other and this love must be expressed and be a channel of God’s grace.
My reading today concluded with this passage-
“The man who burns with the fire of divine love is a son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and wherever he goes, he enkindles that flame, he desires and works with all his strength to inflame all men with the fire of God’s love. Nothing deters him: he rejoices in poverty; he labors strenuously; he welcomes hardships; he laughs off false accusations; he rejoices in anguish. He thinks only of how he might follow Jesus Christ and imitate him by his prayers, his labors, his sufferings, and by caring always and only for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.”
In a sense, we are responsible for each other. We are held accountable for each other. We are strongly cautioned against going around talking about God without reason or purpose, or praying and fasting aloud like the hypocrites, or judging others, or making others feel uncomfortable in our presence. Rather we should show our zeal by our actions, in all aspects of our lives. Instead of pushing people away from Christ or ignoring him, we are called to bring others to him.
Do you love? Do you show that love in the way you act and treat others? Do you go out of your way to help those in any type of need? Do you listen? Do you show compassion and patience? Do you forgive? Do you seek to understand? Do you truly and meaningfully talk to others to help them reach answers to their own questions? Are you honest and trustworthy regardless of the situation? Do you do the right things, always? Do you know, hold fast to, and defend the basic truths of our faith? Do you prevent others from sinning and provide a good example to keep others from sinning? And do you either introduce them or remind them of God’s love for them in the process?
Do others see a fire within you for Christ? A fire that is not burning indiscriminately and out-of-control, but a fire that is contained and intense at the same time.
Do others know who you belong to? Do they see that confident peace and joy within you that can only come from Christ? Are you a force for good in this world?
Today’s Mass begins with this opening prayer -
“Father, you endowed Anthony Claret with the strength of love and patience to preach the Gospel to many nations. By the help of his prayers may we work generously for your kingdom and gain our brothers and sisters for Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
This prayer sums up our own mission. With strength, love and patience, to work generously for God’s kingdom and to bring our neighbors to Christ. And also to preach the Gospel; maybe not by our words, but most definitely by our actions. And by our actions and whatever words Christ puts into our mouths, showing the zeal that should be natural to us as children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ.
[...] One of the things that I admire about our Evangelical Christian brethren is their zeal for Christ and their lack of shyness in showing it. Come on, face it, most Catholics are, at best, reserved and introspective about our faith in Christ. We don’t talk about our faith in social settings; we do not wear our [...] Read more… [...]