Saint of the Day: St. Anthony Mary Claret


Saint Antony Claret was born in Sallent, Spain in 1807. After being ordained a priest, he travelled throughout the region of Catalonia preaching to the people. He founded a society of missionaries In 1849. Anthony gathered together five priests who formed the basis of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (popularly known as Claretians). He was named a bishop of Santiago, Cuba. In this capacity, he won great renown for his pastoral zeal.Shortly thereafter, he was named archbishop of Santiago, Cuba, where he reformed the clergy and the laity. He is reported to have preached 10,000 sermons and published 200 works. He spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 1857, he returned to Spain, continued there his pastoral labors, and died at Frontfroide in France in 1870.

The following reading on evangelization and the apostolic zeal characteristic of his missionary spirit, taken from his book L'egoismo vinto (Rome: 1869, p. 60) is used in the Roman Office of Readings for the feast (optional liturgical memorial) of St. Anthony Mary Claret.

Driven by the fire of the Holy Spirit, the holy apostles travelled throughout the earth. Inflamed with the same fire, apostolic missionaries have reached, are now reaching and will continue to reach the ends of the earth, from one pole to the other, in order to proclaim the word of God. They are deservedly able to apply to themselves those words of the apostle Paul: The love of Christ drives us on.

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 neighbour. The truly zealous man is also one who loves, but he stands on a higher plane of love so that the more he is inflamed by love, the more urgently zeal drives him on. But if anyone lacks this zeal, then it is evident that love and charity have been extinguished in his heart.

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.

Because he is concerned also for his neighbor, the man of zeal works to fulfil his desire that all men be content on this earth and happy and blessed in their 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.

For myself, I say this to you: 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.
-

Comments

  1. Anonymous10/24/06, 11:03 AM

    Thank you for your post. My husband has joined the Catholic blogosphere recently and has written about St. Anthony Mary Claret today as well. It's wonderful to see so many blogs defending life and the Catholic faith. We now have a "Pro Life Blogs" button on our site after seeing yours and following the proper channels to get one. God's love always ... Jeanette

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10/30/06, 10:56 PM

    I'm so happy to see good Catholic blogs, isn't our faith beautiful???!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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