Feast of St. Anthony of Padua
Mark 12: 1-12
Dear
Friends
Today we are celebrating the feast of St Anthony. He was great preacher.
He dedicated his life for God. He found the real corner stone in his life. So
he preached the truth to the people so that they might also understand the true
corner stone of their life. During the mass we read the Gospel according to St
Mark. 12; 1-12. In the gospel we listened Jesus is telling a Parable of wicked
servants of Vineyard. This is very beautiful parable that Jesus told them
concerning the salvation intended by God.
There
is very famous drama written by William Shakespeare “The Tempest” the story of
this drama is thus, there was Lord in Milan .
His name was Prospero his brother was Antonio. Prospero decide to entrust the
ruling of the land to his brother Antonio and indulge in reading books. But the
Antonia was cunning he dismissed all the trusted servants of Prospero from the
governing and he began to rule over them inhuman. Not only he did but he planed to kill his
brother Prospero with help of Naples
king. Knowing this conspiracy by the help of some trusted servants who remained
in the palace he fled to Remote
Island and he began to
plane to revenge his brother from there. This story is telling us the cheating
and it revenge story. In many literature we read that there is cheating and its
revenge flows. Like wise today’s gospel
also says that God is cheated by who were trusted by him so he will punish them.
Jesus
is telling this parable to the people who were believed to be the custodians of
true faith and kingdom
of God . God is conveying
them that they failed to be the good workers of God. So he is telling the story
of Vineyard and its servants. He said that there was man planted a vineyard and
he made a fence and a watch house to protect and he entrusted that beautiful
vineyard to the selected servants. In the fullness of the harvest season he
sent his slaves to collect the land lords share. They beat them and some were
killed and others were mocked. So finally he sent his only Son thinking that
they may respect him but they were inhuman with him too. They killed him
cruel. It hurt the land Lord thus he
came and punished the wicked servants. This parable was most convincing that
Jesus is going to be rejected by the trusted servants of God. He is going to be
brutally killed by his own people. Perhaps this may be the fourth prediction of
his passion and death. He is reached Jerusalem
already. When he set a journey to Jerusalem he
was convincing his disciples to the tragic death he is to face in Jerusalem . In the Jerusalem he is declaring
his knowledge of his life and death.
Jesus
is telling parables which most famous for them because in the history of Israel there
was similar story, they have heard before. In the book of Isaiah chapter 5 says
about the Lord’s vineyard. God of Israel planned a vineyard his right hand
planted. He did everything for the well of this vineyard. But it produced only
bad grapes. It was a proto Isaiah doom prediction. Because Israelites were not
trust worthy to Yahweh, They went after the gentile God and deceived God of
Israel. Thus they failed to produce the good grapes. But in the New Testament
Story of Vineyard it is different from the past. Here they knowingly disregarded
the true owner of the vineyard. This was failure of the Jewish people that they
could not understand the original and only son Jesus who was sent to them by
God. Or they knowingly disregarded him. Therefore he is giving them a
historical data. They killed many
prophets, Jeremiah was beaten and Queen Jezebel killed and mocked many
prophets. Hereby Jesus is acknowledging
them failed servants. He told them that there is a miracle yet to happen, that
the labourers rejected the stone happen to be the corner stone of the building.
He quotes this from the Psalm [118: 22-23]
This
corner stone is Jesus himself. He mentions that he is going to be the
foundation of the kingdom
of God . There is story heard about the Jerusalem temple. Now we
can see reminiscence of temple as Wailing
Wall. In the starting of the construction the some stones were found
disfigured and huge so they rejected them and placed aside of the temple at
last they took these stones to construct that wall after beautiful construction
of statues and beams of the temple. But those rejected stones are still
remaining as miracle. This was the fact that Jesus was telling them. Jesus reminded them not to be failed to
accept the corner stone of your life.
We are celebrating a feast of saint who was
well aware of the corner stone of his life, he regarded Jesus as the center of
his life therefore he preached his life till the death. He tried to convince
others that Jesus is the center and corner stone of everyone’s life. In the life history of St Anthony, we read a
story that he was arguing with a Jew named Boonville. He particular Jew told
Anthony that there is no miracle in the Eucharist. He said that it is mere
bread. Then St. Anthony asked him to starve his donkey for three days and he agreed
to that. Then Anthony told him on the third day let us carry each other
Eucharist and Food for the Donkey. St. Anthony
carried Eucharist and Jew carried Ouds food. But the donkey bowed before the
Eucharist. Thus that Jew was convinced of the Eucharistic presence. We
understand that Donkey was well aware of the corner stone Jesus.
We
have to be convinced of the presence of Jesus. Jesus is the corner stone. He
told that Peter that you are the rock. I will build my house on your rock. It
is very clear that Jesus is the first and prime stone that the church is built.
Therefore my dear friends let us be conscious of the real stone and be united
to the church that strong build built on Peter’s rock. May God Bless us. Amen.