Thoughts from St. Anthony Mary Claret

In possessing me, my poor Lord possesses a nothing,

and I, in possessing Him, possess everything.

St. Anthony Mary Claret, feast day is October 24th

I will ask the Blessed Virgin for an all-embracing charity and perfect union with God, a most profound humility, and the desire for contempt from others. I will greatly esteem virtues in others.  I will look on everybody as my superior, judging well of all his works, reprehending, cen­suring, and judging only myself. This will be for my own profit. Any other kind of judgment will not profit me in the least.

I will remember what our Lord once said to a mis­sionary, namely, that he had preserved him from falling into hell, so that he might work for the salvation of souls. For my part, I too, will think that God delivered me from the untimely death of drowning and from other perils, so that I might labor afterwards for his greater honor and glory, and for the salvation of souls which he redeemed at so great a price.

What has our Lord not done for the glory of his Father and for the salvation of souls? Ah, I see him agonizing on the cross, despised, and loaded with suffer­ings. Then am I, for the same reason, and aided by his grace, firmly resolved to suffer, to toil, to be despised, to be laughed at, calumniated and persecuted, and even to suffer death itself. Thanks be to God I am having my share of these crosses in my life. I live, but my life is that of Christ’s, and in possessing me, my poor Lord possesses a nothing, and I, in possessing Him, posses everything.

I pray to Him like this: O Lord, you are my love. You are my honor, my hope, and my refuge, my glory, and my last end. 0 my love, my happiness, my conserver, my joy, my reformer and my master! You are my father, the spouse of my life and of my soul! I do not seek or desire to know anything but your holy will, in order to do it. I love only you, my God, and all other things only for you, in you, and for your sake. You are more than sufficient for me, and I love you, my strength, my refuge, and my consolation. You are my Father, my brother, my spouse, my friend, and my all. Help me to love you as you love me, and as you will that I should love you.

Driven by the fire of the Holy Spirit, the holy apostles traveled 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 zealous man desires and achieve 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 fulfill 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 deserves and works with all this 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.

from the writings of Saint Anthony Mary Claret

brief biography:  St. Anthony Mary Claret founded the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians). He was archbishop of Santiago in Cuba. He founded the Teaching Sisters of Mary Immaculate. Following his work in the Caribbean, the Holy Father returned him back to Spain and he became confessor to the Queen and was later exiled with her. He had the gifts of prophecy and miracles. It is reported that he preached over 10,000 sermons, published 200 works. it was his special passion to spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This wonderful saint was born in December 1807 and died in France on October 24, 1870.