HELP OTHERS OBEY GOD

Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest
Mt. 5:17-19

Today, let us be sorry for leading others away from God. Let us ask for forgiveness for causing others to sin. Let us repair the harm we have done them by leading them back to God and helping them obey His commandments.

Just as we lead others away from God by our words and actions, so too we must lead them back to God by our words and actions. We must be models for them to follow. Let us be examples of genuine Christian living. We lead others back to God by leading the way to Him. We lead the way to God by obeying what God commands us to do.

Our prayers will bring others closer to God but our lives can also bring others far from Him if our prayers do not mold us unto the likeness of His obedient Son, Jesus. It is never enough to pray and live our lives in any way; we must pray and live our lives in the way of Christ Jesus.

We must always be conscious that we do not lead others to sin. We should always be vigilant never to give anyone a reason to disobey God’s commandments.

May we be like St. Anthony of Padua, whose blessed memory we celebrate today. He was only 36 years old when he passed away in 1231. Despite dying at a rather young age, he accomplished much as a Franciscan friar in leading many souls to God. He was an eloquent preacher. However, his eloquence was not merely in the use of words as he preached about God but equally also in his deeds as he showed love for the poor and for sinners. He is invoked today for lost things and even lost persons. No wonder why because he labored so much so that no one may be lost from obeying God.