Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

As God is faithful, our word to you is not "yes" and "no." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him. For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.

Sometimes our plans change. Our honest “Yes!” to someone else’s request, might suddenly become an unintended “No.” The course of our lives is not always set by ourselves. There are times when God, outside forces, and even enemies pull us down a different path. This might cause others to be disappointed in us. We can even become disappointed in ourselves for not being able to fulfill a promise. However, no matter what happens in our lives, expected or unexpected, we need to recognize each situation as an opportunity to grow in the faith and become better servants to God and all His children. God will forgive us if our good-intentioned promises fall through as long as we tried our best to follow through on our word.

Do we try to follow through on our good promises? Do we realize how even the obstacles that pop up in life are opportunities to grow in faith, hope, and love? Are we trying our best in every good thing we do?

O Lord, let all our promises be founded upon bearing you into the world for all to see.

Amen.