Br. Ed Van Merrienboer, OP

On this memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (also known as St. Anthony of the Desert), we remember this courageous Desert Father who fought the devil with prayer. Prayer can be a powerful tools for keeping the evil that creeps into all of our lives at bay.

"If today you hear God's voice, harden not your heart." There are many ways in which God speaks to us, and perhaps the most clear way is through the humanity of the people we encounter. Be open to them and how they are doing, not just what they are doing.

When it was announced to Zechariah that he would be a father in his old age, he doubted the Angel Gabriel and was struck dumb. His silence, however, gave him the opportunity to reflect on God's power. If you have doubts, embrace God is silent contemplation and you might be given all that you need in that powerful encounter.

St. Joseph was confronted with the unbelievable situation of Mary's pregnancy, and he believed through the help of an angel, and a life of faith. Sometimes the demands of faith seem almost unbelievable to us, but if we live out our faith every day, we will have a greater ability to believe even difficult truths of our faith.

Jesus told a parable of the unjust judge who finally gave a widow her due because of her persistence. God will also grant what we ask for, but seeks to have an ongoing conversation with us as we would with a friend. Also, as with friends, we cannot make demands of God but must trust that God loves us and will do what is right for us.

On this Feast of St. Albert the Great, Doctor of the Church, we remember how he integrated knowledge from theology, science, and politics, seeing no disparity between faith and reason. All of these realms of knowledge speak of the genius and imagination of God in creation. In the same way, we should let our knowledge of the world bolster our faith rather than setting these things in competition.