Saint Anthony Mary Claret - Catholic Apologetics Information

Chapter I
GOD'S CALL TO PREACH MISSIONS
113. Ever since I lost the desire to become a Carthusian--which God had used to uproot me from
worldliness--I not only thought about becoming holy myself, but I was continuously trying to imagine
what I could do to save the souls of my neighbors. Hence I prayed continuously to Jesus and Mary,
offering myself to them for this purpose. The lives of the saints, which we read daily at table, and my
own spiritual reading all contributed to this. But what moved and stimulated me most was reading the
Holy Bible, to which I have always been very strongly attracted. 74
114. There were passages that impressed me so deeply that I seemed to hear a voice telling me the
message I was reading. 75 There were many such passages, but the following stand out: "You whom I
brought out from the confines of the earth and called from the ends of the world." By these words I
understood how the Lord had called me without any merit on the part of my birthplace, my parents, or
myself. “You to whom I said, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you, not rejected you”’ (Is. 41:9).
115. "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; stop being anxious and watchful, for I am your God. I
give you strength, I bring you help, I uphold you with my victorious right hand" (ibid., 10). Here I
understood how the Lord had drawn me safely out of the narrow escapes to which I have referred in Part
One, and of the means He used to do so.
116. I understood what great enemies I would have to face and the awful and terrifying
persecutions that would arise against me, but the Lord told me, "A11 those who raged against you shall
be put to shame and confusion; they who fought against you shall be destroyed and perish.... For I,
Yahweh, your God, I am holding you by the right hand; I tell you, 'Do not be afraid, I will help you"'
(ibid., 11 and 13) 76
117. "See, I turn you into a threshing sled, new, with doubled teeth; you shall thresh and crush the
mountains and turn the hills to chaff" (ibid., 15). Through these words the Lord made me understand the
effect that my preaching and the mission He had entrusted to me were to have. The "mountains" are the
proud, the rationalists, and others of that sort, and the "hills" are the lustful, both of which loom above
the place where all sinners pass. I shall argue with them and convince them of their sin, and hence the
Lord tells me, "You shall winnow them and the wind will blow them away, the gale will scatter them.
But you yourself will rejoice in Yahweh, and glory in the Holy One of Israel" (ibid., 16).
118. The Lord made me understand that I would not only have to preach to sinners but that I would
also have to preach to and catechize simple farmers and villagers. Hence He said to me, "The poor and
needy ask for water, and there is none, their tongue is parched with thirst. I, Yahweh, will answer them.
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them (ibid., 17). I will make rivers well up on barren heights, and
fountains in the midst of valleys; turn the wilderness into a lake, and dry ground into a water-spring"
(ibid., 18). 77
119. I had the same experience on reading the prophet Ezekiel, especially chapter 3, at these words:
"Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from me,
74 Every day he read two chapters of the Bible--four in Lent--following Bishop Corcuera's advice. Throughout his life he was
faithful to this reading and recommended it to others. He published a number of editions of the Bible so as to put it within the
reach of all.
75 The Saint drew up two other lists of vocational texts that in part coincide with those in the Autobiography and in part complement
it. These passages from Isaiah, culminating in the call of the Servant of Yahweh, were interiorized in the Saint's heart by the Holy
Spirit, to make him understand the mission to which he had been predestined.
76 "You will seek but never find them, those enemies of yours. They shall be destroyed and brought to nothing, those who made war
on you" (Is. 41:12) is also cited in Autob. Documents III and IV and in Writings, pp. 435 and 447. Also, "Do not be afraid, Jacob,
poor worm, Israel, puny mite. I will help you--it is Yahweh who speaks--the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer" (ibid., 14) is cited
in Writings, pp. 436 and 447.
77 Cf. Isa. 48:10-11: "And now I have put you in the fire (but not) like silver, I have tested you in the furnace of distress. For my sake
and my sake only have I acted--is my name to be profaned? Never will I yield my glory to another" (Autob. Documents III and VII;
Writings, pp. 436, 448). Isa. 49:3: "He said to me, 'You are my servant (Israel) in whom I shall be glorified"' (Autob. Document, III;
Writings, p. 436).
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