Saint Anthony Mary Claret - Catholic Apologetics Information

was offered them and that they will have, happily, attained. Then they will sing the everlasting mercies
of the Lord and bless those who have been merciful to them.
Chapter XII
HOW I WAS MOVED TO PREACH MISSIONS BY THE EXAMPLE OF THE
PROPHETS, OF JESUS CHRIST, OF THE APOSTLES, FATHERS, AND OTHER
SAINTS
214. Besides my unfailing love for poor sinners, another force that has driven me to work for their
salvation is the example of the prophets, of Christ himself, of the Apostles, and of the many men and
women saints whose lives and histories I have read, noting down some of the more salient passages for
my use and profit and as a stimulus to work harder. A few of these fragments follow. 125
215. Isaiah, son of Amos, of the royal house of David, was a prophet and preacher. His main object
was to confront the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Israel with their infidelities and to announce the
chastisement that God would visit upon them through the Assyrians and Chaldaeans, as He did, indeed.
His brother-in-law, the impious King Manasseh, put him to death by having him sawn in half.
216. Jeremiah prophesied some 45 years. His main object was to exhort his people to repent,
announcing to them the chastisements that the Lord would visit upon them. He was carried off to Egypt
and met his death in the city of Tanis, where he was stoned to death by his fellow Jews. The principal
trait of this great prophet was his tender-hearted love for his neighbor, a charity full of compassion for
both their temporal and spiritual needs, a charity that never let him rest. Thus, even in the midst of the
tumult of war, the confusion of a kingdom going to ruin, and the very death throes of his people in
Jerusalem, he worked with constant dedication for the well-being of his fellow-citizens, thus meriting the
fair name of "Lover of the brethren and of the people of Israel."
217. Ezekiel prophesied and preached some 20 years and had the glory of dying as a martyr for
justice sake. He was killed near Babylon by the prince of his people, whom he had reproached for
worshiping idols.
218. Daniel was endowed with incredible gifts, as one of the great prophets. Not only did he predict
future events, as did the rest of the prophets, but he also specified the time when they were to occur. Out
of envy he was thrown into the lions' den, but God freed him.
219. Elijah, the prophet, a man of fervent and powerful prayer and of great and extraordinary zeal,
was persecuted to the point of death, but he was not allowed to die and was carried off in a fiery chariot.
220. Ecclesiasticus, speaking of the 12 prophets who are called lesser only because of the shortness
of their writings, says that they gave new strength to Jacob and saved themselves through the virtue of
faith. 126
221. I am ever more deeply impressed at the thought of Jesus moving from town to town, preaching
everywhere-not just in big cities, but in little villages and even to a single woman. When he spoke to the
Samaritan woman, he was tired and thirsty from traveling, and the moment was as inconvenient for him
as it was for the woman.
222. From the very beginning I have been thrilled by the preaching style of Jesus, his likenesses
and parables. And how He was persecuted! He was a sign of contradiction, persecuted for his teaching,
his works, and his very person. Finally, they took his life amid affronts, torments, and insults, making
Him suffer the most shameful and painful death imaginable.
223. I was also much encouraged by reading the Acts of the Apostles. St. Peter in his first sermon
converted three thousand men, and in his second, five thousand. 127 With what great zeal and fervor he
preached ! And what shall I say of St. James, St. John, and the other Apostles? With great concern and
125 In describing the prophets and Apostles, Claret unintentionally leaves us a self-portrait. The traits he describes are the very
elements of his own vocation that he discovered with the light of grace and reproduced in his own life and apostolate.
126 Sirach 49:10
127 Acts 2:41; 4:4.
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