When We Say the Lord is my Portion: What does it mean?

Reflection on Today's Readings and Memorial of St Anthony of Padua, 10th Week in Ordinary Time Year II, Saturday 13th June, 2020
Texts: 1 Kgs. 19:19-21; Ps. 16:1-2a,5,7-9; Mtt. 5:33-37
Today we celebrate the memory of St. Anthony of Padua. He spent his life searching for God and had insatiable yearning for contemplation. He was found of studying and meditating on Sacred Scripture. He was endowed with learning and preaching powers, moving sinners and criminals to repentance with his charisma and power of his words. He was commissioned to preach against heretics in Northern Italy and  Southern France and he was successful in his war against them. Reflection on his life shows that he succeeded because he lived the gospel he proclaimed to the people. In one of his sermons he said, "A person who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks several languages. These several languages are the various ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, obedience and patience, with which we speak when we practise them towards our neighbours. Language comes alive when it speaks by deeds. Enough of talking; let action speaks". His life expounds what it means to have God as one's portion.
In a simple words, what does it mean when we say, "It is you, O Lord, who are my Portion"? It means we have come to the awareness and acceptance of God as the sole purpose of one's life; devotion to him alone gives meaning to one's life. It means we have come to say 'yes' to God and 'no' to other things. The Lord becomes our portion when we have completely given in to God, and our 'yes' is 'yes' and our 'no' is 'no'. In today's first reading, Elisha the son of Shaphat said 'yes' to God and 'no' to ploughing and family attachment. When we say 'yes' to God, let our 'yes' be 'yes' and our 'no' be 'no' to our former ways of life and attachments. Our minds should set on keeping his laws, statues and ordinances. We may now ask ourselves whether our 'yes' to God on the day of our baptism is still 'yes' and whether our 'no' to the devil and his works still remains 'no'.

Lord our God, help us to always say 'yes' to you and 'no' to the devil and his works. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke