A Cup of Cold Water

A FRANCISCAN Order of friars, a women’s discernment house, a community of Franciscan laity, and a cloister of Poor Clare’s use a nearby church. The church has daily Mass, generally at 7:45 am. Frequently, the regular priest is away so substitute priests are called in. Generally, these substitutes confirm the Mass schedule in advance, but one day the substitute neglected to phone. Since he had not said otherwise, Mass regulars assumed that Father was coming at 7:45 am. Sure enough, he did.

Small charity

The woman who prints up and posts the Mass schedule for the bulletin board, the attendees, and the website asked the priest to call her if he would NOT be saying the Mass at 7:45. He assured her that he would be holding the Mass at the usual time, although he was unsure about Friday. On Friday, he was scheduled to hear confessions at 7:30 am at his own parish, so he had to ask another priest if he could hear confessions instead. The priest said that he would let the woman know the following day about the Friday Mass time. However, since the woman was going away for six days, she asked the priest to let her know that day, if possible, so that she could post the Mass times before she left. The priest told her not to be a slave to social media. She remarked that lay people checked the website and bulletin board for updated Mass times. It was a charity to post the Mass times. The priest remarked that there were not 1000 people coming to daily Mass, so posting the times was unimportant. There had been no website for years, so why was it needed now? The woman knew that people had stopped coming to daily Mass at the church because the Mass times changed randomly. The priest brushed this off as only a few were affected. At Mass the priest preached on Matthew 10:42 (And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.) which has a parallel in Matthew 25:40 (And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me). He remarked that a cup of cold water was a simple, inexpensive drink requiring little preparation or cost, yet it was much appreciated by the receiver. He spoke about doing small, seemingly insignificant things for others, especially the poor. After Mass the woman told the priest that her husband would check the Mass time with him while she was away and see that the correct time was posted. She added that she appreciated his homily and then remarked, “My posting Mass times is my way of giving a cup of cold water.” The priest smiled and nodded. He got the point.

Father Fernando

While serving as porter at the Augustinian Monastery in Lisbon, Father Fernando literally gave many cups of cold water to travelers and beggars. Some of those were Franciscan friars who lived nearby. Five were going to Morocco to preach to the Mohammedans. Martyred, they returned to Portugal in golden reliquaries. Awed by their joy and fervor, Father Fernando prayed for the same virtues. Then he asked to become a Franciscan friar with the stipulation that he, too, be sent to Morocco to preach. His heartfelt plea was accepted. Transferring from the Augustinians to the Franciscans, he was renamed Anthony, then sent to Morocco. However, after falling deathly ill on board ship, he had to turn back before disembarking. God wanted to use Anthony’s life, not his death, to convert others. Scripture tells us that “God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so” (Hebrews 6:10). Anthony had followed that Scripture in his ministrations as porter. God fulfilled its promise in the wonders which he worked and continues to work through Saint Anthony.

Saint of compassion

Tales about Saint Anthony repeatedly demonstrate how he figuratively gave ‘a cup of cold water’ to others, most of whom the world considered insignificant. His prayers kept a maid servant from getting wet in pouring rain when she delivered vegetables to his friary. He restored a broken wine goblet to a humble woman who gave him shelter. He helped enact a law in Padua to protect its citizens from mercenary usurers. He attempted to have political prisoners released. Anthony’s sermons are replete with calls to charity. “Your mercy… should be three-fold towards your neighbor. If he sins against you, forgive him. If he strays from the way of truth, instruct him. If he is hungry, feed him” (Sermons for Sundays and Festivals, Messaggero di Sant’ Antonio Editrice, Vol. II, p. 81). Attention to one in need must be given wholeheartedly, willingly, and joyfully. “My brother: when you are serving your brother, set your feet before you, devote yourself entirely to him…” (Sermons II, p. 408). Anthony is quite clever in illustrating his point. In his sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Anthony uses cranes to symbolize compassion. These majestic birds “all of them together take care of the weary, so that if any flag, they all come together to support those who are tired, until with rest they regain their strength… Let us then be merciful like cranes, so that… we may look out for ourselves and for other people… Let us carry the weak and feeble on our shoulders, so that they do not faint on the way” (Sermons II, p. 82).

Reality check

For Anthony, the cup of cold water includes empathy: “A mother sorrows over her sick son, because she loves him; if she did not love, she would never sorrow. Alas! How littleor not at all-we sorrow for our neighbor’s sorrow! And what is the reason? To be sure, we do not love him. And so we should sorrow because we do not sorrow, and ‘Sorrow should be the medicine for sorrow’” (Sermons IV, pp. 214-15). We are to love the person whom we serve: “… when the just man blossoms with alms, he should also bud with compassion; he should bestow upon the poor not merely with his hand, but with the affection of his heart, so that avarice does not begrudge the alms” (Sermons II, p. 232). Anthony practiced what he preached. He brought many prostitutes, thieves, and other sinners to conversion through his preaching. Then he reconciled them to the Church through the sacrament of confession. In doing so, he gave them his full attention, which is why he frequently spent close to 16 hours hearing confessions. Whether we maintain websites, work in soup kitchens, or babysit our grandchildren, we can find many ways to ‘give a cup of cold water’. What ‘cups’ are you giving?