The Gospel from Matthew for today is straight forward yet difficult. Jesus warns against committing adultery and, yes, any sin. He says “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.”

Today is also the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, whom many of us have called upon when we have lost our keys or an important document or something. St. Anthony also can help those who lose their way in the faith. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, one miracle ascribed to St. Anthony links today’s Gospel and St. Anthony.  A young man in a fit of anger kicked his mother. The young man confessed to St. Anthony, who said to him: “The foot of him who kicks his mother deserves to be cut off.” The young man ran home and cut off his foot. St. Anthony learned of this and restored the young man’s foot. Even if we lose ourselves to sin, we can repent and we can find our way back to God.

Jesus’s words are stark, a reminder of the danger of sin. We will lose our way, but we can find our way back to God with repentant hearts.

--
Dal-Gal, N. (1907). St. Anthony of Padua. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01556a.htm