Feast of St Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost things.

Prayer for the Day presented by Reverend Dr Rosa Hunt, minister of Tabernacl chapel in the city centre of Cardiff.

Hello.

As I wandered through the house one morning looking for the book I had been reading just an hour before, I found myself uttering my mum’s Maltese mantra: Sant Antnin, sib il-hwejjeg mitlufin. Saint Anthony, find the lost things.

Today is the feast day of St Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost things. Now, whether or not patron saints mean anything to you, here’s an interesting fact to ponder -St Anthony is also the patron saint of the poor. To be lost is to be impoverished, and to be poor can often mean to be lost. To lose a book is careless, but who will look for those who get lost when our society loses sight of justice?

Loving God, we pray today for those who have somehow got lost in our society – the homeless, the jobless, those with no recourse to public funds, the poor. We pray that they may be found by your great Love, and that we too may show love to the love-less. We pray also for those who feel lost when the reaction of others to their age or mental or physical disability bar them from feeling valued as human beings. We think especially of those with dementia for whom the world has become such a bewildering place. We remember also those who have sought refuge on these shores from conflict and danger in the place they used to call home. Give us wisdom, compassion and insight so that we may work together to make our society a place of welcome to all, that those who were lost may once again know that they are found and held securely in your merciful Love. Amen.