Friday, October 29 : Homily attributed to Saint Macarius of Egypt

Ever since Adam’s transgression the soul’s thoughts have been scattered far away from the love of God towards the present world, and they have been mingled up with thoughts about material, earthly things. For Adam, because of his transgression, received within himself the leaven of evil tendencies and so, by participation, everyone descended from him and all his race have had a share in that leaven. Then these evil tendencies grew and spread among men until they reached the point of all kinds of disorderliness. In the end, the whole of humankind was steeped in the leaven of malice… Correspondingly, during his stay on earth, our Lord truly desired to suffer on behalf of all, redeem them with his own blood and insert the heavenly leaven of his own goodness into believing souls, crushed beneath the yoke of sin. He wanted very much to bring to perfection in them the righteousness of the commandments and all the virtues until, leavened all through, they would be united in what is good and would form “one single spirit with the Lord”, in Paul’s words (1Cor 6,17). Souls completely penetrated by the leaven of the Holy Spirit cannot even think of evil and malice, as it is written: “Charity does not think of wrongdoing” (cf.1Cor 13,5-6). Without this heavenly leaven, in other words, the power of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for the soul to be kneaded by the Lord’s sweetness and attain the life that is true.

maronite readings – rosary,team