Monday, August 19 : Saint Peter Chrysologus

This man who has a hundred sheep is the good shepherd (Jn 10,11), Christ is the merciful shepherd who had turned the whole flock of humankind into one single sheep, namely Adam. He had set this sheep in the delights of Paradise and the region of the pastures of life. But, ignoring the howling of the wolves, it forgot the shepherd’s voice, lost the way leading to the fold of salvation and found itself covered all over with fatal wounds. Christ came into the world to look for this sheep and found it again in the womb of the Virgin. He came, was born in the flesh, set the sheep upon the cross and took it on the shoulders of his Passion. Then, full of the joy of the resurrection, he lifted it up through his Ascension to the heavenly dwellings. “He called his friends and neighbors”, that is to say the angels, “and said to them: ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the sheep that was lost’ ” The angels sing and exult with Christ on account of the return of the Lord’s sheep. They are not upset to see it sitting before them on the throne of majesty since envy no longer exists in heaven, from which it has been cast out along with the devil. Thanks to the Lamb, who took away the sin of the world (Jn 1,29), the sin of envy can make its way into heaven no more. Brethren, Christ came to seek us out on earth; let us look for him in heaven. He has carried us into the glory of his divinity; let us bear him in our bodies by the holiness of our whole life.

maronite readings – rosary,team