Monday, March 7 : Saint Caesarius of Arles

Reflect, my brethren, and regard the example of our Lord, who has made travelers of us and commanded us to come to the heavenly city by running along the road of charity (…) Though he is seated in heaven, out of compassion for its striving members (since he is the head of both members and body throughout the world (Col 2:19)), he has said: “What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me” (…) When he transformed Paul the persecutor into Paul the preacher he said to him from heaven on high: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) (…) Saul was persecuting christians: was he persecuting Christ who was seated in heaven? But Christ was himself within the christians, suffering with all his members, that in him this saying might be true: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it” (1 Cor 12:26) (…) Let us then bear each others’ burdens (Gal 6:2); where the head has gone before, the members are destined to follow (…) If our Lord and Savior, who is without sin, condescends to love us sinners with so great a love that he declares he is suffering what we are suffering, how is that we, who are not without sin and who can redeem our sins through charity, how is that we do not love each other with a love so perfect that we feel for all the evil endured by one amongst us with a feeling of charity? (…) A hand or other member cut off from the body no longer feels anything. Such is the christian who does not suffer from the misfortune, distress, or even the death of the other person.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team