Monday, May 11 : Saint Augustine

See how greatly the disciples were frightened, for they said to the Lord: “Rabbi, just now the Jews were trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” The Lord Jesus answered: “Are there not twelve hours in the day?” What does this answer mean? In my opinion, insofar as the depth of these words allows the light to penetrate, the Lord wished to rebuke the disciples’ doubt and lack of understanding. Indeed, they wanted to advise the Lord not to die — the Lord who became incarnate precisely in order to die and thus drive away from them the shadow of death. Human beings wanted to advise God, the disciples wanted to advise their Master, the servants wanted to advise the Lord, and the sick wanted to advise the physician. Therefore, he said to them again: “Are there not twelve hours in the day? Whoever walks in the day does not stumble.” Follow me if you do not wish to stumble; do not attempt to give advice, you who are meant instead to receive instruction from me. What then is the meaning of these words: “Are there not twelve hours in the day?” The Lord wished to show them that he himself is the Day, and that he had chosen twelve disciples. He said, as it were: if I am the Day and you are the hours, do the hours give counsel to the Day? It is the hours that follow the Day, not the Day that follows the hours. Therefore, the Lord did not choose twelve disciples without reason; he chose them because he is the spiritual Day. Consequently, let the hours follow the Day, let the hours proclaim the Day, let the hours be illuminated by the Day, and let the world believe in the Day through the preaching of the hours. Thus the Lord said to them briefly: Follow me if you do not wish to stumble.

maronite readings – rosary,team