Monday, October 23 : Saint Ambrose

“Christ summoned his disciples and chose twelve of them” to send them out as sowers of the faith and to shed abroad his help and healing for humankind in all the world. Take good note of this divine plan: these were not the wise, nor the wealthy, nor those of high standing, but sinners and publicans whom he chose for sending out lest they might seem to have been drawn by natural ability, bought by riches, or drawn to his grace by the status attached to power and notoriety. This he did so that victory might come from the soundness of truth and not from the acclaim of speech. Judas himself was chosen, not by oversight but in full knowledge of the implications. What greatness do we see in that truth that not even a traitorous servant can weaken! What a mark of our Lord’s character that he should prefer, from our point of view, to compromise his judgement rather than his love! He had taken human weakness on himself and did not refuse even this aspect of human weakness. He sought to be forsaken, betrayed and delivered up by his apostle so that you, should a friend abandon you, a friend betray you, might take peacefully this error of judgement and the squandering of your goodness.
maronite readings – rosary,team