Saturday, August 20 : Saint Maximilian Kolbe

When you are completely detached from all earthly things and when, your conscience clear, you are at any moment ready in heart to leave this present life and to dwell with the Lord, then you may recognize that you have acquired true virtue. If you want to be known to God, do all that you can to remain unknown to men. (…) Consciously look on yourself as an ant or a worm, so that you can become a man formed by God. If you fail to do the first, the second cannot happen. The lower you descend, the higher you ascend; and when, like the psalmist, you regard yourself as nothing before the Lord (cf. Ps 38[39]: 5-6), then imperceptibly you will grow great. And when you begin to realize that you have nothing and know nothing, then you will become rich in the Lord through practice of the virtues and spiritual knowledge. Since salvation comes to you as a free gift, give thanks to God your savior. If you wish to present him with gifts, gratefully offer from your widowed soul two tiny coins, humility and love, and God will accept these in the treasury of his salvation more gladly than the host of virtues deposited there by others. (…) For even if the treasure of those who are dispassionate consists of every virtue, the precious stone of humility is more valuable than them all: it brings about not only propitiation with the Creator, but also entry with the elect into the bridal chamber of his Kingdom.

maronite readings – rosary,team