Saturday, July 13 : Saint Augustine
I beg you to listen to what Christ had to say when he stretched out his hand towards his disciples: “Here are my mother and my brethren”; and, “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother” (Mt 12:49-50). Are we to take it from this that the Virgin Mary did not do the will of the Father, she who by faith believed, by faith conceived?… Indeed and indeed she did the Father’s will and… consequently, blessed is Mary who bore her Lord in her body before she gave him birth. See if it isn’t as I say. The Lord was journeying on and the crowds were following him. He did a work of divine power and this woman in the crowd cried out: “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked.” But they must not think that blessedness lay in bodily relationship, so what did the Lord answer? “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” Therefore Mary is blessed because she “heard the word of God and kept it.” Her mind was filled more fully with Truth than her womb by his flesh. Christ is the truth, Christ is made flesh: Christ the truth is in Mary’s mind, Christ made flesh is in her womb. Greater is that which is in her mind than that which she carried in her womb. Mary is holy. Mary is blessed indeed!… Brothers, listen very closely: you are members of Christ’s body and you are the body of Christ (1Co 12:27)… “Whoever hears and does the will of God is my brother, and. sister, and mother”… We have a common heritage and Christ’s heart of love would not be separated from us, though he is the Only-Begotten: he wouldl have us to be heirs of his Father and co-heirs with himself (Rm 8:17).
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team
