Sunday, September 11 : Saint Ambrose

“I shall go to my father and say: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.’” Such is our first confession to our Creator, our merciful Lord, the judge of our sins. For although he knows all things, God is waiting for an expression of our confession. For “if you confess with your mouth (…) you will be saved” (Rm 10:10). (…) This is how the younger son spoke to himself. But it isn’t enough just to speak unless you come to the Father. Where are we to look for him? Where will we find him? “He got up.” Get up first of all, you who have hitherto been sitting down asleep. This is what the apostle Paul says: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead” (Eph 5:14). (…) Up you get, then, and hurry along to the Church : there is the Father, there the Son, there the Holy Spirit. He who hears you speaking in the intimate depths of your soul is coming to meet you, and when you are still far off he sees you and starts running. He sees your heart; he runs up lest anyone delay you and He embraces you. (…) He flings his arms around your neck to raise you up, you who were prostrate, burdened with sins, face to the ground. He turns you over to face heaven so that you can seek your Creator there. Christ flings his arms around you so as to free your neck from slavery’s yoke and set his gentle yoke upon you. (…) He is embracing you when he says : “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,” (Mt 11:28). Such is his manner of embrace if you repent. He causes a robe, a ring and sandals to be brought. The robe is the garment of wisdom (…), spiritual clothing, the wedding garment. What is the ring if not the seal of a genuine faith and the imprint of truth ? And as for the sandals: these are the preaching of the Gospel.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team