Thursday, June 2 : A homily attributed to Saint John Chrysostom

Catholic Maronite Readings, MEDITATIO maronite readings, MEDITATIO

God and the human race have become a single family. Paul says in one place that “We are all the children of God,” (Acts 17,29) and in another that “We are the body Christ, each of us being a different member of it,” (1Cor 12,27) Because Christ has cloth himself in our flesh we are his kin. Consequently we have his pledge heaven in the body he took from us, and we have the Holy Spirit with us here on earth. Why wonder at the Holy Spirit being with us as well as in heaven, when Christ’s body too is in heaven and also with us? Heaven received his holy body and earth received the Holy Spirit. Christ came to earth and brought with him the Holy Spirit; he ascended to heaven and took with him our body. O marvelous ordering of divine providence!… As the prophet said: “O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth!” (Ps 8,2). Your godhead is raised: “As they watched he was lifted up,” (Acts 1,9) he who in every way is great, the great God, the great Lord. But if he is the great God and the great Lord, he is also a great king, “a great king over all the earth” (Ps 47[46],3). He is a great prophet, a great priest, a great light, in every way he is great. His greatness lies not only in his divinity, but in his humanity as well. As in his divinity he is the great God, and Lord and king, so also he is a great priest and a great prophet. How has this come about? Paul says: “Since then we have a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to the faith we have professed” (Heb 4,14). If he is a great priest and a great prophet, then surely God “has visited his people” and “raised up a great prophet in Israel” (Lk 7,16). And if he is a great prophet, priest, and king, he is also a great light: “Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”(Is 9,1f.; Mt 4,15) . Let us then hold fast to the pledge of our life in heaven where we have been taken up with Christ.

maronite readings – rosary,team