Thursday, November 4 : Saint Columbanus

Moses wrote in the Law that: “God created man in his image and likeness” (Gn 1,26). I would ask you to reflect on the importance of this saying. God, who is almighty, invisible, incomprehensible and without compare, when he fashioned man of clay, ennobled him by the image of his own greatness. What is there in common between man and God, clay and spirit? For “God is spirit” (Jn 4,24). Therefore is represents a great sign of his esteem for man that God should have rewarded him with the image of his eternity and the likeness of his own life. The greatness of man lies in his likeness to God, so long as he preserves it… So long as a soul makes good use of the virtues sown in it, it remains like God. All the virtues God placed in us at our creation he has taught us to repay to him. In the first place he requires us to love God with all our heart (Dt 6,5) since, from the beginning, even before we existed, “he loved us first” (1Jn 4,10). To love God, then, is to restore his image within us. Now, he loves God who keeps his commandments… Therefore it is for us to reflect to our God, to our Father, the unsullied image of his own holiness since he is holy and has said: “Be holy as I am holy” (Lv 11,45); with love since he is love and John has said: “God is love” (1Jn 4,8); with kindness and in truth since God is good and true. Let us not become depicters of a false image… And lest we insinuate the image of pride within ourselves let us allow Christ to paint his image within us.

maronite readings – rosary,team