Tuesday, August 24 : Philoxenes of Mabbug

Jesus renewed the call made to Abraham to the holy apostles. And their faith was like Abraham’s in that, just as Abraham obeyed as soon as he was called (Gen 12), so the apostles set out after Jesus as soon as he called them and they heard his voice (…). It was not a long process of instruction that made disciples of them but the simple fact of their having heard the word of faith. Because their faith was alive, no sooner had they heard his living voice than they obeyed that life. Immediately, they ran after him without delay, and from this we see that they were disciples in heart even before being called. This is how a faith acts that has kept its simplicity. It is not by force of argument that it accepts instruction but, just as an eye that is sound receives the rays of the sun transmitted to it and views the light as soon as it opens, without either reasoning it out or working at it, (…) so those with a natural faith recognize God’s voice as soon as they hear it. The light of his word arises in them; they throw themselves joyfully before it and take it to themselves, as our Lord said in the Gospel: “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me” (Jn 10:27).

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team