Tuesday, May 17 : Rupert of Deutz

In speaking of vision, or rather of a great light, Matthew undoubtedly intends us to understand our Savior’s luminous preaching, the radiance of the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The land of Zebulon and of Naphtali heard it from our Lord’s own mouth before anyone else… For in fact it was in this particular land that our Lord began to preach; it was there his preaching was inaugurated… And the apostles, who were the first to see this true light over these regions of Zabulon and Naphtali, themselves became “lights of the world”… As Isaiah’s text continues: “They rejoice before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing the spoils” This joy will indeed become the apostles’ joy, it will be a twofold joy when “they come back like reapers carrying their sheaves” and “as conquerors sharing the spoil”, that is to say of the conquered devil… For it was you, our Lord and Savior, who removed from their shoulders “the yoke that burdened them”, that yoke of the devil’s who in former times lorded it over the world when he reigned over all the nations and caused their necks to bow beneath the yoke of a grievous slavery… You it was who, without troops, without bloodshed, in the secret of your power, freed us to place us at your service… Yes, the devil will be “burned as fuel for the flames” because “a child is born to us”, the lowly Son of God “upon whose shoulders dominion rests” because, being God, he is able to possess the pre-eminence by his own strength… And his “dominion extends” since he will not only reign over the Jews, as David did, but he will have the sovereignty over all nations “both now and forever”. (Biblical references: Is 9,1-6; Mt 5,14; Ps 126[125],6)
maronite readings – rosary,team