Tuesday, October 26 : Saint Peter Chrysologus

No sooner had God seen the world overcome with fear than he set his love to work to call it back to himself, his grace to invite it and his affection to embrace it. At the time of the flood… he calls Noah to bring to birth a new world, encouraging him with words of sweetness, giving him his close confidence, instructing him with kindness concerning the present and consoling him by his grace concerning the future… He takes part in his labors and encloses within the ark the seed of the whole world so that love of his covenant might cast out all fear… Then God calls Abraham out from amongst the nations, makes his name great and causes him to become father of believers. He goes with him on the way, protects him in a foreign land, loads him with wealth, honors him with victories, assures him of his promises, rescues him from injustice, comforts him in his hospitality and astonishes him with an unlooked for birth so that, drawn by the great sweetness of divine love, he might learn… to worship God with love and no longer in fear. Later on, God consoles the fleeing Jacob in dreams. On his return he incites him to fight and, in the struggle, holds him tightly in his arms so that he might love the father of the combat and no longer fear him. Then he calls Moses and speaks to him with the love of a father to invite him to deliver his people. Through all these events the flame of divine charity consumed men’s hearts… and they, their hearts wounded, began to desire to see God with the eyes of their flesh… Love cannot accept not to see what it loves. Did not all the saints consider of little worth everything they gained while they were not beholding God…? Let no one think, therefore, that God was mistaken in coming to men through a man. He took flesh amongst us that he might be seen by us.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team