Wednesday, July 27 : Saint Hilary

How well I know, O God, all-powerful Father, that to offer myself to you in such a way that everything within me… speaks of you is the chief object of my life. You have granted me the gift of speech and it can bring me no greater reward than the honor of serving you and showing the world that ignores it and the heretic who denies it who you are, O Father of God’s only Son. Yes, that is indeed my only wish! However, I am in great need of begging for the help of your mercy so that you may swell the sails of my faith, spread out for you, with the breath of your Spirit and may prompt me to preach everywhere your holy name. For it is was not in vain that you made this promise: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you”. Poor, we beg for what we lack. We will zealously apply ourselves to studying your prophets and apostles. We will knock at all the doors our minds find closed. But you alone can answer our prayer…; you alone can open this door we are knocking at. You will give encouragement to difficult beginnings, affirm our progress, and call us to share in the Spirit who guided your prophets and apostles. In this way we won’t give their words a meaning different to the one they intended. So grant us true understanding of the words, the light of intelligence, beauty of expression and faith in the truth. Grant us to speak what we believe…: that there is only one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.
maronite readings – rosary,team