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| “The Ecstasy of St Paul (detail)” by Nicolas Poussin, 1649-50 |
Reading 1: Titus 3:1-7
Beloved: Remind them to be
under the control of magistrates and authorities,
to be obedient, to be open to
every good enterprise.
They are to slander no one,
to be peaceable, considerate,
exercising all graciousness
toward everyone.
For we ourselves were once
foolish, disobedient, deluded,
slaves to various desires and
pleasures,
living in malice and envy,
hateful ourselves and hating
one another.
But when the kindness and
generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous
deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
he saved us through the bath
of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy
Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on
us
through Jesus Christ our
savior,
so that we might be justified
by his grace
and become heirs in hope of
eternal life.
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Commentary on Ti 3:1-7
St. Paul instructs Titus to teach
obedience to civil authority in the beginning of this passage, something that
would be challenging in Crete as the mostly Jewish population was very
dissatisfied with Roman rule. The apostle reminds them that, as Christians, the
faithful are to comport themselves as “children of God,” reiterating his
general instructions about living in harmony presented earlier in the letter
(cf. Titus 2).
In the second section of the
passage he provides the theological reason for his instruction. Referring to
the sacramental grace of baptism, he reminds Titus that it was a gift, not
earned through some special merit, that God’s love was poured out (“so that
we might be justified by his grace”). This “justification,” or being made
just as if the sin of Adam had never affected mankind, creates an adoptive
state. Those so washed become “heirs in hope of eternal life.”
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1b-3a,
3bc-4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I
shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I
shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives
me repose;
Beside restful waters he
leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall
want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the
dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are
at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall
want.
You spread the table before
me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall
want.
Only goodness and kindness
follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the
house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall
want.
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Commentary on Ps 23:1b-3a, 3bc-4, 5, 6
Psalm 23 is
one of the most familiar songs in the entire psalter. “God's loving care for
the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm
23:1-4) and a
host's generosity toward a guest (Psalm
23:5-6). The
imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah
40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah
31:10).” [4] While the theme of shepherd is
mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really speaks to the peace given to those
who follow the Lord and place their trust in him, even into the “dark
valley.”
The reference in the third strophe
above: “'You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes' occurs
in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my
enemies watch: my enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed
ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).” [5]
CCC: Ps
23:5 1293
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Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his
journey to Jerusalem
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee .
As he was entering a village,
ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from
him and raised their voice, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on
us!”
And when he saw them, he
said,
“Go show yourselves to the
priests.”
As they were going they were
cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he
had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a
loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of
Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they
not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner
returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand
up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
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Commentary on Lk 17:11-19
The story of the Samaritan leper,
found only in St. Luke’s Gospel, reiterates Jesus’ ability to remove sins. Here
the Lord cures ten lepers, outcasts, who are viewed by the community as being
under God’s punishment. The Gospel is an indictment of the Hebrews who did not
recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus’ comment: “Has none but this foreigner
returned to give thanks to God?” is a clear indication that this lack of
faith will have consequences. This is especially true when he follows this
statement with: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” This would
seem to imply that those who refuse to accept Jesus’ status as the Christ would
not receive God's salvation.
“This incident recounting the
thankfulness of the cleansed Samaritan leper is narrated only in Luke's gospel
and provides an instance of Jesus holding up a non-Jew as an example to his
Jewish contemporaries (cf. Luke 10:33 where
a similar purpose is achieved in the story of the good Samaritan). Moreover, it
is the faith in Jesus manifested by the foreigner that has brought him
salvation (Luke 17:19; cf. the similar relationship
between faith and salvation in Luke 7:50; 8:48, 50).” [6]
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Reflection:
We consider St. Paul St. Paul
In those days, when secular
forces were threatened by any monotheistic and exclusive faith (in this case a
belief that only through Christ is salvation found), they would simply get the
ear of the secular ruler (usually a Roman) and have the group declared outlawed
or the faith made illegal. How fortunate
those early Christians – to be confronted so openly and challenged by an
identifiable foe.
The Church today faces a much
more insidious enemy. We face an
“outwardly tolerant” society (in most parts of the world but becoming less so,
even in the US). But one which still
finds Christianity’s monotheism and exclusivity an irritant. History has taught that the easiest way to
defeat a moral system is to erode it over time rather than to attack it
openly. Attacking only generates martyrs
and martyrs actually stimulate growth.
So in the western world, the Church is being slowly marginalized and
Christians are accepted but the terms they use are twisted and their moral code
undermined by a determined opponent – a pagan-like belief –humanistic
secularism. (See Some Thoughts on Religious Persecution.)
What takes place in this
attack is not open confrontation but a continuous erosion of moral principles –
never attacking faith in Jesus, but all of the moral principles for which he
stood. Instead of the Christian community
transforming society – the secularists are transforming the Christians. One by one, family by family, the strength of
the Christian community is atrophied through indifference and the seductive
lure of hedonistic values that promise pleasure and wealth without
responsibility.
And what are we to do about
this? In the cause of Christ,
individuals count. In the fight against
the march of secularism individuals make a huge difference. One voice crying out against the abuses of
power, wealth, and the denigration of the human person can rally others. The more influence one can assume on the
secular structure the greater the defense possible.
Today scripture reminds us
that we are citizens of society as well as our faith communities. We are called to be voices of faith in the
world, not silent, in the cause of Christ.
Today, more than ever, we pray for the strength that allows us to be
instruments of transformation – turning the tide that threatens to overwhelm
us.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “The Ecstasy of St Paul (detail)” by Nicolas Poussin, 1649-50.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible,
with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the
International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is
not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB footnote on Psalm 23.
[5]
Ibid.
[6]
See NAB footnote on Luke 17:11-19.
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