Bishop and Martyr
Biographical Information about St. Josaphat[1]
Readings for Wednesday of the Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Titus 3:1-7
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Ti:2). In the second section of the passage he provides the theological reason for his instruction (“…so that we might be justified by his grace”).
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Responsorial Psalm[4]: 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 23:1b-3a, 3bc-4, 5, 6
The principle thrust of this, most popular of the Psalms, is trust in God. The figure of the Good Shepherd is later used extensively by Christ reinforcing his relationship to the Father.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
As he (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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 17:11-19
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. Especially 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 that salvation.
Biographical Information about St. Josaphat[1]
Readings for Wednesday of the Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Titus 3:1-7
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Ti:2). In the second section of the passage he provides the theological reason for his instruction (“…so that we might be justified by his grace”).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm[4]: 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 23:1b-3a, 3bc-4, 5, 6
The principle thrust of this, most popular of the Psalms, is trust in God. The figure of the Good Shepherd is later used extensively by Christ reinforcing his relationship to the Father.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
As he (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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 17:11-19
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. Especially 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 that 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).”[5]
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Reflection:
We reflect today upon the Church. Not looking at the “Big Picture”, but looking closely, as if examining a picture by Monet. We look down to the smallest organized unit, the local parish and see there the importance of the individual Christian as a member of this local organization.
Individual participation and zeal for our part of the flame that is the faith is so incredibly important. And to that end, so are the individual Pastors who guide their congregations. What an incredibly difficult job is handed on to the presbyterate. They are to be the very best administrators, the very best financial managers, the very best preachers, and the very best spiritual guides.
Often, we who sit in the pews and see them on Sunday at Mass or Saturday at Reconciliation forget that what we see is the smallest part of what they must do. It is usually when we get into serious trouble that suddenly they are remembered; when someone close to us is ill and in the hospital, we expect them to be there. Never mind that there are at least hundreds if not thousands of souls in the pastor’s care. When a family crisis looms, we expect them to be available for consultation – 24/7.
Perhaps as important as all of these individual interactions, the pastor is responsible for channeling the spiritual energy of the congregation. Week after week the people of God are given sacramental grace and taught from the pullet about what they are to do and to be. Individually they go into the world and attempt to apply these principles, it is hopefully like throwing a catalyst into a solution that causes a chain reaction.
But frequently it is the “big” pushes from the whole community that cause the most good; have the greatest impact in the individual and the community. It is in these initiatives that the pastor must be a most effective guide and leader; rising up an image of the role of the community, invigorating the complacent and directing the zealous along constructive paths. It is a lot like herding cats.
To some degree, we see St. Paul’s instructions to Titus as addressing these issues. St. Paul sees the big picture, but does not live in Crete. He can only guide in the broadest terms – very comparable to the Pope’s role. Titus in turn, filling the Bishop’s role hopes (prays) that the local leaders he has consecrated to their tasks can guide the communities in positive directions. Without them – the great mission of the Church fails.
Today as we think about the great tasks laid upon the local pastor, let us pray for them; pray that they be guided by the one true guide, Christ Jesus, and motivated most excellently by the Holy Spirit. We pledge also to support them were we can and when they fall short of the expectations of their idealistic charges, let us pray that they remain steadfast, remembering that our Savior too was crucified by those he loved.
Pax
[1] The picture today is “St. Josaphat Preaching Christianity” from a 12th century Greek manuscript. Artist and Date are UNKNOWN.
[2] ALTRE
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[5] See NAB footnote on Luke 17:11-19
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We reflect today upon the Church. Not looking at the “Big Picture”, but looking closely, as if examining a picture by Monet. We look down to the smallest organized unit, the local parish and see there the importance of the individual Christian as a member of this local organization.
Individual participation and zeal for our part of the flame that is the faith is so incredibly important. And to that end, so are the individual Pastors who guide their congregations. What an incredibly difficult job is handed on to the presbyterate. They are to be the very best administrators, the very best financial managers, the very best preachers, and the very best spiritual guides.
Often, we who sit in the pews and see them on Sunday at Mass or Saturday at Reconciliation forget that what we see is the smallest part of what they must do. It is usually when we get into serious trouble that suddenly they are remembered; when someone close to us is ill and in the hospital, we expect them to be there. Never mind that there are at least hundreds if not thousands of souls in the pastor’s care. When a family crisis looms, we expect them to be available for consultation – 24/7.
Perhaps as important as all of these individual interactions, the pastor is responsible for channeling the spiritual energy of the congregation. Week after week the people of God are given sacramental grace and taught from the pullet about what they are to do and to be. Individually they go into the world and attempt to apply these principles, it is hopefully like throwing a catalyst into a solution that causes a chain reaction.
But frequently it is the “big” pushes from the whole community that cause the most good; have the greatest impact in the individual and the community. It is in these initiatives that the pastor must be a most effective guide and leader; rising up an image of the role of the community, invigorating the complacent and directing the zealous along constructive paths. It is a lot like herding cats.
To some degree, we see St. Paul’s instructions to Titus as addressing these issues. St. Paul sees the big picture, but does not live in Crete. He can only guide in the broadest terms – very comparable to the Pope’s role. Titus in turn, filling the Bishop’s role hopes (prays) that the local leaders he has consecrated to their tasks can guide the communities in positive directions. Without them – the great mission of the Church fails.
Today as we think about the great tasks laid upon the local pastor, let us pray for them; pray that they be guided by the one true guide, Christ Jesus, and motivated most excellently by the Holy Spirit. We pledge also to support them were we can and when they fall short of the expectations of their idealistic charges, let us pray that they remain steadfast, remembering that our Savior too was crucified by those he loved.
Pax
[1] The picture today is “St. Josaphat Preaching Christianity” from a 12th century Greek manuscript. Artist and Date are UNKNOWN.
[2] ALTRE
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[5] See NAB footnote on Luke 17:11-19
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