Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Leo the Great
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| “Saint Leo the Great” by Francisco de Herrera el Mozo, c. 1670s |
Readings for Wednesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings
Reading 1: Wisdom 6:1-11
Hear, O kings, and understand;
learn, you magistrates of the earth’s expanse!
Hearken, you who are in power over the multitude
and lord it over throngs of peoples!
Because authority was given you by the Lord
and sovereignty by the Most High,
who shall probe your works and scrutinize your counsels.
Because, though you were ministers of his kingdom, you judged not rightly,
and did not keep the law,
nor walk according to the will of God,
Terribly and swiftly shall he come against you,
because judgment is stern for the exalted–
For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy
but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test.
For the Lord of all shows no partiality,
nor does he fear greatness,
Because he himself made the great as well as the small,
and he provides for all alike;
but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends.
To you, therefore, O princes, are my words addressed
that you may learn wisdom and that you may not sin.
For those who keep the holy precepts hallowed shall be found holy,
and those learned in them will have ready a response.
Desire therefore my words;
long for them and you shall be instructed.
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Commentary on Wis 6:1-11
The Wisdom author instructs the rulers of the day, secular and religious. He tells them that God, who is more powerful than they can imagine, requires them to rule justly and to be compassionate in their rule, especially to the poor. He warns that if they are not, judgment against them will be harsh.
“In line with centuries of Christian tradition, several modern popes have turned to this passage to reaffirm that God is the source of human power and the One to whom civil rulers stand accountable for their exercise of authority over others (Leo XIII, Diuturnum 9, Pius XII, Mystici Corporis 105, John XXIII, Pacem in Terris 83).” [4]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 82:3-4, 6-7
R. (8a) Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
Defend the lowly and the fatherless;
render justice to the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the lowly and the poor;
from the hand of the wicked deliver them.
R. Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
I said: “You are gods,
all of you sons of the Most High;
yet like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”
R. Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
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Commentary on Ps 82:3-4, 6-7
Echoing the instruction from Wisdom 6:1-11 to show compassion to the poor, Psalm 82 places the same warning on the leadership. There is a stern warning that God’s judgment will be leveled against those who abuse their power.
CCC: Ps 82:6 441
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Gospel Luke 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem
he traveled throughSamaria 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 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).” [5]
CCC: Lk 17:14 586; Lk 17:19-31 2463
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Reflection:
Have you ever wondered about the one leper who returned to Jesus to thank him for curing his illness? What makes his return remarkable is that he was not Hebrew and therefore may not have been under the same rules as the other nine that made them outcast. Hebrews were not even able to come close to those who loved them. The favor the Lord did for the tenth leper, while equal to the others in the physical sense, was not nearly as beneficial in the social arena. Yet he came back.
We wonder what brought him. Was it Jesus’ compassion; was it that he recognized something in the Lord that drew him? Where did he go once he left, having been blessed with faith? We note the words of Jesus: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” This one realized the magnitude of God’s love. He came back praising God! He knew- do you see- he knew that Jesus was of God.
The Jews who left thought only that they were free of the awful disease and could return to normal lives. They were anxious to get to their priest so they could be certified as fit to return to the community and take up their lives again. They completely overlooked the more important aspect of what had taken place. They had been healed by God, freed from their condition, but all they wanted was to get back to what they had been doing.
Before we condemn them too harshly, we should take an inward look. Are we not just like them? Don’t we frequently receive the sacramental grace that is Christ’s presence in our lives, the healing of our souls, our bodies, our brokenness, and rush off to continue our lives? What the Gospel calls us to do is recognize and be grateful for the really important work Christ accomplishes in us. We are called to give thanks to God, like the tenth leper, for the grace God gives us.
Our prayer today is that we become like the tenth leper; full of awe and thanks to God, and that we never take the Lord for granted or lose sight of what is truly important in our lives.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Saint Leo the Great” by Francisco de Herrera el Mozo, c. 1670s.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[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 re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Wisdom and Sirach © 2020, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 24
[5] NAB footnote for Lk 17: 11-19.
learn, you magistrates of the earth’s expanse!
Hearken, you who are in power over the multitude
and lord it over throngs of peoples!
Because authority was given you by the Lord
and sovereignty by the Most High,
who shall probe your works and scrutinize your counsels.
Because, though you were ministers of his kingdom, you judged not rightly,
and did not keep the law,
nor walk according to the will of God,
Terribly and swiftly shall he come against you,
because judgment is stern for the exalted–
For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy
but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test.
For the Lord of all shows no partiality,
nor does he fear greatness,
Because he himself made the great as well as the small,
and he provides for all alike;
but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends.
To you, therefore, O princes, are my words addressed
that you may learn wisdom and that you may not sin.
For those who keep the holy precepts hallowed shall be found holy,
and those learned in them will have ready a response.
Desire therefore my words;
long for them and you shall be instructed.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Wis 6:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 82:3-4, 6-7
render justice to the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the lowly and the poor;
from the hand of the wicked deliver them.
R. Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
all of you sons of the Most High;
yet like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”
R. Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 82:3-4, 6-7
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Gospel Luke 17:11-19
he traveled through
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
“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:
[1] The picture is “Saint Leo the Great” by Francisco de Herrera el Mozo, c. 1670s.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[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 re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Wisdom and Sirach © 2020, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 24
[5] NAB footnote for Lk 17: 11-19.
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