St. Callistus I

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Saint Claude la Colombière : "He fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him."

Reading

2 Kings 5,14-17.
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant." "As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it," Elisha replied; and despite Naaman's urging, he still refused. Naaman said: "If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD.


Ps 98,1.2-3.3-4.
Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done marvelous deeds, Whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory. The LORD has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph for the nations to see, Has remembered faithful love toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Has remembered faithful love toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth; break into song; sing praise.

2 Tim 2,8-13.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.


Lk 17,11-19.
As he 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."

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

Commentary of the day

Saint Claude la Colombière (1641-1682), Jesuit
Retreat of 1674, fourth week

"He fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him."

For my meditation on the love of God I was struck by the sight of the benefits I have received from God from the first moments of my life until now. What goodness! What providence for both body and soul! What patience! What sweetness!… It seems to me that God made me understand and clearly see this truth: first, that he is within all creatures; secondly, that he is everything that is good in them; thirdly, that it is he who makes all the good we receive from them. And I seemed to see this king of glory and majesty taking pains to warm us in our clothing, refresh us with air, nourish us with food, take pleasure in pleasant sounds and objects, cause in me all the motions I need to live and act. What a wonder! Who am I, O my God, thus to be served by you at all times with such attentiveness and in all things with such care and love! He acts in the same way within all his other creatures; but all this is for me, like a zealous and watchful steward who causes work to be done for his king in every corner of the kingdom. What is even more wonderful is that God does this for all men, although almost nobody thinks about it except perhaps some chosen, some holy soul. I, at least, should think about it and be grateful for it. I reflect how, since God has his own glory as the final end of all his actions, he does all these things chiefly for love of those who think about them and admire his goodness in them, who are grateful to him for them, who derive an occasion for loving him from them. Others receive the same benefits as if by chance and good fortune… God constantly returns to us being, life and the actions of every created thing in the universe. This is his employment in nature; ours should be to receive unceasingly what he sends us from all sides and return it to him with thanksgiving, praising him and acknowledging that he is the author of all things. I have made a promise to God to do this as far as I can.