Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 13, 2024
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.”
When I was a child, the story of the Samaritan in today’s gospel reading inspired me to make a promise to myself that I would always remember to say “thank you.” That lesson has stayed with me to this day. Returning to his story as an adult, I now see something more than thoughtful words of gratitude, as important as they are. I see in the Samaritan a life overflowing with praise of God.
At the moment he realizes that he has been healed of leprosy, the Samaritan changes direction to rush back to Jesus, “glorifying God in a loud voice.” He knows that no mere human has healed him. This is the work of God. His actions express wonder and awe as well as his words. Reaching Jesus, he falls at his feet “to give thanks to God.” The Greek word translated here as “thanks” is doxa, which means “glory.” Literally, Jesus says that the Samaritan gives glory to God. Isn’t that the very mission into which we are sent from Mass? “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord with your life.”
Today, we can plunge into that mission by being like the Samaritan. We do so when we orient our path toward Jesus, whatever the day may bring. Reflecting on the healing that God’s mercy has brought us, our own prayer response of gratitude can radiate through our words and actions, in the way we greet those we meet, in the work that we do, in our care for loved ones, and beyond.
Prayer
God, you have made us and blessed us richly. All that we have comes from you. May we never lose sight of our dependence on you and may our whole lives be a sign of our gratitude to you. Help us to give without cost just as we have received without cost. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
An immigrant herself, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini served thousands of Italian immigrants who came to America at the turn of the century, looking for a better life. She is the first naturalized American citizen to be canonized a saint.
Frances was born in 1850, two months premature, to a very large family in Italy who grew cherry trees. She grew up with a great desire to become a missionary to China, but had chronically fragile health and was not allowed to join a religious order. She began to work as a school teacher in Italy.
By 1880 she had become the headmistress of an orphanage and gathered other women to join her work teaching and raising the children. This community of women formed into a new religious order, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and dedicated themselves to missionary work.
When the order was approved by the pope in 1887, she asked to be sent to China, but the pope instead sent her to serve the large number of Italian immigrants in the United States. Some 50,000 Italian immigrants were living in New York City, many of them in poverty, so she left Italy in 1889 with six other sisters to begin their work. Thanks to her remarkable trust in God and sharp administrative mind, their order grew and established many schools, orphanages, and hospitals.
Her order served people in New York but soon spread to other parts of the nation, then around the world. In 1907, Frances became a citizen of the United States and she died ten years later in Chicago. She is represented in this panel on Notre Dame's law school building:
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants and hospital administrators. Here is a prayer inspired by her commitment to recognizing the dignity of immigrants:
Loving God,
You led St. Frances Cabrini around the world.
By her example, teach us concern for the stranger.
By her prayers, help us to see Christ in our immigrant Sisters and brothers
And all who welcome them.
By your guidance and Mother Cabrini’s inspiration may we love boldly and work tirelessly to correct injustice
May civic leaders recognize the dignity of all people and the sanctity of the family
And may our nation and our hearts
Be places of welcome.
We ask this through the intercession of St. Frances Cabrini.
Amen.
Some of Mother Frances' relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus, while most of her body is preserved at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan. Frances Cabrini's inspiring witness to Christ and image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who cared for the displaced and poor who came to America as immigrants—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.
