Daily Gospel Reflection

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November 15, 2023

Wednesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lk 17:11-19
Listen to the Audio Version

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.”

Reflection

Colin Diamond '12, J.D.
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Leprosy is a bacterial infection that can damage the eyes, respiratory tract, nerves, skin, and may even result in the loss of limbs. In Biblical times, this was a devastating incurable disease and was considered a punishment for sin, resulting in separation from the community.

Leprosy was even worse for a Samaritan living in Judea and Galilee. The Jewish people of the region shunned the healthiest of Samaritans for being mixed-race followers of an impure pagan religion. I am sure the Samaritan leper from today’s gospel woke up every morning praying that this incurable ailment would somehow disappear that day so he could rejoin the community of his own friends and family. We can all relate to praying for something very hard and hoping for an answer.

The most striking thing about this gospel passage is not the cure of the lepers by Jesus. Rather, it is the response of the lepers. All of them, except for the Samaritan, turn away from Jesus and carry on living their lives after the cure. The Samaritan is the only one who turns toward Jesus and expresses gratitude.

It is a stinging rebuke, for how many of us need to improve our gratitude for the many blessings God has provided us in our lives, but we just go about the busyness of our day? Although I have a much better starting point than the Samaritan leper, I should express how grateful I am to God everyday for the things I often take for granted, like the gifts of my faith, family, and health.

It is easy to turn away from God when your prayers aren’t answered immediately or to forget who provided you with the blessings when they are answered. Today, let us all remember to turn toward God in gratitude for all of the benefits provided to us in life.

Prayer

Br. Jimmy Henke, C.S.C.

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

St. Albert the Great

St. Albert the Great was one of the Church’s greatest scholars.

Albert was born into an upper-class German family in 1206 and, accordingly, received some of the best education in Europe. Albert spent most of his education at the University of Padua. Despite his family’s disapproval, he joined the Dominicans, and he furthered his education by studying theology in Bologna. He taught at universities in Regensburg, Cologne, and Freiburg. Finally, in 1245, Albert became a master of theology and shortly after began to teach theology at the University of Paris. It was during his tenure at the College of St. James at the University of Paris that Albert taught his most famous pupil—Thomas Aquinas.

Albert was largely responsible for bringing the writings of Aristotle back in to the academic conversation. Albert believed that Aristotle's approach to the natural sciences and philosophy was not in opposition to Christianity, but, in fact, could be a useful support to Christians seeking to understand God's work in the world. Albert wrote an encyclopedic commentary on philosopher Peter Lombard's Book of the Sentences. His pupil, Thomas, eventually wrote his own Summa Theologiae largely inspired by Albert's work. Albert was a true polymath and wrote extensively on natural science, logic, music, mathematics, astronomy, metaphysics, natural law, economics, and politics.

Albert introduced, or welcomed, the study of Greek and Arabic, and paved the way for a renewed interest in Aristotle’s works, which fueled Thomas Aquinas’ study of Aristotle.

Statue of St. Albert the Great in Notre Dame's Zahm Hall

Albert was a brilliant scientist and a prolific theologian. In a commentary on the Gospel of Luke, he wrote the following about the Eucharistic command to "Do this in remembrance of me":

"He could not have commanded anything more lovable, for this sacrament produces love and union. It is a characteristic of the greatest love to give itself as food. As if to say: 'I have loved them and they have loved me so much that I desire to be with them, and they wish to receive me so that they may become my members. There is no more intimate or more natural means for them to be united to me, and I to them.'"

Albert is known as the “light of Germany” and was given the title “great” because of the depth and breadth of his knowledge. He has been declared a doctor of the Church, a title given to thirty-seven saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their teaching or example.

State of St. Albert outside Notre Dame's Jordan Hall of Science

Albert the Great is the patron saint of scientists, philosophers, and students—for this reason, his statue is featured on the facade of the Jordan Hall of Science. The chapel in Zahm Hall is named after Albert the Great, because he is the namesake of the brother of Father John Zahm, C.S.C. Albert Zahm. Albert Zahm studied at Notre Dame in the 1880s and was a pioneer in flight. Albert Zahm is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery on campus. A statue of St. Albert the Great stands in the chapel in Zahm Hall.

Albert died in Cologne in 1280. Some of St. Albert's relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

Albert the Great, whose faith sought understanding of all things and who used reason to seek a deeper knowledge of God—pray for us!