Feast of St Albert the Great, OP. Bishop and Doctor of the Church.
"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.” (Luke 17: 11 - 19).
Wednesday 15th November 2023 of the 32nd week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Albert the Great OP, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.
(1206 - 1280) German.
St Albert belongs to the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). He is an eminent theologian and scientist and Doctor of the Church.
Albert the Great combined his human wisdom and divine faith to advance knowledge and science.
St Albert wrote a great deal on Divine Providence. One of the most comforting is this one below:
“The greater and more persistent your confidence in God, the more abundantly you will receive all that you ask.”
Another precious quote from St Albert:
"Banish, therefore, from thy heart the distractions of earth and turn thine eyes to spiritual joys, that thou mayest learn at last to repose in the light of the contemplation of God."
St Albert the Great is the patron saint of scientists.
Our Gospel of today from (Luke 17: 11 - 19) is perhaps one of the most dramatic healing stories of Jesus. Healing one leper is dramatic enough, especially if you understand the disease of leprosy and the social taboo it attracts at the time of Jesus. Today, Jesus heals 10 lepers at once.
Another famous leprosy healing in the Bible is that of Naaman the Leper. (2 Kings 5: 1 - 19).
"Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram." 2 Kings 5: 1). Naaman was a top General and a very capable military leader, valued highly by his king.
His leprosy did not threaten his career. Yet he wanted to get rid of the accursed disease by any means. With the backing of his king, he traveled to Israel in search of healing. God's mercy smiled upon him and he was healed by the Prophet Elisha. Read of the gold, silver, expensive garments Naaman brought for thanksgiving.
The Ten Lepers in today's story are in a worse predicament. Be this as it may, the real essence of the Healing of the Ten Lepers is a lesson on Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Eucharistein.
Are you a thankful person?
Everything you have: family, health, money, job, food, friends, every possession from the smallest to the largest is a gift from God.
How do you render thanks for the gifts you enjoy.
Do you know the source of your gifts? Do you know that God expects you to render thanks?
"A sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me." (Psalm 50: 23).
This means that God is most delighted if you honor Him with the Sacrifice of the Mass (Eucharist = Thanksgiving).
November is the Month we pray for the Souls in PURGATORY.
“For the souls in purgatory there is great joy as well as pain as they know for certain they are bound for Heaven!” ~ St. Catherine of Genoa
For Catholic Church teaching on the Souls in PURGATORY and how to help them, click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/10/10-ways-to-assist-poor-souls-in.html
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