“As Jesus entered a village there were ten lepers who stood afar and called out, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’” (cf Lk 17:12-3) What is the character of this prayer?
‘Humble’ and ‘respectful’: conscious of their loathsome appearance, the lepers would not come near.
‘Confident’: they believed he could cure them where they stood, without any natural remedy.
‘Fervent’: their whole heart was in their cry for help.
‘Touching’: they appeal to their Saviour and Master.
‘Charitable’: they ask, not each for himself alone, but for one another, uniting their interests.
Our prayers will always be heard if they possess these characteristics. Is it difficult to pray like this? Do we have less need to pray than these lepers? Has not the leprosy of sin made our soul more miserable, more hideous in God’s eyes?
“Jesus said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests’.” (Lk 17:14)
This command supposed that the leprosy would disappear before presenting themselves to the priests. They had no assurance it would be so. They might naturally have at least asked for some explanation; but did not. Their blind obedience was instantly rewarded “... as they went they were made clean” (Lk 17:15).
Here is a striking proof of the merit of blind obedience. Blind, because it shuts our eyes to the status of our lawful superior: the reasons of his commands, the difficulties of executing them. We see God alone, in whose name he acts.
How precious in the sight of God is this obedience, which the world calls folly! Precious, because in it we surrender to God our noblest faculties, the light of our understanding. God has always rewarded it magnificently; even by miracles as above. Do we always esteem, as we ought, ‘blind’ obedience?
All ten lepers were cured but “one of them, as soon as he saw he was cleansed, went back, praising God in a loud voice. He fell on his face before Jesus’ feet and thanked him. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? Where are the other nine? Was there no one to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Get up and go your way; your faith has saved you’.” (cf Lk 17:14-9)
We see here how Jesus regards ingratitude and thankfulness. We should make continual acts of thanksgiving to God. How often do we fail to do this? Some danger threatens us; we pray to be preserved from it. The threat passes, but we fail to give thanks for it. When we recover from a sickness, we thank God; but when he gives us a much greater favor: uninterrupted health, do we thank him then?
Every day we say grace after meals; how often do we say it from the heart?
Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp588-90
Charity sharpens our spiritual vision
St Augustine states that mercy is “the showpiece of the soul” since it makes it appear good and beautiful (In “Catena Aurea”, VI, 48); and “covers a multitude of sins” (cf 1 Pet 4:8). “He who begins to suffer over the miseries of others begins to abandon sin.” (St Augustine, op cit) Also, by loving one’s neighbour we purify the sight of our eyes such that we are able to see God. (St Augustine, “Commentary on St John’s Gospel”, 17, 8)
Our vision is sharpened to focus on divine goods. Egoism hardens the heart, while the exercise of charity enables us to rejoice in God. Hence, charity is a foretaste of eternal life. (cf 1 Jn 3:14) Eternal life may be understood as a continuous act of charity. (cf St Thomas, “Summa Theologiae”, I, q 114, a 4 ) The gift of himself is the best reward Our Lord could give us.
We pray: “Bring it about that we might know how to discover you in all of our brothers and sisters, above all in those who are poor and suffering.” (“Liturgy of the Hours”, Morning Prayer) Beside those who suffer we find Mary, ‘Comforter of the afflicted’. She will make our heart sensitive to the needs of others. Then we will never ignore anyone suffering in body or soul.
Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 5:85-7
The call to perfection
‘Charity without measure’
Christian progress means growing in charity. To set a direction for Christian life, it is enough to grow in love. We must see now how far this growth in charity should go.
Is there a certain degree of charity if once attained, would suffice for the majority of Christians? Would a higher degree be superfluous, reserved for a select privileged souls or for certain specific vocations? Is there a limit which need not be passed in this growth?
In St Augustine’s words: “The measure of loving God is to love him without measure.” Since God is infinite goodness, infinitely worthy of being loved, we shall never love him to a sufficient degree.
So we should never stop growing in charity, as if the point we had reached were enough. It should grow, without limit or measure: we should always want to love God more.
This applies to everybody without exception, as God longs to give himself to all. Everyone is called to perfect love. This is the goal at which all must aim, for an imperfect charity will never suffice.
If anyone said ‘My charity is enough. I love God sufficiently and have no need to love him more. I do not need to attain a higher measure.’ He has left the paths of charity.
‘The great obstacle’ which turns Christians from sanctity is lukewarmness. God has such aversion to it: “Lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Apoc 3:16). Tepidity is discovering one loves God sufficiently and there is no need to grow in love.
The sinner who prays and calls on God’s mercy from the abyss of his wretchedness may be a soul more open to the fulness of God’s grace than the tepid soul who shuts his door to growth in love, and stays in mediocrity.
This lukewarmness disfigures the face of Christianity when one looks at many Christians; and repels so many souls which hunger for God, but fail to find him in the lukewarm Christian they meet every day.
Ref: Jean Daujat, “Faith Applied”, 1984, pp35-6, 41-2
• Our Lady of Smelcem, in Flanders. The chronicle relates that some shepherds observed that their sheep bent their knees before this image. This occasioned Baldwin, surnamed Fair Beard, to choose this place to build a church in thanksgiving for having been cured by our Saviour of a malady which he had had for seventeen years. — Triple Couronne, n. 63. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com)
• Our Lady of Smelcem, Flanders. (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html)
• Our Lady of Smelcem. Belgium. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)
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