GOD'S WORD IN DAILY LIFE
10 November/Wednesday/32nd Week in Ordinary Time,
Wis 6,2-11/Psa 82,3-4.6-7/Luke 17,11-19
By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD
First Reading: Wisdom 6:1-11
Kings, your power is a gift to you from the Lord
Listen, kings, and understand;
rulers of remotest lands, take warning;
hear this, you who have thousands under your rule,
who boast of your hordes of subjects.
For power is a gift to you from the Lord,
sovereignty is from the Most High;
he himself will probe your acts and scrutinise your intentions.
If, as administrators of his kingdom, you have not governed justly
nor observed the law,
nor behaved as God would have you behave,
he will fall on you swiftly and terribly.
Ruthless judgement is reserved for the high and mighty;
the lowly will be compassionately pardoned,
the mighty will be mightily punished.
For the Lord of All does not cower before a personage,
he does not stand in awe of greatness,
since he himself has made small and great
and provides for all alike;
but strict scrutiny awaits those in power.
Yes, despots, my words are for you,
that you may learn what wisdom is and not transgress;
for they who observe holy things holily will be adjudged holy,
and, accepting instruction from them, will find their defence in them.
Look forward, therefore, to my words;
yearn for them, and they will instruct you.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 81(82):3-4,6-7
Arise, O God, to judge the earth.
Do justice for the weak and the orphan,
defend the afflicted and the needy.
Rescue the weak and the poor;
set them free from the hand of the wicked.
I have said to you: “You are gods
and all of you, sons of the Most High.”
And yet, you shall die like men,
you shall fall like any of the princes.’
Gospel Acclamation: cf. 2Thes 2:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
No-one has come back to praise God, only this foreigner
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’
Reflection
The First Reading seems to be directly addressing kings and rulers of the nations. Such an indication at the beginning of the reading can give the impression that ordinary people or those who are not rulers are not being addressed. Far from that; we need to keep in mind that even if we do not have thousands under our rule or we do not boast of many nations under us, we share in the governance of human society in diverse ways. Each one of us, no matter how ordinary we may think of ourselves, each one of us has authority over some people. Parents have authority over their children; senior officials have authority over those under their administrative care; teachers have authority over their pupils and students. The words of the author of the Book of Wisdom are therefore very relevant to us all.
Those in authority are often tempted to think that their authority is self-generated. They think they can rule by their own force or power but the First Reading tells us that power is a gift from the Lord. It is the Lord who appoints kings and rulers. If they want to be good and faithful rulers, they need to rely on God because they rule on his behalf. Anyone who takes things into his own hands and thinks he can rule by his own power is doomed to fail. Many leaders fail to remember this basic principle of life when they enter into the heat of their job.
The First Reading serves as a reminder that no leader is master of him/herself. All who have been entrusted with governance should know that their acts would be probed by God and their actions scrutinised by him. We should all learn to subject ourselves to the authority and surveillance of God who alone can judge and approve our acts and intentions. If we place ourselves under his guidance, he would lead us on the path of righteousness. Our actions would be done according to his will and we would be his faithful servants. While striving to be faithful servants, we should not fail to acknowledge God who grants us his graces. The nine lepers in the Gospel Reading failed to do so and incurred the displeasure of Jesus who asked: “‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?” We pray that we may be faithful servants of God in any situation of leadership entrusted to us.