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INSTRUCTION FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
by Leonard Goffine, 1871


The Introit of the day's Mass says: "Adore the Lord, all you his angels. Sion heard his voice, and rejoiced; and the daughters of Juda exulted. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad (Ps. xcvi. 1.) Glory be to the Father, etc.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. Almighty and eternal God! look mercifully on our weakness, and extend the right hand of Thy majesty for our protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, &c.

EPISTLE. (Rom. xii. 16 - 21.) Brethren: Be not wise in your own conceits. To no man rendering evil for evil. Providing good things not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as in you, having peace with all men. Not revenging yourselves, my dearly beloved, but give place unto wrath. For it is written: Revenge to me: I will repay, saith the Lord. But if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat: if he thirst, give him to drink. For doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.


When are we overcome by evil?

When we wish to take revenge. "Revenge is no sign of courage," says St. Ambrose, "but rather of weakness and cowardice. As it is the sign of a very weak stomach, to be unable to digest its food, so it is the mark of a very weak mind, to be unable to bear a harsh word." "Are you impatient," says the same saint, you are overcome; are you patient, you have overcome."

What should we do, if our reputation is injured?

 "We should leave its revenge, or its defence and protection to God, who has retained that for Himself. "But as a good name," says St. Francis de Sales, "is the main support of human society, and as without it we could not be useful to that society, but even hurtful to it, on account of the scandal, we should feel bound, for love of our neighbor, to aim after a good reputation, and to preserve it." We should not be too sensitive about this, however, for too great sensitiveness makes one obstinate, excentric, and intolerable, and only excites the malice of the detracters all the more. The silence and contempt with which we meet a slander or an injustice, is generally a more efficacious antidote than sensitiveness, anger, or revenge. The contempt for a slander at once disperses it all, but anger shows a weakplace, and gives the accusation an appearance of probability. If this does not suffice, and the slander continues, let us persevere in humility, and lay our honor and our soul into the hands of God, and they will be more speedily cared for than in any other manner.


How do we "heap coals of fire on the head of our enemy?"

When we return good to him, for the sake of God, and seeing how well we mean towards him, the flush of shame reddens his face for the wrongs he has done us. St. Augustine explains the words also in this manner: "By giving food and drink or doing other kindnesses to your enemy, you will heap coals, not of anger, but of love, upon his head, which will inflame him to return love for love." Learn, therefore, from the example of Christ and His saints not to allow yourself to be overcome by evil, but do good to those that hate and persecute you.

ASPIRATION. Ah, that I might, according to the words of St. Paul, so act that I might be a child of the Heavenly Father, who lets His sun shine on the just and the unjust!



GOSPEL. (Matt. viii. 1 - 13.) At That Time: When Jesus was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and adored Him, saying: Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus stretching forth His hand, said: I will, be thou made clean. And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith to him: See thou, tell no man: but go shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them. And when He had come into Capharnaum, there came to Him a centurion, beseeching Him, and saying: Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented. And Jesus saith to him: I will come and heal him. And the centurion making answer said: Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to this, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. And Jesus hearing this, marvelled; and said to them that followed Him: Amen, I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And I say to you, that many shall come from the East and the West, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion: Go, and as thou hast believed", so be it done to thee. And the servant was healed at the same hour.


Why did the leper say: "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean?"

He thus showed his faith that Christ, the Redeemer promised to the world, being the true God, could make him well. From this we learn to have confidence in the omnipotence of God, who is a helper in all need (Ps. cvi. 6. 13. 19.), and to leave all to the divine will of God, in such words as these: "Lord, if it be pleasing to Thee, and well for me, grant me this or that.


Why did Jesus extend His hand to touch the leper?

To show that He was above the law which forbade the touching of a leper for fear of infection, which could not apply to Jesus; to reveal the health-giving, curative power of His flesh, which dispelled leprosy by the simple touch of His hand; to give us an example of humility and of love to the poor sick, that we may learn from Him to have no aversion to the infirm, but lovingly to assist the unfortunate sick, for the sake of Jesus, who took upon Himself the leprosy of our sins, whom the saints have so faithfully imitated in their tender care of the most disgusting diseases. Oh, how hard it will be for those to stand before the Tribunal of God at the Last Day, who cannot even bear to look at the poor and sick!


Why did Christ command the leper to tell no man?

To instruct us that we should not trumpet around our good works in order to obtain frivolous praise (Matt. vi. 1.), by which we deprive ourselves of their heavenly reward.


Why did Christ send the healed leper to the priest?

That he might observe the law, which required all the healed lepers to show themselves to the priests, to offer a sacrifice, to be examined and pronounced clean; that the priest if he beheld the miracle of the sudden cure of the leper, might know Him who had wrought the cure, to be the Messiah; and finally, to teach us that we must honor the priests because of their high position, even when they do not live in a manner worthy of their dignity, as was the case with the Jєωιѕн priests.


What is taught by the centurion's care for his servant?

That masters should take care of their sick servants, see that they are attended to in their illness, and above all that they are provided with the Sacraments. It is unchristian, yes, even cruel and barbarous, to drive from the house a poor, sick servant, or to leave him lying in his distress without assistance or care.


Why did Christ say: I will come, and heal him?

Because of His humility, by which He, although God and Lord of Lords, did not hesitate to visit a sick servant. Christ's humility in this, shames many persons of position who think themselves too exalted to move hand or foot for a poor servant.


Why did the centurion say: Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof?

Because he recognised Christ's divinity and his own nothingness, and therefore regarded himself as unworthy to receive Him in his house. From this we learn to humble ourselves, especially when, in holy Communion, we receive Christ into our hearts, for which purpose the priest in its administration generally uses the centurion's words, to exhort those who are about to receive, to humility.


Why did he add: But only say the word, and my servant shall be healed?

By this he publicly manifested his faith in Christ's divinity and omnipotence, of whom he believed that, though absent, He could heal the servant, with a word. If a gentile centurion had such faith in Christ, and such confidence in His power, should we Christians not be ashamed that we are of such little faith, and so distrustful of God?

What is meant by this: Many shall come from the East and the West, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out?

This was said by Christ in reference to the obdurate Jєωs, who would not believe in Him, nor accept His doctrine. Many pagans who live near the rising and the setting sun, will receive the gospel, live in accordance with it, and will enjoy heavenly bliss with the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were the most ardent friends of God, while the Jєωs, God's chosen people, who as such, possessed the first claim to heaven, will, because of their unbelief and other sins, be cast into outer darkness, that is, into the deepest abyss of hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Thus will it be with those Christians who do not live in accordance with their faith. Therefore, fear lest you, for want of cooperation with God's grace, be eternally rejected, while others who have faithfully cooperated with it, will enter in your place into the kingdom of heaven.

ASPIRATION. O Jesus, rich in consolations! grant me the leper's faith and confidence, that in all things I may rely upon Thine omnipotence, and may resign myself to Thy divine will, and may ever honor Thy priests. Grant me, also, O most humble Jesus! the centurion's humility, that, for Thy sake, I may compassionately assist my neighbor, and by doing so, render myself worthy of Thy grace and mercy.




ON RESIGNATION TO THE WILL OF GOD
Lord, if Thou wilt. (Matt. viii. 2.)


Those who in good as in evil fortune are perfectly resigned to the will of God, or conform their will to His, and accept whatever He sends them with joy and thanks, possess heaven, as St. Chrysostom says, while yet upon earth. Those who have gained this resignation, are saddened by no adversity, because they are satisfied with all that God, their best Father, sends them, be it honor or disgrace, wealth or poverty, life or death. All happens as they will, because they know no will but God's, and He does as they will, because they desire nothing but that which He does and wills. God does the will of those that fear Him (Ps. cxliv. 19.). In the lives of the old fathers, we find the following: The fields and vineyards belonging to one farmer, were much more fertile and yielding than were his neighbors'. They asked how it happened, and he said: they should not wonder at it, because he always had the weather he wished. At this they wondered more than ever: How could that be? "I never wish for other weather," he replied, "than God wishes; and because I wish as He wishes, He gives me the fruits I wish." This submission to the divine Will is also the cause of that constant peace and undimned joy of the saints of God, with which their hearts have owerflowed here below, even in the midst of the greatest sufferings and afflictions. Who would not aspire to so happy a state? We will attain to it, if we believe that nothing in this world can happen to us except by the will and through the direction of God, sin and guilt excepted, for God can never be the cause of them. This the Holy Ghost inculcates by the mouth of the wiseman: Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches, are from God (Eccl.xi. 14.), that is, are permitted or sent by God; that all that comes from God, is for the best, for God doeth all things well. (Mark. vii. 37.) Whoever keeps these two fundamental truths always in mind, will certainly be ever contented with the will of God, and always consoled; he will taste while yet on earth the undisturbed peace of mind and foretaste of happiness which the saints had while here, and which they now eternally enjoy in heaven, because of the union of their will with the divine.






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