7 November 2022 – Monday of Week 32

7 November 2022 – Monday of Week 32

Optional Memorial: St Willibrord, 658-739, born in Northumbria, studied at Rath Melsigi, Co Carlow, went with 11 companions to evangelise Frisia, made bishop of Utrecht.

1st Reading: Titus 1:1-9

The blessings of the faith and the qualities of a church leader

From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began—in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour, To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.

Responsorial: from Psalm 23)

R./: Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm. (R./)

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things. (R./)

He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.  (R./)

Gospel: Luke 17:1-6

Instruction on scandal, forgiveness and faith

Jesus said to his disciples: “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Planted in the real world

Whoever wrote today’s epistle combined high ideals with hard-nosed common sense. The Epistle to Titus reads like a manual for clergy, written in a less spiritual tone than Paul’s earlier letters and focussed on practical aspects of church governance. Some scholars hold that its differences from his typical style must mean that it was written by a disciple, using Paul’s name, probably after his death

The author calls Titus his true child in the faith but trusts in his prudent judgment. Among the duties of Titus, who now leads the church in Crete is to appoint presbyters in every town. As a pastor, he must promote the knowledge of the truth, the hope of eternal life. Along with teaching faith he must show good judgment of character in selecting other church leaders (presbyters or elders). The kind of person to appoint must be of irreproachable character, not self-willed, married only once, not arrogant, respectable, hospitable and amiable. This could serve as a blueprint for future diocesan priests in many places.

Today’s gospel broaches a weakness often found in idealists: they can too easily be scandalised. Maybe they need to be more streetwise and tough, but Jesus defends their innocence and warns against scandalising them. Idealists may find it difficult to understand or empathise with other people’s temptations. Even in the Church, some are so sure of their own standards of holiness and their own scale of values that they fail to see the goodness in others who differ from them. Any refusal of a church leader to dialogue with others may cause scandal to less devout people who are trying to find their own way to God. One’s quest for holiness needs to go alongside trust in God’s influence on the lives of others.

Increase our faith

The request, ‘Lord, increase our faith’, comes just after the teaching about forgiving those who have offended us, even if they have done it seven times. Faced with such a high standard, the disciples immediately felt their need for a stronger faith. Hence their plea for help.

In reply the Lord says that even faith the size of a mustard seed can do great things. He can work powerfully through what we have. Even if we realise our many imperfections, we nurture what faith we have, because the Lord can do great things with those who trust him. As Our Blessed Lady says in her hymn of praise, “He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.”