Memorial
of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
(Titus
3:1-7; Luke 17:11-19)
Jesus’
encounter with the lepers in today’s gospel is reminiscent of St. Martin’s meeting
a beggar. Martin was a soldier in the
Roman cavalry. One day, mounted on a
horse (at least in El Greco’s famous painting), he encountered a beggar along
the road. The beggar was dressed in rags,
and it was winter. Martin cut his cloak in
two to share it with the beggar. Shortly
afterward, Martin resigned from the army.
He reasoned that he could no longer fight wars if he was to be a soldier
of Christ.
In the gospel one of the ten lepers whom Jesus heals returns to thank
him. No doubt, the beggar was likewise
grateful to Martin for sharing his cloak.
But perhaps Martin was even more grateful than the man he helped. In sharing his cloak with the poor man, Martin
begins the process of conversion that leads to salvation. The gospel demonstrates how the conversion is
completed when the converted gives thanks to the Lord.
We likewise have encountered the Lord and been called to conversion. The process may be painful as we are often
set in compromising ways. Some of us may
be mired in a vice – pornography, drinking, cheating, or the like. Some of us just regard ourselves too highly. We pay little heed to the Lord’s command that
we seek God’s will and not our own. Whatever is keeping us away from following
Jesus, we will want to give it up. Saints
like Martin of Tours testify that we will not regret it.
