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Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today we celebrate both the Feast of Saint Martin of Tours and Veterans’ Day.
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Born shortly after the legalization of Christianity in the early 4th century and named after Mars, the Roman god of war, Martin was bred to be a warrior.
As the son of a veteran officer, he was required to enter into military service at the age of 15, though reluctantly. He was baptized sometime thereafter and quickly felt the burden of being a Christian.
Shortly before a battle was set to begin, Martin switched his allegiance from Julian the Emperor to Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. “I am the soldier of Christ,” he said, “it is not lawful for me to fight.”
He was charged with cowardice and was jailed, but later released after volunteering to go to the front lines unarmed. Fortunately, peace terms were established before the battle began, and Martin was released from service.
He made his way back home and converted his mother to Christianity, but not his father. For some years thereafter, he lived a solitary life as a hermit, though word of his good character eventually spread to the point that he was ordained a bishop.
Legend has it that, aware of this plot, Martin hid in a barn full of geese. But the geese, unhappy with his intrusion, gave him up. Humbled, he accepted his cross and became the second bishop of Tours.
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Of all the stories told, Martin is most famous for a gesture he performed in his youth. While still in military service, he passed by a scantily clad beggar. Moved with compassion, he cut his cloak in half and dressed the poor man.
That night, Christ appeared to Martin in a dream, thanking him for the warmth.
On this Veteran’s Day, Martin reminds us of our common call to be soldiers of Christ, to fight the good fight, to strive for peace, and to give ourselves away for God, Church, nation, and family.
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Like all vets, how might we be of service to others today?
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Image credits: (1) Awareness Days (2) Benedictine Sisters of Cullman, AL (3) Holley Gerth