III Classis | Commemoration at Lauds: Ss. Dionysius, Rusticus & Eleutherius, Martyrs
Gospel: Luke 10:1–9 | Epistle: 2 Corinthians 4:1–6, 15–18
“For all things are for your sakes… that the grace, being multiplied by many, may abound in thanksgiving unto the glory of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:15
As we celebrate the feast of St. John Leonardi, Confessor—a tireless reformer and founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca—we are invited to meditate upon his life through the lens of today’s sacred lections. In union with the Holy Martyrs Dionysius, Rusticus, and Eleutherius, whose courage under persecution stands as a testament to divine fortitude, we are shown the twofold mission of the Church: to preach the Kingdom of God and to offer one’s whole life, even unto death, for the sake of that Gospel.
The Apostle’s Labor and the Hidden Light (2 Corinthians 4:1–6; 15–18)
St. Paul speaks to us of ministry borne in mercy, a ministry that neither grows weary nor seeks the glory of men, but rather bears patiently the “treasure in earthen vessels” (v. 7). These words echo in the life of St. John Leonardi, who labored in the reform of both clergy and laity amid the ecclesial turmoil of post-Tridentine Italy. His mission was not self-proclaimed, but a reception of grace and a yielding to divine truth.
As St. John Chrysostom comments on this passage,
“Paul glories in his afflictions, for he knows that the more he suffers, the more the grace of God shines forth through him” (Hom. in 2 Cor., XV).
So it was with Leonardi. Opposition from civic powers, misunderstandings within the Church, and even exile, did not deter him. He bore the marks of the Cross in his very flesh, and yet, like the Apostle, his inner man was renewed day by day (v. 16).
Moreover, St. Paul teaches that the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is made manifest in the face of Jesus Christ (v. 6). This divine illumination, hidden from the proud, is unveiled to the humble soul who seeks to serve, not to be served. Origen, commenting on this verse, writes:
“The glory that shone from the face of Moses was a figure; but the glory in the face of Christ is the substance itself, radiating grace to all who believe” (Hom. in Num., IX).
This luminous theology of the Cross, where affliction is but the shadow of eternal glory, was the animating principle of Leonardi’s mission. He was among those “who look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen” (v. 18), founding not for his own legacy, but for the increase of the Kingdom.
The Seventy-Two and the Peace of Christ (Luke 10:1–9)
In the Gospel, our Lord sends the seventy-two disciples ahead of Him—not alone, but two by two, a gesture of fraternal charity and apostolic mission. The Church Fathers saw this as symbolic of the law and the prophets, or faith and works, going hand in hand to prepare the way of the Lord.
St. Gregory the Great reflects:
“The Lord sends His disciples to preach two by two, because there are two precepts of charity: love of God and love of neighbor. Whoever does not have both, cannot proclaim truly” (Hom. in Evang., XVII).
St. John Leonardi, in establishing the Clerks Regular, embodied this apostolic model—not seeking solitary holiness, but community sanctity and evangelical labor. Like the seventy-two, he bore the message of peace: “Pax huic domui”—Peace to this house (v. 5). But this was not mere social goodwill. It was the peace that comes from order, the peace that arises when God reigns in the heart.
St. Cyril of Alexandria notes:
“When Christ says, ‘The Kingdom of God is come near to you,’ He means that He Himself, the King, has drawn near, and with Him all the gifts of salvation” (Comm. in Luc., LVI).
Indeed, the message of the Kingdom was not abstract for St. John Leonardi—it was incarnated in catechesis, in reform of the clergy, in the education of youth, and in care for the sick. He was also among the first to propose an institution for missionary priests, which later merged into the Propaganda Fide, planting the seed of missionary work across the globe.
The Martyrs of Paris: A Commemoration
We cannot forget the Commemoration at Lauds of the Holy Martyrs Dionysius, Rusticus, and Eleutherius, who watered with their blood the soil of Lutetia (Paris). Their names are linked with apostolic preaching, unyielding faith under pagan tyranny, and heavenly fortitude. St. Gregory of Tours recounts that St. Dionysius, first bishop of Paris, was beheaded—yet continued to walk, bearing his head, preaching still.
Their silent witness strengthens today’s reflection: that the true fruit of ministry is not worldly success, but fidelity. The martyrs remind us that suffering for Christ is not failure but participation in the victory of the Cross.
Conclusion: That Grace May Abound
The lives of St. Paul, St. John Leonardi, and the Holy Martyrs intersect at one divine point: Christ crucified and risen. The Apostle says:
“All things are for your sakes, that the grace… may abound in thanksgiving unto the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:15).
We are heirs of this grace. Let us, therefore, receive it with the spirit of St. John Leonardi—bold in truth, meek in heart, enduring in toil—and preach the Kingdom of God wherever we are sent.
Let us also pray through the intercession of the Holy Martyrs, that our lives may not seek the things of time, but of eternity:
“For that which is seen is temporal, but that which is not seen is eternal” (v. 18).
Collect of St. John Leonardi (Missale Romanum, 1962):
Deus, qui sanctum Ioannem Confessorem tuum, ad propagandam fidem catholicam et ad populi christiani institutionem excitasti: praesta, quaesumus; ut, eius intercessione, fidelium numerus in dies augeatur, et omnium fidelium salus per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Ora pro nobis, sancte Ioannes Leonardi,
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.