Feria Tertia post Octavam Pentecostes XIII –
Galatians 3:16–22
“To Abraham were the promises made, and to his seed… which is Christ.”Luke 17:11–19
“Were not ten made clean? And where are the nine?”
✥ The Law, the Promise, and the Seed
St. Paul’s words in Galatians are a clarion call to contemplate the relationship between the Law and the Promise. The Apostle to the Gentiles reminds us that the promises made to Abraham were not annulled by the Mosaic Law which came later. The Law, he says, was given “because of transgressions, until the seed should come.” That Seed is Christ.
St. John Chrysostom, in his commentary on Galatians, marvels at Paul’s precision, noting:
“He does not say ‘to seeds,’ as though many, but ‘to thy seed,’ as of one, who is Christ. For he wishes to draw them away from the Law to the promises and to Christ.” (Homily on Galatians 3)
This distinction is vital. Abraham was justified by faith, before the Law, and the inheritance was given through promise—not through the works of the Law. This promise is fulfilled in Christ, who heals, restores, and redeems.
St. Augustine speaks similarly in his work On the Spirit and the Letter:
“The Law was given not to justify, but to lead to the One who justifies.”
✥ Ten Lepers and the True Healer
The Gospel from St. Luke gives us the well-known account of the ten lepers. Outcasts from society, they lift their voices from afar: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” All are healed. But only one returns—a Samaritan—to give thanks.
In the light of St. Paul’s teaching, the lepers can be seen as types of fallen humanity. All receive the benefits of Christ, but not all return in faith and gratitude. This one foreigner—this Samaritan—receives more than physical healing. Christ says to him: “Thy faith hath made thee whole.”
St. Ambrose draws the connection between the Law and this scene of healing:
“The Law cleanses the body; faith cleanses the soul. The nine, thinking themselves clean by the Law, go their way; the one who recognizes grace returns to the Giver.” (Commentary on Luke)
In this, the Samaritan becomes a figure of the Gentiles who, through faith in Christ—the Seed of Abraham—receive the fullness of salvation, not merely the outward healing of the body, but the inward justification of the soul.
✥ The Spirit of the Liturgy in this Time
As we pass through this ferial day in the 13th week after the Octave of Pentecost, the Church quietly invites us to reflect on the harmony between the Old and New Covenants. The lessons point us to the interiorization of the Law—no longer written on stone tablets, but on the heart, through faith in Christ.
St. Thomas Aquinas, in the Catena Aurea, brings together the Fathers on this Gospel, concluding that the true worship of God comes in returning thanks. Gratitude is the fruit of faith.
The returning leper, healed and humbled, becomes a mirror for our own souls in the post-Pentecost time: we who have received the Holy Ghost must not be among the nine who go away, but the one who returns.
✠ Suggested Spiritual Practice
On this quiet Tuesday in September, consider making a spiritual act of thanksgiving for all the hidden graces you’ve received—especially those you may have taken for granted.
✥ “O Jesus, Master, have mercy on me. Let me not walk away in forgetfulness, but return to Thee with a grateful heart.”
Let us recall that faith precedes law, and gratitude perfects faith. May our hearts be ever turning back to Christ, the Seed of the promise, through whom we are made whole.