👑St. Louis IX, who reigned in France from 1226 to 1270, personified the ideal of the Christian monarch. Moved by a profound faith, he dedicated his reign to promoting justice, caring for the poor, and defending Christendom. As a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, he lived a life of personal piety and penance amidst the responsibilities of the crown. He viewed his royal power not as a right, but as a gift from God to be traded for divine glory and the good of his people, which led him to undertake two Crusades, dying of the plague near Tunis during the second, bearing witness to his faith until the end.
📖 Introit (Ps 36:30-31, 1)The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment... The law of his God is in his heart. Ps. Be not emulous of evildoers; nor envy them that work iniquity. ℣. Glory be to the Father.
📜 Epistle (Wis 10:10-14)
She conducted the just man [Jacob] through the right ways, and showed him the kingdom of God, and gave him the knowledge of the holy things, made him honorable in his labors, and accomplished his labors. In the deceit of them that overreached him, she stood by him, and made him honorable. She kept him safe from his enemies, and defended him from seducers, and gave him a strong conflict, that he might overcome, and know that wisdom is mightier than all. She forsook not the just man when he was sold [Joseph], but delivered him from sinners: she went down with him into the pit. And in bands she left him not, till she brought him the scepter of the kingdom, and power against those that oppressed him: and showed them to be liars that had accused him, and gave him eternal glory.
✝️ Gospel (Lk 19:12-26)
At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to His disciples: A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. And calling his ten servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them: Trade till I come. But his citizens hated him: and they sent a message after him, saying: We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass that he returned, having received the kingdom: and he commanded his servants to be called, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. And the first came, saying: Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said to him: Well done, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a little, thou shalt have power over ten cities. And the second came, saying: Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said to him: And be thou over five cities. And another came, saying: Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin; for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou didst not lay down, and thou reapest that which thou didst not sow. He saith to him: Out of thy own mouth I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up what I laid not down, and reaping that which I did not sow. And why then didst thou not give my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have exacted it with usury? And he said to them that stood by: Take the pound away from him and give it to him that hath ten pounds. And they said to him: Lord, he hath ten pounds. But I say to you that to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound: and from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken from him.
🤔 Reflections
⚖️The "nobleman" is Christ, who ascended to heaven to receive the Kingdom, and the "pounds" are the gifts of grace and the responsibilities He entrusts to each according to their vocation, such as the royal power entrusted to St. Louis. St. Gregory the Great teaches that to "trade" with the pound means to use the gifts received for spiritual gain, applying them in service to one's neighbor; the lazy servant is one who, out of fear or selfishness, shrinks from the effort that virtue demands, keeping for himself the gifts that should bear fruit for the community (Homilies on the Gospels, 9). St. Augustine complements this, stating that the faithful servants who multiply the pounds are those who, by preaching and example, bring others to Christ, and the reward of ruling over "cities" symbolizes the power to guide and build up souls in the Church (Sermon 107). Thus, the holy king did not bury his power but invested it in justice and faith, multiplying the fruits of God's Kingdom in his own earthly realm, mirroring the Just Man of the Epistle, to whom Divine Wisdom "brought him the scepter of the kingdom."
🧐The parable of the pounds in Luke has a parallel in the parable of the talents in Matthew (25:14-30). In Matthew, the master distributes different amounts (five, two, and one talent) "to every one according to his proper ability," whereas in Luke, each of the ten servants receives the same amount of one pound, emphasizing the equality of the initial call. Furthermore, Luke introduces a political element absent in Matthew: the citizens who hate the nobleman and send a message saying, "We will not have this man to reign over us," a clear allusion to the rejection of Christ by some. The reward in Luke is also more explicit in terms of governance ("you shall have power over ten cities"), whereas in Matthew it is more general ("enter into the joy of your lord").
🖋️St. Paul's teaching on stewardship and accountability echoes the Gospel's message. In 1 Corinthians 4:2, he states: "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful," defining the Christian as a steward of the mysteries of God, just like the servants in the parable. In Romans 12:6-8, Paul details the different gifts (charisms) distributed in the community, exhorting each to use them with diligence—"he that ruleth, with care"—which applies directly to the vocation of a king like St. Louis, who received the "pound" of authority. The warning about the final judgment is reinforced in 2 Corinthians 5:10, where we read that "we must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil."
🏛️The documents of the Church consistently teach that all civil authority derives from God and must be exercised for the common good and divine glory. Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Immortale Dei affirms that rulers have an obligation to honor God and protect religion, for they are His ministers. This doctrine reflects the parable, in which the just king, like St. Louis, is the servant who administers his "kingdom" on behalf of the Lord who entrusted it to him. Pope Pius XI's encyclical Quas Primas, in instituting the feast of Christ the King, condemns the mentality of the rebellious "citizens" of the parable, denouncing the laicism that exclaims, "We will not have this man to reign over us," and reaffirming that both individuals and States are under the dominion of Christ.
🧐 See English articles here.