Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.”
Faith, Obedience, Gratitude
1.) Faith. The lepers we read about today have great faith and hope in Jesus. They know his name. They raise their voice, they shout out to Him, calling Him master. They know he is the Lord who can heal them and so they ask for mercy. Do we have the same faith and hope in Jesus to make us cry out to him and ask Him to help us today? Jesus affirms that it is their faith which saves them. They believe that Jesus is God, and that God will help them and show them mercy. Mercy was once described as not getting the punishment you deserve and grace as getting the reward that you do not deserve.
2.) Obedience. These 10 lepers are not only believers but are also obedient to what Jesus asks them to do. Even before being cured, they listen to Jesus who tells them to follow what is written in the Leviticus, that is going to the priest and showing themselves to him. This was a great act of faith and obedience because the law stated that those who had been cured of leprosy had to present themselves to the priests. Their trust in God, however, is rewarded as they are healed on the way. This is a great lesson for us: we must walk in the right direction believing that God will do what He promises, we must trust that even though we may not see, we can walk along His path with faith. Obedience saves us. It is the inner attitude of hearing God’s voice and trusting Him. It comes from the two Latin words ‘ob’ ‘audire’ which mean to hear, to listen.
3.) Gratitude. Only one returns to thank Jesus and it is the Samaritan. We are told he glorifies God in a loud voice and falls at His feet to thank Jesus. This is an attitude of humility and gratitude. St Ignatius of Loyola, more than any other saint I know, teaches us why gratitude is so important.
He wrote in a letter in 1542: “It seems to me in the light of the Divine Goodness, although others may think differently, that ingratitude is the most abominable of sins and that it should be detested in the sight of our Creator and Lord by all of His creatures who are capable of enjoying His divine and everlasting glory. For it is the failure to recognize the good things, the graces and blessings received. As such it is the cause, beginning, and origin of all sins and misfortunes. On the contrary, the grateful acknowledgment of blessings and gifts received is loved and esteemed not only on earth but in heaven.”
Today let us live what Saint Gianna Beretta Molla said was the secret of happiness: “to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day”.
May God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Always remember that Heaven is our goal.
