BIBLE STUDY # 15
TWENTY EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
October 10, 2010


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 voices, 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


Reflection


As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem (the journey theme will become more prevalent as the gospel continues), we have been hearing about social questions that confront the early Christian community in Luke’s Gospel such as the proper use of money, forgiveness, and divorce, to name a few. The next few chapters will focus on historical questions, such as the unfolding of salvation history and how the gospel differs from human expectations.


This gospel appears only in Luke and is another instance where Jesus holds up a non-Jew as an example to others (see the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10).


Jesus and his contingent are traveling through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem when ten lepers stop them. In those days, lepers would have been totally shunned by society. They were outcasts in the largest sense of that term: they were not allowed around other people, either in houses, or in towns, or in synagogues, or anywhere people gathered, for fear of infection. They were driven out in the wilderness to fare as best as they could; a very harsh, and I suspect, a very short existence. This was done for the preservation and protection of the society and not to be cruel in any way. With no medicine or any effective way of treating this disease, what else could be done?

The gospel states that they ‘stood at a distance’ when they called out to him, as would have been necessary in that society. How did the lepers know about him? Luke is telling us that Jesus was so popular even outcasts heard of him.


They go to Jesus, calling him master, acknowledging his power and authority. Imagine the excitement of seeing him, of hoping that their nightmare of suffering may finally be over. He is their one and only hope of rejoining society and having normal life. Can you imagine the pleading in their voices and the hope in their hearts?


Their healing is almost anticlimactic. It seems to be downplayed because all Jesus says to them is to go show yourself to the priests and on their way to them they were healed. After showing themselves to the priests, they would have been declared clean and able to rejoin society.


It’s hard to over exaggerate the affect of this healing in their lives. This healing would have affected them in several ways; 1) it would have relieved them of any physical pain associated with this disease; 2) they would be able to go back to their families (imagine what a happy reunion that would be!); 3) they would be able to work, support their families and lead a normal life; and 4) they would be able to worship in the Synagogue and in the Temple.


It’s hard to imagine why 9 people didn’t come back to thank Jesus. I can see if 8 or 9 came back in gratitude, because there is always 1 or 2 in the crowd who would be like that. But 9? Is that a commentary on how ungrateful most people are?


Do we forget to say ‘thank you’ to people? Do we show appreciation when some one does something for us, goes out of their way, or extends themselves in a generous way? Or do we think that we somehow deserve these things and therefore we don’t have to be grateful?


The one who came back to Jesus in gratitude was a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews. It is ironic that some Jewish people, like most of their leadership, rejected Jesus, while a Samaritan, an outcast from the temple, shows by his example how to attain salvation.


It seems that healing is a prerequisite for salvation. Not physical healing, because we will all get sick and die (after all, death is the ultimate healer), but spiritual healing. Illnesses and injuries were seen at that time as punishment from God for sins. So, if Jesus heals the body, he also heals the soul through the forgiveness of sins.


Healing isn’t the only requirement for salvation, but the person healed must respond in faith. Anyone, without exception, can be healed, but healing does not guarantee salvation. It is just a beginning. The one leper who returned signifies more than gratefulness, but a willingness to be a person of faith and take on the required responsibilities of that faith. That’s why Jesus says that his faith has saved him. He was healed, he gratefully came back glorifying God and thanking Jesus, which indicates his faith, and this faith saved him.


It also indicates Jesus desire for universal salvation, his wish that all people be saved. We believe that Jesus died for everyone’s’ sins. Every one can be saved; it’s not limited to one group of people. When we limit salvation we are usurping God’s prerogative; how do we know that state of another’s soul or how God looks upon other people? How can we be so judgmental?


Let me give you an example. What religion was our patron here in Lincoln Park? He was Jewish. It seems that he died sometime before Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. Yet, we call him St. Joseph. He is also the patron of the universal Church. God’s ways are mysterious and unknown. I hope and pray that all people can be saved. I don’t think that we should spend a lot of time thinking about another’s salvation; we should focus our attention on our own salvation, and we would all be a lot better off. As people of faith, we also have the extra-added benefit of living according to God’s word, which should make all the difference in the peace and happiness of our lives.


It also tells us that all people are welcome in our church. We never turn anyone away. I always tell our ministers of holy communion that we assume that anyone who presents themselves for communion is properly disposed to receive communion. How do we tell if someone is properly disposed or not? The answer is we can’t. If someone comes to receive who is not properly disposed, they have to answer to God for that. If I refuse someone who is properly disposed, I have to answer to God for that. I say that we should give communion and let God sort it all out.


Our catholic churches have large enough numbers that all can feel welcome without feeling conspicuous. In other words, there is room for everyone. One symbol of this welcoming nature is the placement of the baptismal font. In one of my previous assignments the font was in the vestibule, near the front door. This says to me, “Stay out until you are baptized.” In another church, the font is in front of the church. They actually took out half of the first three pews on the right side to make a baptismal area. This says to me, “All are welcome, but before you receive communion, be a part of us.” That, to me, is very welcoming. In St. Joseph’s, the font is in the middle, which basically is welcoming and saying the same thing.


More importantly, though, the people here are welcoming; I hear this all the time from visitors. At a baptism, I told a woman that if she liked it so much, she should come here regularly. She said it was a bit of a commute for her, since she lives near Niagara Falls.


I think being friendly and welcoming of every one is a sign of God’s love. There are few better ways to enhance the quality of worship than to be a welcoming parish.


Jesus does so much for us and he asks so little in return. Through his death and resurrection, he pays the price for our sins, opens up the way to heaven, and gives us peace and happiness in this life. What does he ask of us? Faith. He asks us to live by his teachings, and do our best to spread faith.


He doesn’t ask us to do anything beyond our capabilities or our capacity. He asks us to offer whatever we can, and he in turn will transform our gifts into something spectacular.


Before we spread our faith, we need to acquire it first. We are all like the leper in a way because we are all sinners. Just as the leper couldn’t cure himself, we can’t atone for our sins. Without forgiveness, our soul begins to rot away and there is nothing we can do about it. With the healing power of forgiveness, we can begin to grow in our faith. We need to turn away from our sins and bask in his healing love.


We need to keep asking for forgiveness because our faith is a relationship with Jesus, and like in all relationships, we make mistakes and fail. The more we turn to Jesus when we fail, the closer we become, the more our faith grows, and the more we have to share with each other.


As a stewardship parish we should all be familiar with the concept of gratefulness because being a good steward encompasses Psalm 116: “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” So I ask all of you: Are you good stewards?



Fr. Phil