BIBLE STUDY #154

TWENTY EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

October 13, 2013

Reading 1

2 KinGS 5:14-17

Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of Elisha, the man of God. 
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean of his leprosy.

Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. 
On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,
"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel.
Please accept a gift from your servant."

Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;"
and despite Naaman's urging, he still refused. 
Naaman said: "If you will not accept,
please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth,
for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice
to any other god except to the LORD."

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm

PSalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Reading 2

2 TiMothy 2:8-13

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, 
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

The Word of the Lord

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

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The image of the Easter Vigil comes to mind. Here at St. Joseph’s, we build a big fire in the parking lot. We bless the fire and then light the charcoal and the Paschal Candle. Everyone has a small, individual candle that is lit from the Paschal Candle. We then process into a darkened church. The more people that enter the church, the brighter the church becomes. When all are in the church, it is amazing how bright it is; enough to read by.

We are not the Paschal Candle; that is Jesus job. He is the light of the world. We are like that little candle. Our flame of faith is lit from the Paschal Candle, and we keep it lit through living the Christian life. Just as we pass along the flame from the Paschal Candle to one another in church, we should pass along the flame of faith to those we meet.

By ourselves, we are not expected to lighten up a darkened church or a darkened world. Together, however, we can be the light of warmth, friendship, comfort, love and faith.

When we aid those in need, we are bringing light into the world, making it a better place. We may not be solving the worlds or even one person’s problems, but we are making a difference in someone’s life. And all of us together can make a big difference. The Second Coming will transform the world. In the meantime, we do what we can. I think that’s all Jesus asks.

Fr. Phil

o admitA � s s � �I s forgiveness, and tries to turn his life around. We are not called to be like the older son. His sins are different than his brother, but no less serious. He is jealous of other people’s good fortune. He is unforgiving and uncaring. He doesn’t see himself as a sinner so he doesn’t see the need for forgiveness. How many people are there like that? They look down on others as sinful, they nitpick others actions, and fail to even think that they have any problems. Like the older son, they have everything, but in the end they will end up with nothing. It is really sad to see people like this. The kingdom is there for them, in their grasp, but their smallness and pettiness will keep them out. It’s even hard to talk to them about it because they won’t believe you and they will be offended, wondering what gave you the right to say that to them. With some people, the most you can do is to keep them in your prayers and hope that somehow God touches their hearts.

As much as we are called to be like the younger son, that is just the start. After we turn our lives around, where do we go? We need to strive to be like the father. Forgiving, loving, nonjudgmental, caring, compassionate, generous, understanding, he is the epitome of a virtuous disciple. He has become what we all strive to be: holy. He is virtuous not just for himself, but to share it with others. No matter how his sons act, he treats them with love and respect. He forgives them and wants to share everything he has with them.

From the September 2013 issue of Connections, a homily resource: “In our "sophisticated" and complex lives, the idea that God loves us is difficult to grasp.  But the most important lesson Jesus taught, the central theme of his Gospel, is that God loves us completely and unconditionally.  We are never beyond his reach; we are never lost to him.  Such a realization of the possibilities for such love in our lives is grace.   Sometimes we experience grace in the support and love of generous family and friends - and sometimes we are the agents of such grace, giving and doing whatever is necessary for the good of another, refusing to give up our search to find the lost and bring back those from whom we have been separated.   Grace is the joy and fulfillment experienced by the shepherd who finds the lost lamb, the woman who recovers the missing coin, and the father who welcomes home his wayward son - and the realization of the love that led us to be found.”         

God is like that with us. He loves us when we don’t deserve it, he forgives us when we ask, he understands our needs, and gives us what we need to make it through this life in his grace and peace, and to be around the eternal banquet table in the next life. I pray that we all strive to be like the “Prodigal Father” and share God’s love with those in our lives. May we be Christ for each other, and see Christ in each other.

Fr. Phil