Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 144
Lectionary: 144
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."
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."
Responsorial PsalmPS 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.
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 22 TM 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.
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.
GospelLK 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."
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."
Scripture Study
October 13, 2013 Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
The readings this Sunday
bring us an invitation to consider our expectations of how God ought to act and
how those expectations color what we see of His work in our lives. The first
reading presents only the last portion of the story of Naaman, the part of the
story where he is finally cured. God chose to cure him even though he was not
one of the "chosen people." However, God did it his way and not
according to Naaman's misconceptions concerning how God and His prophets ought
to act. Paul reminds Timothy that our salvation is grounded in our baptismal
death with Jesus and His faithfulness. The Samaritan had faith and recognized
God's action through Jesus even though it was at odds with the expectations
that were built in him by his background. Jesus rewards the faith of the
Samaritan leper with the gift of salvation. To what extent and in what ways am
I a thankful person both towards God and towards others?
First Reading: 2 Kings
5:14-17
14 So Naaman
went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of
God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 He
returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood
before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant." 16 "As
the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it," Elisha replied; and
despite Naaman's urging, he still refused. 17 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."
NOTES on First Reading:
* 5:14 The mention of
the "flesh of a little child" is a reference to the "little
girl" of verse 5:2.
* 5:15 After having
objected to the way that both God and Elisha had failed to live up to his
expectations of how they ought to act Naaman returns to the prophet
acknowledging the greatness of the God of Israel. It was traditional to offer
presents to prophets as servants of God.
* 5:16 Elisha
steadfastly refuses to accept a gift from Naaman. This refusal is not because
there was anything unusual about the prophet's acceptance of gifts. In fact the
practice was quite normal. Here Elisha wishes to emphasize to the foreigner and
presumed unbeliever that the work was done by God and not by his own power.
* 5:17 Even though
Naaman considers the God of Israel to be the only true God, here he is
expressing the ancient world's belief that a god was linked to a particular
territory and was to be worshiped on his own land. He wishes to take back some
earth from Israel so that he can "properly" worship the God of Israel
back in Damascus.
Second Reading: 2
Timothy 2: 8-13
8 Remember
Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, 9 for
which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the
word of God is not chained. 10 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. 11 This
saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him;
12 if we
persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us.
13 If we are
unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 2:8-13 This section
begins with a stylized summary of Paul's gospel about Christ (2 Tim 2:8) and
concludes with what may be part of an early Christian hymn (2 Tim 2:11b-13). A
few exegetes consider the hymn to end in verse 12. The wording of verse 8 is
probably drawn from Romans 1:3-4.
* 2:10 While Paul is
imprisoned for preaching the gospel (2 Tim 2:9), his sufferings are helpful to
the elect for obtaining the salvation and glory available in Christ.
* 2:11-13 The poetic
lines of the hymn suggest that through baptism Christians die spiritually with
Christ and hope to live with him and reign with him forever. Until it is
brought to complete fruition at the final resurrection, the Christian life
includes endurance, witness, and even suffering, as the final judgment will
show and as Paul's own case makes clear.
* 2:12-13 Christ will be
true to those who are faithful and will disown those who deny him.
Gospel Reading: Luke
17: 11-19
11 As he
continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. 12 As
he was entering a village, ten lepers met (him). They stood at a distance from
him 13 and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master!
Have pity on us!" 14 And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were
cleansed. 15 And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at
the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus said
in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? 18 Has
none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" 19Then
he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
NOTES on Gospel Reading:
* 17:11-19 This incident
which tells of the thankfulness of the cleansed Samaritan leper is presented
only by Luke's gospel. In it Jesus holds up a non-Jew (Luke 17:18) as an
example to his Jewish contemporaries much as in Luke 10:33 where a similar
purpose is achieved in the story of the good Samaritan. As in the other miracle
stories of Luke's "travel narrative" (others are
11:14;13:10-17;14:1-6) the theme is not the miracle itself but the teaching
that arises from it.
* 17:12 They kept their
distance in keeping with the law as given in Lev 13:45-46,49, 14:2-9 and
Numbers 5:2-3. These rules established strong barriers between the lepers and
the rest of society.
* 17:14 Jesus tells them
to go and do what the Law required as evidence of their cleansing (Lev
13:45-46,49; 14:2-9 ;and Numbers 5:2-3).
* 17:15 Only the
Samaritan seems to see the cure and understand the real significance of what
happened. It is not the cure that brings him back to Jesus but the realization
that in Jesus is God's salvation for him. That was the cause of his
"praise of God." In effect, Luke narrates, not a miracle story but a
conversion story here. Luke presents a case where what was promised in 2 Kings
5:8-19a, 4:27, and 7:22 has come to fulfillment in Jesus as He performs the
same miracles that were done by the great prophets of old, granting salvation
to all people.
* 17:16 The word,
"Samaritan," stands in an emphatic place in the Greek text. Luke uses
the foreign hero to draw attention to the contrast between gratitude and
ingratitude before the mercy of God.
* 17:19 It is his faith
in Jesus manifested by the foreigner that has brought him salvation. This
relationship between faith and salvation is also seen in Luke 7:50 and 8:48,50.
Meditation: "Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us"
What can adversity
teach us about the healing power of love and mercy? Proverbs gives us a hint: A
friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity (Prov.
17:17). When adversity strikes you find out who truly is your brother, sister,
and friend. The gospel records an unusual encounter between individuals who
belonged to groups which had been divided and hostile towards one another for
centuries. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as heretics worse than
pagans. And as a result they had no dealings with each another. They were
openly hostile whenever their paths crossed. In this gospel narrative we see
one rare exception -- a Samaritan leper in company with nine Jewish lepers.
Sometimes adversity forces us to drop our barriers or to forget our prejudices.
When this band of lepers saw Jesus they made a bold request. They didn't
ask for healing, but instead asked for mercy.
The word mercy literally
means "sorrowful at heart". But mercy is more than just
compassion, or heartfelt sorrow at another's misfortune. While compassion
empathizes with the sufferer, mercy goes further. It removes suffering. A
merciful person shares in another's misfortune and suffering as if it were his
own. And he will do everything in his power to dispel that misery. Mercy
is also connected with justice. Thomas Aquinas said that mercy "does
not destroy justice, but is a certain kind of fulfillment of justice. ..Mercy
without justice is the mother of dissolution; (and) justice without mercy is
cruelty." Pardon without repentance negates justice. So
what is the significance of these ten lepers asking for mercy? They know they
are in need of healing, not just physical, but spiritual healing as well.
They approach Jesus with contrition and faith because they believe that he can
release the burden of guilt and suffering and make restoration of body and soul
possible. Their request for mercy is both a plea for pardon and release from
suffering. Jesus gives mercy to all who ask with faith and contrition.
Why did only one leper out
of ten — a Samaritan whom the Jews despised as a people worse than pagans
— return to show gratitude? Gratefulness is related to grace — a
word which meansthe release of loveliness. Gratitude is the homage of
the heart which responds with graciousness in expressing an act of
thanksgiving. The Samaritan approached Jesus reverently and gave praise to God.
If we do not recognize and appreciate the mercy shown us we will be ungrateful.
Ingratitude is forgetfulness or a poor return for kindness received.
Ingratitude easily leads to lack of charity and intolerance towards others as
well as to other sins, such as discontent, dissatisfaction, complaining,
grumbling, pride and presumption. How often have we been ungrateful to our
parents, pastors, teachers, and neighbors? Do you express gratitude to God for
his mercy and do you show mercy to your neighbor?
"Lord, may I never
fail to recognize your love and mercy. Fill my heart with gratitude and
thanksgiving and free me from pride, discontentment, and
ingratitude. Help me to count my blessings with gratefulness and to
give thanks in all circumstances."
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Gratitude Among the
Rarest of Virtues
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Twenty-Eighth Sunday
in Ordinary Time
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Father Gregory
Woodward, LC
Luke 17: 11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he entered 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.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present
here as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire
to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love,
thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my
love in return.
Petition: Lord, may I know what gratitude really is
and live up to this call.
1. Jesus Shows Pity: It is easy to forget at times what it meant
to be a leper in Jesus’ time. Such a person had to separate himself from the
community, live outside the town, and declare himself “unclean” when anybody
started to approach him. Since illness was also equated with sin. According
to the mentality of the time, God punished the sinner with physical illness.
Thus, to have to shout “unclean” meant that one had to publicly declare he
was a sinner. So, as miserable a state as leprosy was, worse still was the
shame of it. From here we understand better the sense of desperation and
urgency in the lepers’ petition: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” There is
such thing as spiritual leprosy too, but Jesus can heal the sickness in our
soul within confession. As Christians we should look for this as ardently as
the ten lepers looked to be healed of their bodily leprosy.
2. The Lepers Were Cleansed: Jesus felt obliged to perform the miracle of
curing these ten lepers; they truly believed he could do it. That is why
Jesus so hastily tells them to go to the priest as prescribed by the law and
have their return to health officially recognized; thus will end their
banishment and disgrace. However, in their burst of joy nine of the cured ten
forget to say “thank you.” At first it seems strange to us that they would
omit this, after being transformed in one moment from utter misery to a clean
bill of health. However, we often do the same; we forget to say thanks in the
joy of a moment when someone has really helped us or resolved a major problem
for us.
3. “Stand up and go.” It did occur to one leper, a foreigner, to
come back and say “thank you”; it was the Samaritan leper. In Jesus’ time
Samaritans and Jews normally despised each other, which probably makes his
words of thanks to Jesus all the more remarkable. However, what really
catches Jesus’ attention is the fact that only one person comes back to
express his words of gratitude. Doesn’t this passage remind us of how rare is
the virtue of gratitude in the human heart? The cured Samaritan’s faith has
saved him, and it wouldn’t be rash of us to think that he used especially well
the new gift of health the Lord had given him. Those who are really grateful
for what they receive from God generally use more zealously and profitably
the gifts they are given.
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I realize now how many things I
might take for granted in life. May this meditation really be a renewal in
looking for spiritual healing in you and in using well all the talents and
gifts you have given me.
Resolution: I will make a special effort to thank anyone
who has assisted or served me in any way today or just recently.
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TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, LUKE 17:11-19
(2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98; 2 Timothy 2:8-13)
(2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98; 2 Timothy 2:8-13)
KEY VERSE: "Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" (v 18).
READING: As Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem, he crossed the border of Samaria where he met ten lepers; one of them was a Samaritan. Leprosy in Biblical times was not only Hansen’s disease, which attacked the skin and nerves causing deformities of body parts, but was a general term for various skin diseases that caused cultic impurity. According to the law of Moses, anyone infected with leprosy was rendered unclean and excluded from the community (Lv 13:45-46). To reenter society, the individual had to be examined by a priest who would determine if the person had been healed. When the lepers cried to Jesus for pity, he gave them a simple command to show themselves to the priest, which implied that they were already restored to health (Lv 14:1-4). Although all ten were healed, only the Samaritan returned to worship at the feet of Jesus and give thanks. While the others were healed of their physical affliction, this man was also saved by faith in Jesus despite the difference in religious belief.
REFLECTING: Lord Jesus, help me to see others the way you do.
PRAYING: Do I serve all people, regardless of their race, creed or color?
The Lord has revealed to the
nations his saving power.
‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’Place yourself in this scene. Imagine the meeting of these ten lepers with Jesus. They believe that he can heal them. Jesus knows what it’s like to be rejected. He knows how painfully isolating it is to be thrown out of your community, to be scorned and ignored even by your own family! So imagine their ecstatic relief when they find themselves cured as they walk back to present themselves to the priest! Jesus had rewarded their faith - why did they fail to thank him? Do we remember to thank Jesus when our prayer is answered? It was the Samaritan who returned. He was the only one to recognise that something more than healing had happened to him. He had been transformed and, like Paul, who said God’s message can’t be chained up, his life would now reflect this new faith.
LECTIO: 28TH
SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)
Lectio:
Sunday, October 13, 2013
The ten lepers:
Gratitude for the gratuitous gift of salvation
Luke 17, 11-19
Gratitude for the gratuitous gift of salvation
Luke 17, 11-19
Opening prayer
Lord, while you are still crossing our land, today you have stopped here and have entered in my village, into my house, in my life. You have not been afraid, you have not disdained the profound illness of my sin; rather, you have even loved me more. Oh Master, I stop at a distance, together with my brothers and sisters who are walking together with me in this world. I raise my voice and I call you; I show you the wound of my soul. I beg you, heal me with the good ointment of your Holy Spirit, give me the true medicine of your Word; there is nothing else which can cure me, but only You, who are Love…
Lord, while you are still crossing our land, today you have stopped here and have entered in my village, into my house, in my life. You have not been afraid, you have not disdained the profound illness of my sin; rather, you have even loved me more. Oh Master, I stop at a distance, together with my brothers and sisters who are walking together with me in this world. I raise my voice and I call you; I show you the wound of my soul. I beg you, heal me with the good ointment of your Holy Spirit, give me the true medicine of your Word; there is nothing else which can cure me, but only You, who are Love…
1. I read the Word
a) Text:
11 Now
it happened that on the way to Jerusalem he was travelling in the borderlands
of Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered one of the villages, ten men suffering
from a virulent skin-disease came to meet him. They stood some way off 13 and
called to him, 'Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.' 14 When he saw them he said,
'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' Now as they were going away they were
cleansed. 15 Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the
top of his voice 16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and
thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 This led Jesus to say, 'Were not all
ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? 18 It seems that no one has
come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.' 19 And he said to the
man, 'Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.'
b) The
context
This
passage places us within the third stage of the road which Jesus is following
toward Jerusalem; by now the goal is close at hand and the Master calls his
disciples even with greater intensity, that is, us, to follow him to the holy
city, in the mystery of salvation, of love. The passage is fulfilled only
through faith, nourished by an intense, unceasing, insistent, trusting prayer;
we see this when we go over the chapters which precede and follow this account
(17, 6; 17, 19; 18, 7-8; 42). These words invite us to identify ourselves with
the lepers, who become children (cf. Lk 18, 15-17) and with the rich man who is
converted and accepts salvation in his home (Lk 18, 18 ff); if we truly accept
them and guard them in such a way as to put them into practice, we will finally
be able also to arrive to Jericho (19, 1) and from there to begin to go up with
Jesus (19, 28), up to the joyful embrace with the Father.
c) The
structure:
v.
11: Jesus is travelling and crossed Samaria and Galilee; little by little,
he is getting close to Jerusalem, there is nothing which He does not visit,
does not touch with his look of love and of mercy.
vv. 12 – 14a: Jesus enters one of the villages, which does not have a name, because it is the place, it is the life of all and here he encounters the ten lepers, sick men, already eaten up by death, excluded and at a distance, marginalized and despised. Immediately He accepts their prayer, which is a cry coming from the heart and invites them to enter into Jerusalem and no longer to be at a distance, but to join the Heart of the Holy City, the temple, the priests. He invites them to go back to the Father’s house.
v. 14b: The lepers had just begun the holy trip to Jerusalem, and they were healed, they become new men.
vv. 15-16: But only one of them turned back to thank Jesus: it seems that we can almost see him running and jumping with joy. He praises the Lord in a loud voice, and throws himself prostrate in adoration and make Eucharist.
vv. 17-19: Jesus sees that of ten, only one turns back, a Samaritan, one who does not belong to the chosen People: salvation, in fact, is for all, also for those who are far away, the strangers. No one is excluded from the love of the Father, who saves thanks to faith.
vv. 12 – 14a: Jesus enters one of the villages, which does not have a name, because it is the place, it is the life of all and here he encounters the ten lepers, sick men, already eaten up by death, excluded and at a distance, marginalized and despised. Immediately He accepts their prayer, which is a cry coming from the heart and invites them to enter into Jerusalem and no longer to be at a distance, but to join the Heart of the Holy City, the temple, the priests. He invites them to go back to the Father’s house.
v. 14b: The lepers had just begun the holy trip to Jerusalem, and they were healed, they become new men.
vv. 15-16: But only one of them turned back to thank Jesus: it seems that we can almost see him running and jumping with joy. He praises the Lord in a loud voice, and throws himself prostrate in adoration and make Eucharist.
vv. 17-19: Jesus sees that of ten, only one turns back, a Samaritan, one who does not belong to the chosen People: salvation, in fact, is for all, also for those who are far away, the strangers. No one is excluded from the love of the Father, who saves thanks to faith.
2.
Meditate on the Word
a) I
enter into silence:
This
invitation is already clear to my heart: The Love of the Father is waiting for
me, like that only Samaritan who turned back, full of joy and of gratitude. The
Eucharist of my healing is ready; the room in the upper room is already
adorned, the table is set, the calf has been killed, the wine has been poured…
my place is already prepared. I reread attentively the passage, slowly,
stopping on the words, on the verbs; I look at the movement of the lepers, I
repeat them, make them my own, I also move, toward the encounter with the Lord
Jesus. And I allow myself to be guided by Him, I listen to His voice, to His
command. I also go toward Jerusalem, toward the temple, which is my heart and I
in making this holy trip I think over all the love that the Father has had for
me. I allow myself to be wrapped up by his embrace, I feel the healing of my
soul… And because of this, full of joy, I rise, turn back, run toward the
source of true happiness which is the Lord. I prepare myself to thank Him, to
sing to Him the new canticle of my love for Him. What will I give to the Lord
for all He has given me?…
b) I
consider more deeply some terms:
During
the travelling: Using his beautiful Greek, Luke tells us that Jesus is
continuing his way toward Jerusalem and uses a very beautiful and intense verb,
even if very common and very much used. In this pericope or passage alone, it
appears three times:
v. 11: in the travelling
v. 14: go
v. 19. going
It is a verb of very strong movement, which fully expresses all the dynamic proper of the travelling; it can be translated with all these different nuances or tones: I go, I go to, I leave, I go from one part to the other, I go through, I follow. And even more, within it has the meaning of crossing over, of wading, of going beyond, overcoming the obstacles. And Jesus, the great traveller, the tireless pilgrim: He was the first one to leave His dwelling in the bosom of the Father, and descended down to us, fulfilling the eternal exodus of our salvation and liberation. He knows every path, every route of human experience; no part of the road remains hidden or impassable for Him. This is why He can invite us also to walk, to move ourselves, to cross, to place ourselves in a continuous situation of exodus. So that finally, we can also come back, together to Him, and in this way go to the Father.
v. 11: in the travelling
v. 14: go
v. 19. going
It is a verb of very strong movement, which fully expresses all the dynamic proper of the travelling; it can be translated with all these different nuances or tones: I go, I go to, I leave, I go from one part to the other, I go through, I follow. And even more, within it has the meaning of crossing over, of wading, of going beyond, overcoming the obstacles. And Jesus, the great traveller, the tireless pilgrim: He was the first one to leave His dwelling in the bosom of the Father, and descended down to us, fulfilling the eternal exodus of our salvation and liberation. He knows every path, every route of human experience; no part of the road remains hidden or impassable for Him. This is why He can invite us also to walk, to move ourselves, to cross, to place ourselves in a continuous situation of exodus. So that finally, we can also come back, together to Him, and in this way go to the Father.
Entering
one of the villages: Jesus passes by, crosses, walks through, moves and
reaches us; some times, then, He decides to enter, to stop for a longer time.
As it happens in the account. Luke stops on some details and writes that Jesus
entered a village. To enter, in the Biblical sense, is to penetrate, it is the
entrance into the depth, which implies sharing and participation. Once more, we
find ourselves before a very common and very much used verb; in the Gospel of
Luke alone it appears very many times and indicates clearly the intention of
Jesus to get close to us, to become a friend and to show his love. He does not
despise or spurn any entrance, any communion. He enters the house of Simon the
leper (4, 38), goes into the house of the Pharisee (7, 36 and 11, 37), then in
the house of the president of the Synagogue (8, 51) and of Zacchaeus the
Publican (19,7). He continually enters into the history of man and
participates, eats together, suffers, weeps and rejoices, sharing everything.
As He himself says, it is sufficient to open the door to let Him in (Ap 3, 20),
for him to remain (Lk 24, 29)
Ten
Lepers: I ask myself what this human condition really means, this sickness
which is called leprosy. I begin with the text itself of Scripture which
describes the statute of the leper in Israel. It says: “Anyone with a
contagious skin disease will wear torn clothing and disordered
hair; and will cover the upper lip and shout: ‘Unclean, unclean! As
long as the disease lasts, such a person will be unclean and, being unclean,
will live alone and live outside the camp”. (Lev 13,
45-46). Therefore, I understand that the leper is a person struck, wounded,
beaten: something has struck him with violence, with force and has left in him
a sign of pain, a wound. He is a person in mourning, in great pain, as it is
shown by his torn clothing and disordered hair; he is one who has to cover his
mouth, because he has no right to speak, neither almost to breathe in the midst
of others: he is like a dead person. He is one who cannot worship God, he
cannot enter into the Temple, nor touch the holy things. He is a person
profoundly wounded, a marginalized person, excluded, one left aside, in
solitude. Because of all this, the ten lepers who go to meet Jesus, stop at a
distance and speak to him from far, shouting out their pain, their despair.
Jesus,
the Master: This exclamation, this prayer of the lepers is beautiful.
Above all, they call the Lord by name, as it is done with friends. It seems
that they have known one another for some time, that they know about one
another, that they have met before at the level of the heart. These lepers have
already been admitted into the banquet of Jesus’ intimacy, to the wedding feast
of salvation. After them, only the blind man of Jericho (Lk 18, 38) and the
thief on the Cross (Lk 23, 42) will repeat this invocation with the same
familiarity, the same love: Jesus! Only the one who recognizes himself to be
sick, in need, poor, evil-doer, becomes favourite of God. Then they call Him
‘Master’, using a term which means more properly ‘the one who is on
high’ and which Peter also used, when on the boat, he was called by Jesus
to follow Him (Lk 5, 8) and he recognizes himself a sinner. And here we find
ourselves in the very heart of truth, here the mystery of leprosy is revealed,
as a sickness of the soul: that is sin, it is to live far away from God, the
lack of friendship, of communion with Him. This dries up our soul and makes it
die little by little.
He
turned back: It is not a simple physical movement, a change of direction
and of walking, but rather a true interior, profound upheaval or revolution.
‘To turn back’ is the verb of conversion, of going back to God. It is to
change something into something else (Ap 11, 6); it is returning home (Lk 1,
56; 2, 43), after having gone away, like the prodigal son did, lost in sin.
This is what this leper does: he changes his sickness into a blessing, his
being a stranger, a foreigner, being far away from God into friendship, into a
relationship of intimacy, like between father and son. He changes, because he
allows himself to be changed by Jesus himself, he allows himself to be reached
by His love.
To
thank him: This verb is beautiful, in all languages, but in a particular
way in Greek, because it bears within the meaning ofEucharist. Yes, it is
exactly like that: the leper ‘does Eucharist’! He sits at the table of
mercy, where Jesus allowed himself to be hurt, wounded even before him; where
he became the cursed one, the excluded, the one thrown out of the camp in order
to gather us all together in His Heart. He receives the bread and the wine of
love gratuitously, of salvation, of forgiveness, of the new life; finally he
can once again enter into the temple and participate in the Liturgy, in the
worship. Finally, he can pray, getting close to God with full trust. He no
longer wears torn clothing, but the feast dress, the wedding dress; now he
wears sandals on his feet, is shod and wears a ring on his finger. He no longer
has to cover his mouth, but from now he can sing and praise God, he can smile
and speak openly; he can get close to Jesus and kiss Him, like a friend does
with a friend. The feast is complete, the joy overflowing.
Rise
and go!: This is Jesus’ invitation, the invitation of the Lord. Rise, that
is, ‘Resurrect’ come back to life! It is the new life after death, the day
after the night. For Saul also, on the road to Damascus, this same invitation
was heard, this commandment of love: “Rise!” (Acts 22, 10, 16) and he was born
anew, from the womb of the Holy Spirit; he recovered his sight and could see
once again, he began to eat, he received Baptism and a new name. His leprosy
had disappeared.
Your
faith has saved you: I reread this expression of Jesus, I listen to it in
his dialogues with the persons whom He meets, with the sinner woman, the woman
with the haemorrhage, the blind man…
• Jesus, turning around, saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you”. And from that moment the woman was saved (Mt 9, 22; Lk 8, 48).
• And Jesus said: “Go, your faith has saved you” and immediately he regained his sight and he followed him along the road (Mk 10, 52).
• He said to the woman: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace” (Lk 7, 50).
• And Jesus said to him: “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you” (Lk 18, 42).
Now I pray together with the apostles and I also say: “Lord, increase my faith!” (cf. Lk 17, 6); “Help my lack of faith!” (Mk 9, 24).
• Jesus, turning around, saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you”. And from that moment the woman was saved (Mt 9, 22; Lk 8, 48).
• And Jesus said: “Go, your faith has saved you” and immediately he regained his sight and he followed him along the road (Mk 10, 52).
• He said to the woman: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace” (Lk 7, 50).
• And Jesus said to him: “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you” (Lk 18, 42).
Now I pray together with the apostles and I also say: “Lord, increase my faith!” (cf. Lk 17, 6); “Help my lack of faith!” (Mk 9, 24).
3. I
pray with the Word
a)
Confronting with life:
Lord, I
have gathered the good honey of your Words from the divine Scripture; You have
given me light, you have nourished my heart, you have shown me the truth. I
know that in the number of those lepers, of those sick persons, I am also there
and I know that you are waiting for me, so that I come back, full of joy, to
make the Eucharist with You, in your merciful love. I also ask you for the
light of your Spirit in order to be able to see well, to know and to allow You
to change me. Behold, Lord, I open my heart, my life, before you… look at me,
question me, heal me.
b) Some
questions:
• If at
this moment, Jesus, passing by and crossing my life, would stop to enter into
my village, would I be ready to welcome, to accept Him? Would I be happy to let
him come in? Would I invite Him, would I insist, like the disciples of Emmaus?
Behold, He is at the door and knocks… Will I get up to open the door to my
Beloved? (Cant 5, 5)
• How
is my relationship with Him? Am I able to call Him by name, as the
lepers have done, even if from a distance, but with all the strength of their
faith? Does the invocation of the name of Jesus always springs from my heart,
from my lips? When I am in danger, in suffering, weeping, which exclamation
comes spontaneously from me? Could I not try and be more attentive to this
aspect, which seems to be secondary, worth little, but which, instead reveals a
very strong and profound reality? Why do I not begin to repeat the name of
Jesus in my heart, even if only with my lips, like a prayer, or like a hymn?
This could be my companion while I go to work, while I walk, while I do this or
that…
• Do I
have the courage to sincerely present my evil, my sin, which is the true
sickness? Jesus invites the ten lepers to go to the priests, according to the
Hebrew law, but also for me, today, it is important, indispensable to live this
passage: to tell myself, tobring out to light what hurts me inside and
prevents me from being serene, happy, in peace. If it is not before the priest,
at least it is necessary that I place myself before the Lord, face to face with
Him, without any masks, without hiding anything and to tell him all the truth
about me. It is only in this way that it will be possible to really heal.
• The
salvation of the Lord is for all; He loves all with an immense love. But few
are those who open themselves to accept His presence in their life. One on ten.
On which side do I place myself? Am I able to recognize all the good that the
Lord has done to me in my life? Or do I continue only to complain, to always
expect something more, to reproach and accuse, to protest, to threaten? Do I
really know how to say thank you, sincerely, with gratitude, convinced that I
have received everything, that the Lord always gives me a surplus? It would
really be very nice to take some time to thank the Lord for all the benefits
which He has showered in my life, since I can remember up until now. I think
that I would never be able to finish, because something else would always come
to my mind, Then, the only thing I can do is like the leper, the only one among
the ten: to turn back, to run up to the Lord and to throw myself at His feet,
and praise Him in a loud voice. I can do it by singing a hymn, or only
repeating my thanksgiving, or perhaps weeping for joy.
• And
now I listen to Jesus’ invitation: “Rise and set out on the
road” After this experience I cannot remain without moving, closing myself
in my own world, in my peaceful beatitude and forget everything. I must rise,
go out, and set out on the road. If the Lord has blessed me, it is in order
that I may take His love to my brothers. The joy of the encounter with Him and
of having been healed in my soul will never be true, if it is not shared and
placed at the service of others. An instant is sufficient, to bring to my mind
so many friends, so many persons, more or less close to me, who need some joy
and hope. Then, why do I not start moving immediately? I can make a phone call,
send a message, write if even just a brief note, or perhaps I can go and visit
someone, keep him company and find the courage to announce the beauty and the
joy of having Jesus as my friend, as doctor, as Saviour. Now is the moment to
do it.
c) I
pray with a Psalm
I
called out to you, Lord, and you healed me.
How
blessed are those to whom
Yahweh imputes no guilt,
whose spirit harbours no deceit.
I said not a word,
but my bones wasted away from groaning all the day;
I made my sin known to you,
did not conceal my guilt. I said,
'I shall confess my offence to Yahweh.'
And you, for your part,
took away my guilt, forgave my sin.
Yahweh imputes no guilt,
whose spirit harbours no deceit.
I said not a word,
but my bones wasted away from groaning all the day;
I made my sin known to you,
did not conceal my guilt. I said,
'I shall confess my offence to Yahweh.'
And you, for your part,
took away my guilt, forgave my sin.
That is
why each of your faithful ones
prays to you in time of distress.
Even if great floods overflow,
they will never reach your faithful.
You are a refuge for me,
you guard me in trouble,
with songs of deliverance you surround me.
prays to you in time of distress.
Even if great floods overflow,
they will never reach your faithful.
You are a refuge for me,
you guard me in trouble,
with songs of deliverance you surround me.
I shall
instruct you and teach you the way to go;
I shall not take my eyes off you.
I shall not take my eyes off you.
Rejoice
in Yahweh, exult all you upright,
shout for joy, you honest of heart.
shout for joy, you honest of heart.
4. I
contemplate and I praise
Lord, I
have come to you from solitude and isolation, with all the weight and the shame
of my sin, of my sickness. I have cried out, I have confessed, I have asked you
for mercy, you, who are Love. You have heard me even before I could finish my
poor prayer; even from far you have known me and listened to me. You know
everything about me, but you are not scandalized, you do not despise, you do
not draw back. You have told me only not to fear, not to hide myself. And it
has been sufficient to trust you, to open the heart and your salvation has already
reached me. I have already felt the balm of your presence. I have understood
that you have healed me. Then, Lord, I could not do any other thing than to
turn back to you, to tell you at least thank you, to weep with joy at your
feet. I thought I did not have anyone, not to be able to bear it, not to come
out any more and, instead, you have saved me, you have given me another
possibility to begin anew.
Lord, thanks to you I am no longer a leper! I have thrown away my torn clothing and I have put on my feast dress. I have broken the isolation of shame, of harshness and I have begun to get out from myself, leaving behind my prison. I have risen, I have resurrected. Today, with you, I begin to live again.
Lord, thanks to you I am no longer a leper! I have thrown away my torn clothing and I have put on my feast dress. I have broken the isolation of shame, of harshness and I have begun to get out from myself, leaving behind my prison. I have risen, I have resurrected. Today, with you, I begin to live again.
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