Today is the 13th Sunday after Pentecost and the last Sunday of the month of August. We are blessed and grateful because truly God has been so generous to us in all things. The blessings of a good life and gratitude for healing, which we experience as we go through the passing of time, are not because we are getting old; it is that we are simply blessed. Next week we will be entering a “Ber” month, which means three months of waiting for December again. The year 2023 is nothing but a spur of the moment. Time flies by so fast and, before we realize it, is suddenly gone.
The epistle today, taken from the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians 3:16-22, clearly elucidates the argument presented by St. Paul about the passing of time, when he said, that “What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.” He wrote this to justify and to prove that the inheritance of God’s promises is based on God’s promise, not the law, as he reflected upon the Old Testament. (“In your Seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Gen 22:18.) Furthermore, St. Paul states that the fulfillment of this promise to Abraham was in the person of Jesus. The law had nothing to do with it. “To Abraham were the promises made, and to his seed. He saith not: And to his seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to Thy seed, which is Christ.” The fact that “seed” has no “s” to make it plural tells us Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise that all nations will be blessed. Why? Because “God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.” (v.18)
The gospel is clearly indicating that Jesus is the promise to Abraham and to us. Jesus liberates us for He is greater than the law, the personified “Son of God,” who has lived with us. Today’s gospel gives us an account from St. Luke about the ten lepers who were outcasts due to their contagious skin disease. They were so-called marginalized people, and society during that time never cared for them. They were not allowed to mingle with other people, so they were completely prohibited to go to the temple to worship. Their last hope was to beg Jesus’ attention to heal them. The last recourse of their hopelessness was to call out to Jesus and cry aloud, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priest, on the way they are all healed, but only one turns around to express gratitude to Jesus, praising and worshipping Him.
What are the life lessons for us to ponder? Why does only one leper come back to Jesus to thank and to praise Him?
First, “They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ ”(vv.12b-13) Calling Jesus’ name to beg for mercy is an indication of having previous knowledge about Jesus’ identity. Lepers recognized Him, who is the only one who could give them something. I guess they were looking for something like material benefits of which Jesus had a reputation for compassion. The lepers uttered these words, “have pity,” which doesn’t mean asking for healing but for whatever Jesus can offer.
Second, “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him — and he was a Samaritan.” (17:15-16) Actually, all ten lepers were healed, but only one went back to Jesus praising God for His mercy in healing him, and he was a Samaritan. Maybe remembering himself shouting to Jesus, he realized the same loudness of heart clamoring for pity, and he would equal his boldness to thank the Lord. To thank in the Greek language is eucharisteō, “to show that one is under obligation, to feel obligated to thank and to express appreciation for benefits or blessings.” We derive our word “Eucharist” from this Greek word.
The grateful leper’s response by throwing himself at Jesus’ feet is a sign of utter humility. He touches Jesus, no doubt, and Jesus receives his thanks graciously. The leper may not know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, but certainly he credits Jesus as being God’s instrument for his healing. For sure, the Samaritan gives glory to God and thanks Jesus.
Third, “Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’ “ (17:19) This expression, “faith has made you well,” means “to save” within the context of salvation and rescuing someone from afflictions, specifically, safe or free from disease. In this case, from Jesus’ intervention, he receives deeper salvation. His faith prompted him to return to Jesus, not only with gratitude for the healing of his skin but for a personal and spiritual healing of his soul.
We must learn from this story. My observation is that outsiders are more responsive to God than us. Sad to say, many of us believe superficially, resulting in spiritual blindness. The refusal to see ourselves as spiritual lepers is a major hindrance to salvation. We must have a vision to grow in a mature way, to cry aloud in prayer to Jesus, to return to Him at all times to thank Him, and to rise and go to announce the Good News to others because our Faith also made us well. Remember, the healing didn’t take place until after they obeyed; it was not instantaneous healing, and the Faith here is shown as an on-going process.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
