Reading from the second book of Kings 2 Kgs 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
Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
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.
Second Reading
Reading from the Second letter of St. Paul to Timothy 2 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.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. 1 Thes 5:18
In all circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
P: The Lord be with you.
P: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke Lk 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.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
HOMILY
Throughout the Gospels we read that our Lord had the power of healing people. Sometimes the faith of the one or more persons who want to be cured moves Jesus to act. Sometimes it is someone else, pleading on behalf of a friend, acquaintance, slave or relative that moves Jesus to bring about healings.
Jesus regularly performed physical healings, but the message of the Gospel is that the Lord truly came to bring a deeper and more lasting cure, that is, healing from sin and death, extending restoration to new and everlasting life, the gift of salvation and participation in God’s Kingdom forever.
The physical cures Jesus worked during his public ministry are profound reminders of the deeper and lasting healing Christ has come to bestow by rising from the dead and opening the gates of Paradise. There could be no better form of healing than this.
In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, we are told of ten lepers. The familiar episode is as much about the healing power of God as it is about gratitude, or lack of it, that humans express. In both the first reading and the Gospel this Sunday we are presented with outsiders, a Syrian in the first reading and a Samaritan in the Gospel, who are healed and readily show their gratitude.
Looking at the Scripture lessons, we can ask: isn’t it often the outsider, the marginal, who knows his or her need of God and is not afraid to ask for help? These are ones whom Jesus calls “the poor in spirit,” who know their limits and are willing to call upon a power higher than them selves, rather than put their trust is what cannot really heal them.
The Orthodox theologian Elizabeth Behr-Sigel once wrote, “God can only fill those hearts that recognize that they are empty.” This is the heart of the Gospel message.
In the Gospel narrative today, the lepers shout to Jesus “from afar,” on account of their uncleanness. Even so, they are unafraid to call on the Lord. They are poor and needy, estranged, but still bold enough to ask for help from where they are confident it will come.
In what might be an otherwise obscure point in the first reading today, we should take note of the touching action of Naaman the Syrian, cured of his leprosy. So grateful is Naaman for a cure that he requests permission to take some earth from the Holy Land, Israel, back to his own homeland, so that he might properly worship the God of Israel, based on the notion at that time that no god can be honored outside that god’s own land.
If that is so, Naaman concludes, he will bring the land of Israel’s God back to Syria! Today we recognize that the One true God can be worshiped anywhere, but Naaman’s innocent or pristine faith went to an extreme that we see as unnecessary, but admirable in its intention.
The beautiful passage from Paul’s second letter to Timothy this Sunday deserves a homily in itself, for its depth and richness, but suffice it to say that the message is most welcome: dying in Christ means living eternally with him. The reference to dying is to remind us of baptism, when we died to sin in Christ and welcomed into God’s family for eternity.
Persevering in the desire for daily avoidance of sin, and coupled with that, never wishing to be separated from God, will assist in the realization of the desired result, which is “life on high with Christ.” God is Love without limits, and eager to save anyone who can be saved, that is, all people.
What is being asked of us as we reflect on Scripture today is an openness and movement toward God, a stretching out of our hands, even from a distance, to God’s saving power. This power from God is present in word and actions, in the Church and her Sacraments, offered to all as a free gift and sustenance for the journey of life made in faith day by day.
We should always be filled with gratitude for God’s deeds of salvation in Jesus Christ, symbolically shown in the Gospel in healing from a disease that cut people off from the community. In like manner, God frees us from the death of sin, restores us to life, and draws all men and women to eternal life.
May we willingly show the gratitude of the Syrian and Samaritan lepers of the Scripture lessons for this Sunday. These people sought out the God who could and did cure them. They desired to be with the Lord at all times and God made that possible and still does so.
Since God remains faithful to the promises made long ago of salvation in Jesus Christ, that is, true healing and life immortal, we should be greatly comforted.
BIDDING PRAYERS:
God desires that all people enjoy the freedom of the children of God. May the vitalizing Spirit of pentecost move us to proclaim to all peoples the truth of God’s freeing love.
Our response is, “Jesus, descendant of David, hear us!”
- Naaman, the foreigner, experienced God’s healing power through Elisha. May persons of other faith traditions experience God’s healing love through the church’s dedication to world peace. We pray: “Jesus, descendant of David, hear us!”
- Many Christians endure hardship and imprisonment for working to empower oppressed persons. May the Spirit be their strength in time of trial. We pray: “Jesus, descendant of David, hear us!”
- Jesus affirmed the Samaritan’s gratitude as an act of faith. May our faith express itself in our praise of God’s goodness and lead to eternal glory. We pray: “Jesus, descendant of David, hear us!”
- Paul encouraged fidelity to Christ in every circumstance. May we bring the joy of the gospel to bear upon all aspects of our lives. We pray: “Jesus, descendant of David, hear us!”
Redeeming God, your gift of faith leads to the fullness of life. For this we praise you and ask that our prayers be acceptable to you through Christ, our healer and Saviour.
