“The Lord has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice. … 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.” (Psalm 98:2-4)
Reflections on the readings for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (October 9, 2022): 2KGS 5:14-17; PS 98:1,2-3,3-4; 2TM 2:8-13; LK 17:11-19
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
We can thank God today for His great mercy and blessings on us and all His people.
Today’s Scriptural readings remind us how deeply Almighty God is concerned about each and every one of us as individuals and, so, about all the challenges that confront us throughout the course of our lives. In the miracles that are performed by Elisha and by Jesus, God reveals His love for all His children: not only the house of Israel but also those outside it. And we are also given the opportunity to recognize in each miracle, the immense importance of faith, obedience, and gratitude. Both the prophet Elisha and Jesus tell the lepers what they need to do to receive healing from their excruciating illness. Elisha instructed Naaman to enter the Jordan River seven times. Jesus sent the ten lepers to report to the priests; this was necessary in order to be declared officially clean. “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’” (Luke 17:15-19).
Presumably, that Samaritan who returned to praise God and thank Christ did go to show himself to a priest at some point. But he was not willing to let the opportunity to express his overwhelming gratitude to our Lord slip away. Not even the chance of quickly returning to his family and community took precedence over the joyful obligation he felt to his Healer. And Jesus, seeing his actions and reading his heart, recognized his faith. And while salvation only comes from Christ, we must choose to cooperate with Him and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Then, we too can hear Jesus say: Your faith has saved you.
Suggested missionary action: We can thank God today for His great mercy and blessings on us and all His people. Let us take a little time to stop and think about the ways He heals wounds, stays close in times of suffering, and makes known His compassion. Let us willingly accept whatever the Lord asks of us, because He asks it. Because He loves us -- in time and eternity.