Today’s Gospel reading underscores the importance of gratitude and faith in our journey of discipleship. Luke uses the story of the ten lepers who call out to Jesus to have pity on them. Trusting in Jesus’ word and his command to show themselves to the priests, they find themselves cleansed on their way.
The nine, who are Jews, proceed to Jerusalem to be examined by priests who certify that they are clean and so can join their community. The Samaritan, whose people do not worship in Jerusalem, instead returns to Jesus to do him homage and thank him. It is his faith in Jesus as the prophet of God, even as the Taheb (essentially the Samaritan equivalent of the Jewish Messiah) that saves him, which is more than being cleansed of his leprosy.
The cure of the Samaritan, a foreigner among the Jews, is introduced by the story of the cure of the leprous general Naaman in the First Reading. After being cleansed of leprosy through the prophet Elisha, Naaman realizes that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Knowing that he has to be at the side of the king of Aram when this worships in the temple of Rimmon, Naaman asks for forgiveness if he, too, bows with his master.
Elisha understands his situation and allows him to carry loads of earth to be taken to Aram. Worship of the Lord is associated with the soil of Israel, where the Lord is present. He can therefore worship God in Syria. The Word of God underscores the significance of gratitude.
We often find ourselves asking for God’s blessings, for healing, for guidance. But how often do we return to offer thanks when our prayers are answered?
The Samaritan leper returns to Jesus to give thanks. The Syrian Naaman brings with him soil from Israel as “sacrament” of his faith and worship of the Lord, the true God. The cure of the two lepers who are foreigners likewise shows that God’s blessing is open to all. While Israel may have the priority as God’s elect, Jesus opens the Kingdom of heaven to everyone. God’s love transcends boundaries, prejudices, and differences.
As followers of Christ, we are called to embrace this truth and extend our love and compassion to all people, regardless of their background or circumstances. Pope Francis invites us to nurture fraternity and friendship among peoples.
He writes, “It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women. ‘Here we have a splendid secret that shows us how to dream and to turn our life into a wonderful adventure.
No one can face life in isolation… We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead. How important it is to dream together… By ourselves, we risk seeing mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together.’
Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all (Fratelli Tutti, 8).
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