Touched by the Healing Power of Christ
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In this Sunday’s gospel we hear in the gospel that as Jesus walks between the cities of Samaria and Galilee ten lepers came to meet Jesus and asked him to have pity on them. At Jesus time, the lepers had no place in society and they have to live in community outside the town or village and used to beg for money and food along the road. They were the outcast, the rejected the unwanted in Jesus time. The ten lepers were cured, unfortunately only one came to thank Jesus for his healing. He was a Samaritan, a foreigner, a pagan. For this, Jesus commends him and it gives him something that the other nine did not get: salvation! Yes, ten were healed but only one received salvation. The lesson is clear: God rejoices in a grateful heart and keeps his blessings when we give thanks.
Did you know that there is a patron saint of the lepers? His name is Father Damien a Belgian priest who for sixteen years took care of the spiritual, physical and even material needs of the people in a leper colony of Molokai (Hawaii). Father Damien eventually contracted and died of leprosy and widely considered a “martyr of charity”. For this reason he is considered the spiritual patron of the lepers and the outcast. Who are the outcast in our society? Who are the rejected and unwanted? They are the poor, the immigrants, the sick and the elderly. In today’s gospel Jesus invites us to imitate St. Damien in putting our fears and prejudice away; to reach out to those who suf- fer and to be a source of healing and hope for them and to touch them with the healing power of Christ. May God bless you.
Readings for the Week
Monday: Rv 1:1-4; 2:1-5; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 18:35-43
Tuesday: Rv 3:1-6, 14-22; Ps 15:2-5; Lk 19:1-10
Wednesday: Rv 4:1-11; Ps 150:1b-6; Lk 19:11-28
Thursday: Rv 5:1-10; Ps 149:1b-6a, 9b; Lk 19:41-44
Friday: Rv 10:8-11; Ps 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131; Lk 19:45-48 or
(for the memorial of the Dedication) Acts 28:11-16, 30-31; Ps 98:1-6; Mt 14:22-33
Saturday: Rv 11:4-12; Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10; Lk 20:27-40
Sunday: 2 Sm 5:1-3; Ps 122:1-5; Col 1:12-20; Lk 23:35-43
The Saints & Other Celebrations
Sunday: Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: Canadian Thanksgiving Day; Columbus Day
Tuesday: St. John XXIII; Yom Kippur (Jewish Day of Atonement) begins at sunset
Friday: St. Callistus I
Saturday: St. Teresa of Jesus
Gratitude
Surely we can all recall at least a few days in our lives when things were going so well that nothing could put us in a bad mood. Maybe it was the day a very special person asked us to the senior prom, or perhaps it was our wedding day. Maybe it was the day we learned that we were expecting a long-awaited child, or the day we got an overdue promotion. There was elation in our hearts and lightness in our step, an extraordinary vitality throughout the day. We probably got on the phone right away to tell at least a few key people about our good fortune.
This is surely how Naaman and the leper must have felt when they were rid of their terrible diseases. They were hard-pressed to contain their gratitude, and although they were both unfamiliar with the customs of a foreign land, they had the good manners to thank the people responsible for their cures.
Did You Know?
Avoid “fixing” and try to listen and understand. Sometimes adults may have a tendency to try and fix problems that come up with their children. While the instinct to help and the loving concern behind it is understandable, it is not always the best course of action if the child is not learning something about how to handle a problem at least partly on their own. For some problems, children just need a good listener; for others they need guidance and help discerning how best to respond. Try asking questions, encouraging solutions, and praying with and for the child. For a copy of the VIRTUS® article “Communication Tip No. 10: You Can’t Fix Them, But You Can…” email jvienna@la-archdiocese.org or call 213-637-7227.