The cleansing of the ten lepers

Our Sunday Gospel today is a teaching about gratitude that our Lord Jesus Christ taught to his disciples. I would like to believe that this story is not a parable…rather it really happened to our Lord Jesus Christ. This story is about The Cleansing of the Ten Lepers, which you can read in Luke 17: 11-19 and what our Lord Jesus Christ teaches is very easy to understand.

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“11 As [Jesus] continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him 13 and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” 14 And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, realizing he had been healed. Returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? 18 Has not but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God? 19 Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

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Last Sunday, our gospel reading was about the Attitude of a Servant and we quoted excerpts from St. Josemaria Escriva especially about gratitude to God. Today’s gospel story is about the Cleansing of the Ten Lepers and as you already read this story, ten lepers were cleansed, but only one returned to our Lord Jesus Christ who healed them. So in a way the theme of this week’s gospel reading is still very much similar to last week’s gospel about gratitude to our Lord. So how do we thank God?

As I already started getting quotes from St. Josemaria Escriva, allow me to continue sharing with you his thoughts, as they are important to our spiritual life. St. Josemaria wrote many books so we are getting four quotes from his books, “The Way”, “The Forge,” and “Christ is Passing By us.”

In his book, Christ is Passing By us, 92, St. Josemaria said we must thank God a few minutes after Mass saying, “If we love Christ, who offers himself for us, we will feel compelled to find a few minutes after Mass for an intimate personal thanksgiving, which will prolong in the silence of our hearts that other thanksgiving which is the Eucharist.

How are we to approach him, what are we to say, how should we behave? Christian life is not made up of rigid norms, because the Holy Spirit does not guide souls collectively, but inspires each one resolutions, inspirations and affections that will help it to recognize and fulfill the will of the Father. Still I feel that, on many occasions the central theme of our conversation with Christ, in our thanksgiving after Holy Mass, can be consideration that our Lord is our King, physician, teacher and friend.”

St. Josemaria is right, Christian life is not made up of rigid norms or rules on how we should thank the Lord. A simply Thank you God would do. But you must thank God for everything that happens in your life…the moment you wake up, when you go to work…when you arrive safely in your office…for having a job, for having a family…and yes we must thank God before we go to sleep at night, just like what all devout Jews also do.

In his book The Forge, 891, St. Josemaria said, “Be grateful to God from the bottom of your heart for those wonderful and awesome faculties he chose to give you when he made you—your intellect and your will. They are wonderful, because they make you like him; and awesome because there are human beings who turn their faculties against their Creator. It seems to me we could sum up the thankfulness that we owe as children of God by saying to this Father of ours, now and always, serviam! I will serve you!

In this book The Way, 268, St. Josemaria say, “Get used to lifting your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day. Because he gives you this and that. Because you have been despised. Because you haven’t what you need or because you have. Because he made his Mother so beautiful, his Mother who is also your Mother. Because he created the sun and the moon and this animal and that plant. Because he made that man eloquent and you he left tongue-tied. Thank him for everything, because everything is good.”

Still in The Way, 894, St Josemaria say, “Have you seen the gratitude of little children? Imitate them, saying to Jesus, when things are favourable and when they are adverse: ‘How good you are! How good!...’ These words, if you mean them, are the way of childhood, and will bring you peace, with due measure of tears and laughter and without measure of Love.” We just gave you St. Josemaria Escriva’s way of giving thanks to the Lord. Remember, he gave you everything you have…most importantly your intellect and your free will to Love God with all your heart, your soul, your strength and your mind.

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