(Optional Memorial for Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
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| "Jesus Heals the Ten Lepers” by Caspar Luken, 1700 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Wisdom 6:1-11
Commentary on Wis 6:1-11
The Wisdom author instructs the rulers of the day, secular and religious. He tells them that God, who is more powerful than they can imagine, requires them to rule justly and to be compassionate in their rule, especially to the poor. He warns that if they are not, judgment against them will be harsh.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 82:3-4, 6-7
R. (8a) Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
Commentary on Ps 82:3-4, 6-7
Echoing the instruction from Wisdom 6:1-11 to show compassion to the poor, Psalm 82 places the same warning on the leadership. There is a stern warning that God’s judgment will be leveled against those who abuse their power.
CCC: Ps 82:6 441
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Gospel Luke 17:11-19
Commentary on Lk 17:11-19
The story of the Samaritan leper, found only in St. Luke’s Gospel, reiterates Jesus’ ability to remove sins. Here the Lord cures ten lepers, outcasts, who are viewed by the community as being under God’s punishment. The Gospel is an indictment of the Hebrews who did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus’ comment: “Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” is a clear indication that this lack of faith will have consequences. This is especially true when he follows this statement with: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” This would seem to imply that those who refuse to accept Jesus’ status as the Christ would not receive God's salvation.
“This incident recounting the thankfulness of the cleansed Samaritan leper is narrated only in Luke's gospel and provides an instance of Jesus holding up a non-Jew as an example to his Jewish contemporaries (cf Luke 10:33 where a similar purpose is achieved in the story of the good Samaritan). Moreover, it is the faith in Jesus manifested by the foreigner that has brought him salvation (Luke 17:19; cf the similar relationship between faith and salvation in Luke 7:50; 8:48, 50).”[4]
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Reflection:
Have you ever wondered about the one leper who returned to Jesus to thank him for curing his illness? What makes his return remarkable is that he was not Hebrew and therefore may not have been under the same rules as the other nine that made them outcast. Hebrews were not even able to come close to those who loved them. The favor the Lord did for the tenth leper, while equal to the others in the physical sense, was not nearly as beneficial in the social arena. Yet he came back.
We wonder what brought him. Was it Jesus’ compassion; was it that he recognized something in the Lord that drew him? Where did he go once he left, having been blessed with faith? We note the words of Jesus: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” This one realized the magnitude of God’s love. He came back praising God! He knew- do you see- he knew that Jesus was of God.
The Jews who left thought only that they were free of the awful disease and could return to normal lives. They were anxious to get to their priest so they could be certified as fit to return to the community and take up their lives again. They completely overlooked the more important aspect of what had taken place. They had been healed by God, freed from their condition, but all they wanted was to get back to what they had been doing.
Before we condemn them too harshly we should take an inward look. Are we not just like them? Don’t we frequently receive the sacramental grace that is Christ’s presence in our lives, the healing of our souls, our bodies, our brokenness, and rush off to continue our lives? What the Gospel calls us to do is recognize and be grateful for the really important work Christ accomplishes in us. We are called to give thanks to God, like the tenth leper, for the grace God gives us.
Our prayer today is that we can become like the tenth leper; full of awe and thanks to God, and that we never take the Lord for granted or lose sight of what is truly important in our lives.
Pax
[1] The picture is "Jesus Heals the Ten Lepers” by Caspar Luken, 1700
[4] See NAB footnote for Lk 17: 11-19
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