Sunday Gospel Reflection
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 17:11-19 | October 9, 2022
Jesus, the Divine Healer
Josie Gonzales
He was going into a village when he was met by ten men suffering from a dreaded skin disease…
“Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!” Jesus saw them and said to them, “Go and let the priests examine you.” When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan…
“There were ten who were healed; where are the other nine?” And Jesus said to him, “Get up and go, your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:12-19)
Two things I learned from today’s Gospel: first, Jesus does not choose whom to heal. He heals regardless of creed, color, nationality, young or old, rich or poor, sinner or saint. In this story, the Lord healed a non-Jew, a Samaritan, a foreigner. Second, gratitude and thanksgiving do not come in fast and easy. There were ten suffering from a dreaded skin disease who stood at a distance, begging to be healed and shouting, “Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!”
Unfortunately, only the foreigner came back to say, “thank you Lord”. What happened to the rest? Hindi ba dapat nagpasalamat din sila sa Panginoon?
Mas mabuting magbigay kaysa tumanggap—magbigay-galang at papuri sa Diyos for the miracle of healing. And, better yet, let us practice giving till it hurts…and sharing our all.
The Lord has given us everything. Mama Mary has asked us, through St. Juan Diego, “Is there anything else that you need?”
The Gospel talks about Jesus, the Divine Healer. But it also talks about gratitude and thanksgiving—twin virtues of someone with character. Here we find one person representing a measly 10% of those healed, with character and value.
Kasama ba tayo sa 10% or sa siyam na nakalimot sa Diyos? Sino tayo? Saan tayo?
Sad to say, this is still where we are. Takers, not givers with selfish ambition to take everything this material world can offer as if there was no end. And then, we try to compensate our misgivings with ritual sacrifices—teachings of the Pharisees of Biblical times who ignored Jesus’ teachings of love, mercy, and compassion.
We still have ‘modern-day Pharisees’ in our midst, but let’s give and share the core values of our Lord: love, mercy, and compassion to those who need them most. They are everywhere. They are our doctors, nurses, health workers, policemen, garbage collectors, street sweepers, security guards, the jobless, the homeless, and the children. It is a long list of people that need our care.
Again, let’s ask ourselves: what is it worth to follow God?
We cannot outdo or equal God in His generosity. He is all giving, all loving, all merciful. In His kingdom, everyone is welcome, but we are judged by the decisions and choices we make, the path we take. Are we on the spiritual path? Or still stuck here with the earthly and mundane?
Our choices always have consequences. Whether right or wrong, choices affect the lives of others. This is visibly true in Ukraine. The ongoing war has caused a lot of damage to life and property, rising costs of food and fuel, negative impact on world economy.
But the war also saw a lot of caring and sharing—volunteers taking care of the wounded and sick, father and son fighting for freedom, women cooking meals for the soldiers in the field, shelter and schools opening for refugees, civilians burying the dead, raising funds to support the cause of freedom, affirmations and encouraging messages through social media, help pouring in from charitable institutions including Caritas Manila, and many more acts of love, mercy and compassion from all over the world.
Jesus said, “Pick up your cross and follow me.” Are we ready for this? Handa na ba tayo para sa malaking hamon sa atin ni Hesus?
The Lord is always with us who call upon Him. Manalig tayo sa pangako ng Panginoon ng buhay na walang hanggan na hindi natin makakamtan sa mundong ginagalawan natin ngayon. Tumawag tayo sa kanya araw-araw para gabayan tayo sa mabuting gawain…ano ba ang ating nakatalagang misyon? Kung tayo ang Samaritan na pinagaling ni Hesus at nagpasalamat, magpasalamat din tayo sa lahat ng biyayang bigay sa atin ni Lord. Ito ang ebanghelyo ngayong Linggo na dapat nating pagnilayan.
For eternal life, detach from the world and attach to the Lord. Yes! To the Lord Almighty!
Starting today, let’s store our treasures in heaven…will you join me?
A blessed and peaceful Sunday to all!
