28th Sunday of the Year (C)

Reflections : 28th Sunday of the Year (C) - October 10, 2010 (edited for 10/12/25)
Liturgical readings
2 Kings 5:14-17
Psalm 98
2 Timothy 2:8-13
Luke 17:11-19

"Your faith has been your salvation."

The gospel for the 28th Sunday of the Year tells the story of Jesus healing ten lepers. As Jesus healed all of them, only one of the lepers came back to Jesus. This leper who was cured from his infirmity "threw himself on his face at the feet of Jesus, and spoke his praises". Jesus took this occasion to ask him, "what about the other nine? Were not they made whole also?" But the healed leper did not answer. His gratitude was so great that his attention was to keep his eyes on the healer who made him whole again. Then Jesus opened his eyes to the truth that it was his very faith in Him that saved him from his sickness.

An author of a Catholic commentary on the gospel of Luke, Karris, wrote that the focus of this story was not so much the healing miracle of the ten lepers, but the teaching of Jesus on the value of gratitude. Karris continues to say that the experience itself of the cure did not save the leper: it was his returning and praising God in faith that saved him. By this interpretation, Karris helps the readers of the gospel understand a deeper Christian truth. Any experience of the miraculous is not salvation itself. Salvation is effected by our continuous acts of faith in Jesus as the Healer not only of our physical ills, but even more important, the ills of our soul.

In a very scientific world filled with both medical and technology advancements, some people may think that healing is only on the level of the physical. But every person's soul needs healing also. Some medical scholars believe that physical ailments are often caused by the sickness of the psyche - the soul. If the psyche is healed, then the physical infirmity begins to heal also. What factors can cause sickness? One cause is simply imbalance. A week of intense work and activity can make the mind, heart, soul, and body so drained and without energy. This is why Jesus in other passages of the gospels tells His apostles to come over to a deserted place to rest and to pray. Too much activity can fill one's soul with a noise that not only distracts from the "One thing necessary", but can bring so many illnesses that can be chronic if not checked. When the noise and the chaos of the world invades our soul, siilence is one key to the inner healing of mind, heart and soul. Fr. Pierre-Marie Delfieux in his book, "In the Heart of the City, In the Heart of God", says:

'When you are troubled, tempted or tired, silence will set things right. It will teach you self-control, restraint, self-mastery..."

When after a day's work one takes time to quiet down and settle in a silence that makes one aware of God's presence, then one can see the truth that indeed, He is the Divine Physician. He sets things right and puts our work and life in the proper balance needed to be healthy, strong, and useful, to contribute within one's means, to the building and extension of His Kingdom here on earth.