Gratitude to God: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Twenty-Eighth Sunday In Ordinary Time – Year C
Sermon And Christian Act In The Word
Theme: I have leprosy! I Accept Salvation! Accepting Salvation! Gratefulness to God!
Point of Reflection: Do I not have leprosy? Do I need a healing? Do I need salvation? Today’s liturgy reveals that God’s offer of salvation is permanent and open to all who welcome it. We need to accept a healing from God and thank God for His mercy.
First Reading: 2 Kings 5:14–17
Psalm: Psalm 98:1–4
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8–13
Gospel: Luke 17:11–19
Sermon (Reflection): The first reading of today tells a story of the conversion of a Syrian general, Naaman, who suffered from leprosy. Hearing that there was a prophet in Israel who might be able to heal Naaman, the Syrian king sent a request for help to the Israelite king.
As Christians, we can ask ourselves, are we not suffering from leprosy and to whom do we go for healing? Today’s leprosy could be corruption or jealousy. Do we need a heeling? The first step of healing is to acknowledge our leprosy and accept it, then we ask for healing from God.
From the first reading of today (Cf. 2 Kings 5:14–17), we can note that the acceptance of the prophetic word holds the key to Naaman’s healing. When Naaman obeyed Elisha’s word and immersed himself in the Jordan, he became clean. Elisha neither touched nor spoke to Naaman: this cleansing was an act of God. Naaman’s conversion followed. Salvation is possible! He acknowledged his weakness, accepted, and then he was clean. Today, we need to learn from Naaman’s story that as Christians, we need to accept that we have leprosy in our countries and in our daily lives. We need to be clean, and it is only by turning to Christ that we will be clean, as reflected in the second reading of today.
In the second reading of today (Cf. 2 Timothy 2:8–13), St Paul is reminding Timothy that salvation is possible but through Jesus Christ. St Paul discusses this salvation making four statements that share an identical structure. Each statement begins with an “if” part, describing a response of the believer to the Gospel, and concludes with a part indicating the outcome of this response.
The first two statements indicate positive responses, thus, conversion and endurance. If believers die with Christ, they will also live with Christ. “Dying with Christ” refers to the conversion and baptism (cf. Rom 6:8) which lead to a new life in Christ. These acts result in having Christ’s immortal life in oneself. Second, endurance leads to “reigning” with Christ. Enduring in the profession of faith in this life will lead to eternal life alongside Christ. As Christians, we need to convert and endure if we want to be saved by Christ.
The last two statements indicate negative responses, thus, denial and faithlessness. First, those who deny Christ will be denied by him (cf. Mark 8:38). This frightening statement speaks not of punishment for sins but of human free will and power to decide. A conscious and willing rejection of Christ as the Lord and Master of one’s life will be respected and will result in not belonging to Christ in eternity. If someone does not wish to belong to Christ, Christ will not force them to do so. Those who disown Christ in this life will not belong to him in eternity. With our actions as Christians, are we not disowning Christ? Today’s reading is an awakening call for us Christians not to disown Christ with our bad and unworthy deeds and words.
The Gospel story of today shows ten lepers searching for the cleansing of their bodies and their restoration to society, that is they are searching for “mercy”. While all lepers were religious and social outcasts, the Samaritan leper was far worse off than the other nine because he was a foreigner, not counted among God’s people. Jesus hears their pleas and commands them to go and show themselves to the priests, as was required by the Law (cf. Lev 14:2-32.). They were healed as they went, but nine of them, eager to complete the cleansing rite continued on the way to meet the priests. Only the Samaritan turned back. Praising God, this foreigner prostrated himself before Jesus, acknowledging that God had healed him. While the nine Jewish lepers limited themselves to the fulfilment of their ritual obligations, the Samaritan returned to the source of his healing with grateful acknowledgement of God’s mercy acting through Jesus. As Christians, are we grateful to God for the gift of life and the gift of salvation? Every day is a blessing and we need to thank God each and every day when we wake up and before going to sleep.
Christian Act in Word of God “Salvation and gratefulness”
Today’s liturgy assures us that God intends this world, and our lives, to come to a good, satisfying conclusion. To use movie language, God wrote a scenario for this world that has a happy ending. In the language of our faith, we call this good conclusion “salvation”. To be sure, salvation comes at a great price, this price being the death of Jesus, as Paul reminds Timothy. This is yet another reason to be deeply grateful.
However, just like actors in a movie, we cannot merely sit around and wait for salvation; we have to do something to partake in it. We are active actors in the story of our lives and the story of our salvation. This might sound quite frightening when we look at our smallness and powerlessness. However, salvation and ultimate happiness are simpler and easier to reach than many think.
We tend to overcomplicate our lives when we start thinking and acting as if God had made the path to Himself very difficult. Let us think about the Samaritan leper. While his nine companions went on to fulfil some ritual obligations of the Law, this Samaritan simply returned to Jesus, expressing gratitude and worshipping God through Jesus. Life might be difficult, and we need to fulfil many obligations. But, like a good parent, God does not require of us much more than to be as grateful children before him. In our troubled and complex world, perhaps the simplest but crucially important thing we can do is to stop and kneel in prayer, like the helpless Samaritan, thanking God that we are alive and have another day to live before us.
We are also often overwhelmed and depressed by our imperfections, faults and sins. We think that they make us unworthy, bad, unlovable or even evil. In such moments, we must recall the words of Paul in the second reading. Even when we are faithless, Jesus remains faithful because he cannot deny himself. We joined ourselves to Christ through our faith and baptism; we belong to him. Even when we fail miserably, he remains with us. Jesus, who gave his life for us, will surely not turn away a repentant sinner who returns, even after a grave fall. Let us repent now and be grateful to God, for he loves us.
Action: I will examine my life and accept that I have leprosy, and I will ask Jesus Christ to heal me. And I will thank God for the gift of life, salvation and healing.
Prayer: O Lord Jesus Christ, like the Samaritan leper, we come to you today with humble gratitude that you continue to heal our souls, day after day, from hurts and fear. Be with us always when we feel lonely and isolated, and make us feel your presence and do not ever let us lose the hope and perspective of salvation. Help us to be grateful always to you. We ask this through Christ our Lord and healer, Amen.
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