2 Kings 5:14-17
Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
2 Timothy 2:8-13
Luke 17:11-19
The readings for today, this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, bring to us stories that emphasize the themes of faith, gratitude, and healing for all people. I believe we can really see these themes of gratitude and praise with the Psalm and Gospel readings today.
So today I will start with the Psalm. As I mentioned before, most of the psalms are hymns of praise. The Psalm begins with “O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!” (Psalm 98:1, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition). This reminds us to sing joyfully to the Lord always – to give glory and all praise to him because it is the Lord Jesus who died and offered himself on the cross for everyone. It is through him we receive the glory of God, and therefore we should rightly honor and praise God through Jesus. The passage today ends with the encouragement of all people to come together to praise as it says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth, break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” (Psalm 98:4, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition).
In the first reading today, the story is about Naaman, a Syrian general with leprosy who is cleansed after washing seven times in the Jordan River, following the instructions of the prophet Elisha. Naaman is a Gentile, where his healing signifies how God’s saving power transcends Israel. As we see in the reading, when Naaman is cured of his leprosy it causes a conversion in him and proves, to him, there is no other god than the God of Israel, leading him to abandon his false gods and worship the true God. It is interesting to note, Naaman was cleansed in the Jordan River. The same river where Jesus received his baptism from John the Baptist. It seems it becomes the source of extraordinary grace through faith.
In a way, the psalm echoes the first reading in that God’s saving grace extends to all people and is for all people. Those who believe and have the faith and trust in God may be granted through Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
The second reading today comes from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy. In this letter, Paul encourages Timothy to endure hardship for the sake of the gospel, reminding him that the Word of God cannot be chained. Paul wrote this letter while in prison and uses the chains he is bound in as a metaphor for God’s Word. Paul suffers and wears chains “like a criminal.” (2 Timothy 2:9, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition). Paul says the Word of God is not chained, meaning it is not contained by human suffering or persecution. Paul suffers for the sake of others, just as Jesus suffered for mankind. Paul wishes others the ability to “obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus goes with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:10, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition). Paul concludes this passage with “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition).
I want to look at the last couple of verses. Paul writes in Verses 12-13, “if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.” If we last and pass the tests of life, then we will surely be with him in heaven.
Trent Horn, Catholic Apologist, gave an example of the Prodigal Son on this topic. The father was so happy to see his son return that he embraced him and held a party for him. That is what it is like with us and our heavenly Father. We must not only repent our sins and run to the Father, but also run away from that sin which was in our life. Then we can be with Jesus and our heavenly Father.
The final line in the passage today may be difficult or confusing to some. I know it was for me the first few times I’ve read that verse. It seems it can have many interpretations. But looking into it, I found that the verse means God’s faithfulness is more of a matter of God’s own character (or Jesus’ character) and promises and is not a reflection of our own. He cannot be unfaithful to himself as we may sometimes feel in our life – faithless. If he were unfaithful to himself, then he would not be able to bring grace and forgiveness to us because those are his promises to us.
In the Gospel today, we continue with Luke. This passage tells the story of Jesus healing ten lepers, with only the Samaritan returning to give thanks. The Samaritan, in this story, shows God’s concern for the poor and outcast. The lepers were already social outcasts, but the Samaritan returning to Jesus to offer praise and gratitude shows he received a greater gift. He was not only cleansed, but also grateful for that as well. Gratitude is a spiritual response that completes the healing process. The leper was cured physically, but also healed spiritually. Salvation is a holistic, transformative experience that restores one’s dignity and relationship with God. The other nine lepers, preoccupied with fulfilling the Law by showing themselves to the priests, fail to recognize Jesus as the source of their cure. Their lack of gratitude reveals a spiritual blindness that remains unhealed.
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