28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

October 13, 2019

Readings:

First Reading: 2Kings 5: 14-17

Psalm 98 “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.”

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2: 8-13

Gospel reading according to Luke 17: 11-19

+

Homily:  

Jesus is already decided to go to Jerusalem to meet his passion, persecution, crucifixion and death, and on the third day, his resurrection.  “As Jesus continued his journey to Jeusalem, he travelled through Samaria and Galilee” (Luke 17: 11).  He is not afraid to face his opponents, his enemies but rather he is ready to face them, even his greatest enemy, death.  Jesus is ready to fulfill what God the Father had commanded to him and to do His will.  He traveled from Galilee where he was staying and passing through Samaria before he reached Jerusalem.

As he was arriving in one of the villages in between Galilee and Samaria, he encountered ten (10) lepers.  “As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him” (Luke 17: 12).  In those days, the lepers are those sick people with Hansen Disease that eats the flesh, a contagious disease; and the one who has it is considered dead, for physically they cannot feel anything either cold or hot, with lots of puss and their bodies are covered with sores and wounds.  The regulations concerning leprosy are in chapter 13 and 14 of Leviticus.  What is very painful to the one who has it is not their physical sickness but rather emotional, psychological and spiritual for they are rejected by their society, community and even their own families.  In the eyes of the priests and Levites they are dirty and sinful and punished by God for the sins they committed.  He has to live alone.  They cannot live within the community and cannot join in any religious activities.  They must stay away from the people, so they have to stay outside the cities, outside the community, outside society and outside their family and the Temple.  “They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, ‘Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!’” (Luke 17: 13).  That is why, when Jesus found them they stood at a distance, more or less fifty yards away.  They shouted loud so that Jesus might catch their attention. They took this chance to be heard so that they may receive healing from Jesus.  They knew Jesus was, they called him Master, a merciful and compassionate teacher and prophet.

We can ask ourselves.  Who are the lepers of today? Who are those people whom when we see we are rejecting them, avoiding them? pinandidirihan natin at ayaw nating makita o makatabi? Who are cast out in our family and of society? Who are wounded and cursed due to our indifference and lukewarm attitude and could not accept them?  There are many lepers in our society that kept silent and made themselves far away from us.  Even in our family there is or are lepers who are crying silently because of our indifference and avoidance, not talking to them too, or as if they do not exist, “wala tayong pakialam sa kanila,” because they are already old and useless, “at pabigat.”  How many parents are crying because they are already old, sick and weak, useless, pabigat after raising up, giving education and all to their children who are now big and strong, professionals and earn a living.  How many poor beggars in the street that do not receive government support and services from the taxes of the people, as they are abandoned by the government but use the money in their trips abroad and buying luxurious and expensive planes while many people are satisfied with worn out MRT and LRT.  How many young people were killed in the “Tokhang” (katok ug hangyo, a Visayan words which mean knock and ask) and the “EJK” (Extra-Judicial Killings) due to drugs, and they were called “salot ng aking bansa.”  How many squatters are considered “eye sores” to the rich (but corrupt) politicians that needed to cover and made their façade nice with beautiful spots of the country to satisfy the eyes of foreigners, and many other lepers.  How ungrateful they are to the people whom they promised to serve.  

Jesus saw and encountered them with loving eyes, with understanding eyes, with merciful and kind eyes.  He cannot disregard and avoid these poor lepers. What came in his heart and mind was to cure them, to bring back their lives to normal with their families, in their communities and society, to untie them in their loneliness and misery.  He pitied them.   “And when he saw them, he said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priest.’  As they were going they were cleansed” (Luke 17: 14).  After curing them without their knowledge that they were already healed, Jesus said to them to see the priest (as a doctor) who will declare and certify that they are already cured and healed in their leprosy.  As they proceeded to the priest as required by Leviticus 14, they were totally cleansed.  If we can apply the first reading to describe of healing of Naaman at the word of Elisha (2 Kgs. 5: 14) to the gospel, “Their flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,” (kutis sanggol), the skin of the ten lepers is like the skin of an infant.   

A heart full of gratitude and thanksgiving for the graces received can easily recognize the healing he expected in mind, body and heart. “And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.  He was a Samaritan” (Luke 17: 15-16).  One of the ten lepers recognized that he was healed as he expected to receive from Jesus.  Full of happiness and joy, gratitude and thankfulness, not so faraway glorifying God, he returned to Jesus and fell on his knees at the feet of Jesus he never stopped kissing them and thanking him.  He was a Samaritan and the other nine were Jews.

Jesus recognized him as a Samaritan inter-mingling with the Jews.  We know that the Jews do not mix with Samaritan, yet in their group there was one Samaritan with them.  Very often, when misfortune fell, like in the case of leprosy, the racial and national barriers are broken down.  In the common tragedy they had forgotten they were Jews and Samaritan and remembered only they were men in need of God.  “Jesus said in reply, ‘Ten were cleansed, were they not?  Where are the other nine?  Has none but this foreigner retuned to give thanks to God?’  Then he said to him, ‘Stand up and go, your faith has saved you’.” (Luke 17: 17-19).  Only this Samaritan, an impure man who worshipped many gods and goddesses, foreigner to the true religion, was the only one who returned and gave thanks to Jesus.  The nine Jews maybe went home straight for the excitement they felt and the healing they expected to happen to them through Jesus Christ.  But sometimes, if not most of the times, like the nine lepers we do not show our gratitude after receiving what we were asking for before.  The ten lepers called out for help to Jesus, he cured them, but only one came back to thank him, the nine never came back to express their gratitude to Jesus.  Once we have got what we wanted and prayed, we never come back to Him who granted our prayers and thank Him.  How ingratitude we are.   So, for the many blessings He has given to us, there is only one thing we can do no more no less, is to give thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  So be generous in thanking Him. As what Jesus said to the one who came back to give thanks, “Stand up and go, your faith has saved you.”