28th Sunday in OT (C) - Ten pleaded, One Believed and Thanked Him

28^th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 

Luke 17:11-19

October 13, 2013

GOSPEL READING: The Cleansing of Ten Lepers

As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us! And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”* As they were going they were cleansed. 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. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

REFLECTION: Ten pleaded, One Believed and Thanked Him

We rarely hear people say “thank you” to God or to someone. Why? Perhaps, for the simple reason that no one has taught them to be grateful. Observe how a child behaves when someone gives him something. He would take it for granted and say nothing until someone asks: ”What do you say?” The child would stare blankly until somebody tells him, “say thank you.” Being grateful is a learned habit.

In this Gospel, Jesus was met by ten lepers, pleading from a distance. Leprosy was considered a severe punishment from heaven. Recall the anger of the Lord to Miriam who dared to speak against Moses, and became a leper after being reprimanded by the Lord (Numbers 12: 10-15). Lepers are isolated, ostracized persons, victims of almost every negative relationship with individuals as well as the society as a whole. More than the illness itself are the consequences it entails. King Uzziah violated the law of the temple, became a leper until his death (2 Chronicles 26:19). The relation of the sufferer towards God is an expression characterized by “ being at a distance” from Jesus or from a fellow human being.

And how does Jesus react? He says “Go and show yourselves to the priests”. A command in accord with the Mosaic law being unclean (Numbers 5 : 16). And they obeyed. Their obedience resulted in their healing from distance. Their request for mercy from Jesus was fulfilled, distress removed, deliverance from leprosy granted. Then, one seeing that he was healed turned back. This reminds us of Naaman, the Syrian, he returned to the prophet Elisha after he realized he was cleansed (2 Kings  5:10).

Praise of God is always the reaction of people who received or are witnesses of a marvelous event. Like Naaman, the returnee is not a Jew, he is a Samaritan and therefore in the eyes of the Jews, a pagan. In his return and subsequent behavior this non-Jew acts as the Jews should have acted. The Samaritan represents the pagan nations who turn to the Lord. The contrast between the Samaritan and the nine others is that, he recognizes that in Jesus, he receives much more than the cleansing from the leprosy and therefore occupies a place comparable to that of the centurion of Capernaum (Luke 7:10). Both are contrasted with Israel for they show the only attitude which truly responds to Jesus: Faith.

When Jesus saw the returnee, he asked: “Has no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” By calling the Samaritan a foreigner, represents all aliens who were excluded from the temple worship and therefore could not give glory to God, where according to Jesus, it should be done. But here a foreigner is said to give glory to God without having to break through the barriers of the temple. He has found a new locus of worship, the new temple, JESUS.

Thus, the Samaritan gains salvation. Faith and through it salvation are given to those who open themselves to God’s saving action in Jesus, and understand his powerful deeds as signs of the Kingdom of God which has come near him.

Today, there are different ways of being cured. It takes this kind of insight as that of the Samaritan to acknowledge God’s presence, discovering his saving hand amidst so much sinfulness, sufferings, violence and oppression. Alas, too many eyes and minds are kept from recognizing Him, and Jesus has to reach out working signs and wonders so that their eyes may be opened.

The Gospel reading invites us to become more keenly aware that our very selves and lives are abiding gifts, an abiding divine presence. Do we thank God for the marvels of our body, for our intelligence, our Christian faith, families , friends, our communities, the blue skies and a thousand other things? Are we grateful for what people do to us when we lose our direction, or someone giving us a seat in a train or bus? Our present complex culture challenges us not to let our fears and prejudices reduce people to statistical “ lepers” but to reach out to one another with compassion and respectful generosity.

Listen to what Psalm 115:12-13 says beautifully. “What return can I make to the Lord for all He gives me? I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”

Let this be our prayer: Saving God, in your compassion, we are cleansed  from our debilitating sense of self, in your mercy we are restored to joy. Illumine our hearts and minds that we may not see others as lepers but welcome them as brothers and sisters in you. Make us look at you as the source of all the goodness that we receive in our daily journey in this earthly life.

ABOUT THE SHARER:

SR. MARIA DOMINICA A. NUEVA ESPANA, O.P. is Dominican Nun of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Cainta, Rizal.

KEYWORDS:

Ordinary Time, Cycle C, OP Nuns, Gratitude, Leprosy, Suffering, Faith

A Gloomy Tuesday Morning

Over the bustling city streets, dark cloud is covering the sky and threatening to pour down its acid rain. This will surely make people on the sideways run for shelter. Though there is a big chance of rain, there is still the absence of the comforting wind that will somehow take away the oppressive heat that we usually feel during summer. I hate this kind of weather. Rainy days make me feel so down and depressed. And so I lie down on my bed trying to think of cheerful memories but still darkness comes falling down upon me. So I reach for my cell phone and look for someone who will be able to give me some comfort in this time of ennui. Then, I see her number and call her up.

“Hi. What a crappy day, right? Will you please put a smile on my face?”

“What’s happening? Do you think I am a clown who can easily cheer you up? Tell me what’s wrong my dear.”

“It’s just the weather. You know I hate this kind of weather.”

“So, what’s in your mind?”

“Nothing really. I am having one of those “what if’s” moments. I am just wondering, what if I did not enter the convent, will I be a good partner/husband to my girlfriend/wife?”

“I think you will be. What you’ve entered in to is a serious thing. It needs your total commitment. And so far, I guess, you are doing really great. You already made that choice and so you have to stand your ground. I know it’s hard but what I can see is you are coping up pretty well. You will be a good husband just as you are working hard to become a good brother. Well then again, we will never know. I am really proud of you and always will be.”

“Thank you for that. You really are a shoulder to lean on. Well, I guess, I just have to live the life I have freely chosen. I know and I feel God is always with me in this journey. Sometimes, I can’t help not to think of these things. You know how I wished to have a family of my own before. You were part of it. And I am sorry for what happened.”

“We had our share of good times. I was hurt but now I understand. You are called for something higher and nobler. And you cannot accomplish it with me clinging on to you. Don’t worry about me, my dear. I can say I am happily married now and I am fully committing myself to my husband. I know you are happy for me too.”

“Yes, I am, my dear. Thank you again. And thank you for making me realize that I really need to be dedicated to what I professed. Commitment is hard but it is in committing ourselves that we truly become free.”

“Indeed my dear, indeed…”

 It’s just the weather…

ABOUT THE SHARER:

BR. REYNOR E. MUNSAYAC, O.P. is a student-brother of the Dominican Province of the Philippines. He is studying Theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

KEYWORDS:

Special, Gratitude, Understanding, Faith, Short Story, Religious Life

15th Sunday in OT (C) - My Good Samaritan

15^th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Luke 10: 25-37

July 14, 2013

GOSPEL READING: The Parable of the Good Samaritan

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back. ’Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

Photo Credit: dburr.blogspot.com

REFLECTION: My Good Samaritan

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” One basic question that must not be not only asked by a scholar of the law.  Everyone should aspire to inherit eternal life.  But unlike the scholar of the law, let us ask this question not to test the Lord, but to ask ourselves sincerely: “how can my present work be a way for me to inherit eternal life?”

In the Gospel, the one asking the question is a scholar. The Lord knew he was knowledgeable.  So, He answered him with a question, “What is written in the law?”  The man, in turn, answered it correctly: “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” The man wished to justify himself, thus, he raised another question, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered this with a parable to teach us who our neighbor is, and make us understand how to become a good neighbor to others.  The Samaritan in the parable gave us a concrete example on how to become a good neighbor to anyone who is in need.  He showed his love in action by taking care of the man who was robbed.

Fr. Art Dingel, OP once said that in our journey of life, we will meet along the way different kinds of neighbor:

The robbers are those people who rob us of our innocence, trust, reputation, etc. For the robbers, ‘what is yours is mine;’ therefore, I will get it.

The Priest or the Levite are those people who never bother to help others who are in need. For them, ‘what is mine is mine;’ so, I will keep it.

The Samaritan is the one who shows concern for others. For him, ‘what is mine is yours;’ therefore, I give it and share it.

These are the different kinds of love we have for our neighbors.  At times, we are like robbers who rob our neighbor of what they have, treat them with indifference, or accuse them falsely. Sometimes, we are like the Levite or the Priest in the parable. We pray and worship God but we would not move an inch to help others who are in their need. However, we are expected to love as the Samaritan did, whose love for neighbor was shown in deed. Our neighbor must become part of our lives. We should share generously to others the many gifts that we have received from God.

It was during my last semester in college when I met my “Good Samaritan”.  My brother who has been supporting my studies suddenly lost his job.  He called me up to tell me that I might not be able to continue my studies. It was a very unwelcomed news, indeed, considering the fact that there were only six units left for me to finish my course.  I felt so helpless. I thought it was the end of all my dreams.  It was then when my “Good Samaritan” came along. My companions were wondering what could had happened to me when they heard me crying inconsolably. Everybody knew me as someone who has bright disposition with a ready joke for everyone. They were worried because I kept on crying without telling them why. Sensing their authentic concern, I was compelled to tell them what my brother told me over the phone. Right then and there, my “Good Samaritan” embraced me with so much love and concern, asking me to stop crying. She assured me that everything will be all right; that she will help me with everything I need to finish my studies. Hearing those words made me break again into tears. But those were tears of joy and gratitude.

For the rest of the year till I graduated, I haven’t had to worry about my lodging, tuition fees, graduation expenses and even my graduation dress.  I felt so beautiful with that graduation dress.  When I wore it on my graduation day, I felt the love and embrace of my “Good Samaritan”. Way back then, I was not so aware of how the experienced of being loved by people influenced my views in life. It helps me become more understanding of others; more compassionate, more caring and loving. It transformed me to be a better person.  I had this realization when I have the opportunity to get involved in the different apostolates of our Institute.  When people come to me for help, I can easily empathize with them.  I can readily give time to listen and try to help them in my own little way.  My “Good Samaritan” taught me to be a “Better Samaritan”.  I suppose the ‘wounded man’ in the parable will find his way to pay back the goodness done to him by helping those who are in need of his help.

I know my little way of being a “Better Samaritan” is still too far from what I need to do to inherit eternal life. But I also believe that I have started a journey on my right foot. We must continually ask today: “What must we do to do the works God requires?” (John 6:28). The answer to this question is a big challenge to all of us. Are you willing to take the challenge?

Nota Bene:  My Good Samaritans were my landladies: Consolacion “Lacion” Vergara) and Crisanta “Santa” Vergara from Lian, Batangas

Nonetheless, I know that there is SOMEONE Who controlled the situation, Who did not allow me to stop my studies. Later, He called me to the Religious Life. He is truly my “GOOD SAMARITAN” − the BEST SAMARITAN for everyone − JESUS CHRIST.

ABOUT THE SHARER:

SR. MA. LORENZA S. SAJUL, OP is a professed religious of the Congregación de Religiosas Misioneras de Santo Domingo. She is presently the Directress of Santa Catalina Ladies Residence in Manila.

KEYWORDS:

Ordinary Time, Cycle C, Dominican, OP Sisters, Love, Gratitude, Neighbor, Tears, Good Samaritan, Vocation