Thursday, November 24, 2016

Reflection: Luke 17:11-19


Thanksgiving Day - Luke 17:11-19

The Gospel for today is the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. Stop for a moment and put yourself in the shoes of those lepers. They must have heard stories about Jesus and his power to heal. They stood at a distance and cried out to him. They begged him to take pity on them and to heal them. Their disease made them outcasts in the society of that time. They must have longed to be healed and to be able to return to their families, their homes, and their lives.

Jesus took the lepers’ cry to heart and He healed all ten of them. However, only one of the lepers took the time to express his deep gratitude and awe to Jesus. The other nine lepers hurriedly went on their way to find the priests so they could be declared clean. Jesus gave all ten lepers a great gift. He not only made them whole again but by healing them Jesus restored their lives to them. Now they could return to their families and their lives. They were no longer outcasts!  

Ask yourself: What is the “infirmity” in your life? How do you deal with this infirmity? Are you angry, afraid, sad, or withdrawn? Or do you gather your courage and approach Jesus and ask him to heal you?

If we do ask to be healed, most likely we hope we will not be healed instantly. Typically nature’s way of healing is gradual and subtle. And healing may come in a variety of ways: healing the infirmity itself; giving us the grace to accept our situation or perhaps finding ways to make our lives meaningful despite our infirmity.

Today will we approach Jesus and ask him to heal us?  Do we trust that Jesus will heal us in some way?  Do we truly believe that Jesus is walking this road with us?  Today and every day may we pray for the grace to trust Jesus and his promises!

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