Luke 17: 11-19 - 32nd Week of Ordinary Time
The Gospel for today is the story of Jesus healing the 10 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 their cry to heart and he did heal all 10 of them. However, only one of the lepers took the time to express his deep gratitude and awe to Jesus. The other nine hurriedly went on their way to find the priests so they could be declared clean.
Jesus gave all 10 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!
What is the “infirmity” in our lives? How do we deal with the infirmity? Are we angry, afraid, sad or withdrawn? Or do we gather our courage and approach Jesus and ask him to heal us?
If we do ask to be healed, most likely we hope we will be healed instantly. However, nature’s way of healing usually is gradual and often subtle. Healing also 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 in spite of 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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