October 9, 2022
Review the Readings
Listen to the Readings
In the first reading we meet a pagan king, who has contracted leprosy. He has been advised by his slave girl to go to the Jewish prophet, Elisha.
He is told by the prophet to bath seven times in the Jordan River, which he thinks is ridiculous, but after some encouragement he finally decides to follow the directions of Elisha, and is cured of his leprosy.
The healing took place certainly by God, but it was the insistence of slave to Naaman to go. The healing would not have happened if she had kept quiet.
Our words and actions can lead others to a healing. And that is what we are called, by our Baptism, to do, that make the healing powers of Christ present in the world today, usually not in some show off way, but in a simple word, smile, gesture, etc. which we may not even think is significant.
Next we hear Paul's second letter to Timothy. Saint Paul, in prison and facing execution writes to give Timothy advice, reminders, and courage.
Even in Paul's sufferings, he is called to write to Timothy to make the word of God present for him.
The letter must have been a great help; remember that Timothy was a young bishop in a difficult time, in a difficult city, with many pagans opposed to him and the Christians. Timothy needed all the advice and encouragement he received from Saint Paul's care, concern, and prayers that made Christ present.
In this Sunday's Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus is on his journey to Jerusalem where he will face his passion and death. Along the road of his journey he meets ten lepers. Remember that the disease of leprosy is a disease that isolates people from society and was a real curse in those times.
A leper may not mingle with the normal population, but was believed to be very dirty, horrible, person. If anyone goes near a leper they will become unclean and dirty and rejected by society.
However, Jesus on his journey to death, takes the time to talk to the ten lepers, and tells them what they need to do to be healed, and they are healed.
We all know the story; how out of the ten only one, a foreigner, a Samaritan, returns and gives thanks.
The others never return to thank the Lord.
It's important for us to remember all that God has done for us, leading us to eternal life. How many times during the day do we thank the Lord for all he has given us?
Do we thank the Lord for the people that he places in our lives on a daily bases?
We come in contact with people that we may not know, but we see passing on the street, or at the store, and we even if we don't know their names, we know that because of our baptism we are called to make the healing of Christ present to them.
It is not so much in our words but in our actions. Isn't it amazing how a smile to a stranger will almost always cause a smile to be given back? You never know when that one smile or one gesture, or one "Hello" or "Good morning" to a stranger might be the one thing that the stranger needs to make him feel loved, noticed, wanted, of begin to heal.
One question these Sunday's readings suggests to each of us is...
Are you, in some way, healing people everyday.
Our baptism was the moment that God has called us to be the presence of Christ in the world.
There are things, simple things, each of us can do everyday, that take very little effort on our part, so we become a part of Christ's healing of others, known, unknown, even the stranger, who we may never see again.
A Smile
A Hello
A Good Morning
A Thumbs Up
Mercy
Patience
Forgiveness
Text A Word of Encouragement
...and the list can go on and on.
Will you make the healing of Christ present for other this coming week???
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