YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU

XXVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Lk 17:11-19

The healing of Naaman, a foreigner (2 Kings 5:14-17), is already a sign of openness to all and an announcement of the universality of salvation. God's mercy and compassion are not offered exclusively to a group or a people, but God listens to the complaints of all those who come to Him. Those who are considered foreigners and enemies belong to the people of God as well and God cares for them as he cares for us. Naaman became wholesome by his bathing in the Jordan River, making of this bath a symbol and a prophecy of the baptism that cleanses us and makes us whole, recreating us as children of God.

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In his letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 2:8-13), Paul reaffirms the importance of faith in the resurrection: "Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, was raised from the dead." This is the Gospel that Paul proclaims, and it is for this Gospel that he is in prison. However, the Good News cannot be put in chains, since the word of God is a liberating word. And Paul stresses that we should undergo the experience of dying with Christ's so that we may rise with him. And he quotes a maxim that was already part of catechesis: “If we have died with him, then we shall live with him. If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him.”

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Leprosy was a terrifying disease that disfigured people, made them look disgusting, and was considered a curse. The lepers were like walking dead from whom everyone fled. Abandoned and ostracised, alone with their pain in a rotting body. However, Jesus let them come to him, and heard their cry for deliverance: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." And Jesus gave them back the joy of living, healing them from their illness, abandonment, and exclusion. They who were already dead returned to life, a life lived within their family and community. In this passage of the Gospel, the lepers came as a group, as if they represented the sick, defiled and forsaken people, unable to break free from the oppression that demeans, crushes, and destroys them. And Jesus, full of mercy and compassion, is the one who brings salvation to them, restoring their dignity. But something very strange happened: Out of ten, only one recognised the gift of God and returned to thank Jesus for his healing, and that one was a - a Samaritan. He alone allowed himself to be touched by God's merciful hand; only his heart vibrated with emotion as he felt the breath of God’s grace; only he was one alert to recognise God's loving presence. Therefore, he “turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him”. He was the only ready to accept God’s salvation.