DAILY- HOMILY

November 13, 2013

Wednesday 32nd Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

Memorial, St. Stanislaus Kostka, religious

Wis 6:2-11 / Ps 82: 3-4. 6-7 / Lk 17:11-19

Wisdom 6:2-11

Pay attention, you who rule multitudes and boast of the numerous subjects in your pagan nations. For authority was given you by the Lord, your kingship is from the Most High who will examine your works and scrutinize your intentions. If, as officials of his kingdom, you have not judged justly or observed his law or walked the way God pointed out, he will oppose you swiftly and terribly; his sentence strikes the mighty suddenly. For the lowly there may be excuses and pardon, but the great will be severely punished. For the Lord of all makes no distinction, nor does he take account of greatness. Both great and lowly are his work and he watches over all, but the powerful are to be judged more strictly. It is to you then, sovereigns, that I speak, that you may learn Wisdom and not stumble. For those who keep the holy laws in a holy way will be acknowledged holy, and those who accept the teaching will find in it their defense. Welcome my words, desire them and they will instruct you.

Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through Samaria and Galilee, and as he entered a village, ten lepers came to meet him. Keeping their distance, they called to him, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" Jesus said to them, "Go, and show yourselves to the priests." Then, as they went on their way, they found they were cured. One of them, as soon as he saw that he was cleansed, turned back, praising God in a loud voice; and throwing him- self on his face before Jesus, he gave him thanks. This man was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked him, "Were not all ten healed? Where are the other nine? Did none of them decide to return and give praise to God, but this foreigner?" And Jesus said to him, "Stand up and go your way; your faith has saved you."

Reflection

All ten lepers were outside the town as they were considered unclean. It is interesting that only the Samaritan went back to thank Jesus when he saw that he was healed even if the others realized that they were healed as well. Samaritans were hated by the Jews because they were foreigners placed in Samaria by King Sargon of Assyria during the time of his colonization of Samaria. They were taught to worship the God of Israel but to continue to worship their own gods as well.

We are all lepers for we are all unclean because of our sins. But Christ is passing by today to heal us. Are you one of the nine lepers? Or are you the Samaritan who went back to Jesus to thank him? If you feel you are like the Samaritan who knows he is despised by others for being doubly unclean – a leper and a Samaritan; if you feel others are judging you for your sins and you would like a way out of this situation, this gospel shouts out to you, "Courage!" All that the Lord is asking from you is to cry out, "Jesus! Master! Take pity on me!" If you truly believe that he can help you, he will say to you, "Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you."

Anytime the Lord cures us of any sin, let us be like the Samaritan who praised and thanked the Lord as he realized that he did not even deserve to be healed. Maybe the others thought they deserved healing and so they did not acknowledge Jesus as the Divine Healer. Often, when we feel we are faithful to the Lord, as the nine lepers might have thought they were, we feel we deserve it when God gives us what we ask for, and so we do not show much gratitude for what He has done to us. Let the example of the Samaritan leper remind us to be always grateful for the graces we receive from the Lord.

Prayer Requests

We pray …

… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.

… for the speedy recovery and healing of

Zenofina A. Reyes

Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Virginia Hernandez, and Fleur Torres

… for the personal intentions of

Pauline

Beny Chua

.. for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.

Birthday: Anna Maria Patricia Sarreal

… for families who are in need of healing

… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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