Category Archives: Musings

Healed, saved and made whole

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This coming Sunday is the 28th Sunday in Year C with the gospel taken from Luke 17. 

11  As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was entering a village, ten lepers met (him). They stood at a distance from him 13 and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” 14 And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? 18 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 19 Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

“Stand up and go; your faith has saved [sozo] you” (v.19). Such are the words spoken to the Samaritan leper, the only one who returned and gave thanks to Jesus.  sozo has as a basic meaning, “to rescue from danger and to restore to a former state of safety and well being.” Thus it is translated with words like “save,” “heal,” “make whole,” depending upon how the danger is understood.  How are we to understand the use of sozo here in this verse?

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“…the people of Nineveh believed God”

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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Jonah. There is a large gap in the storyline from yesterdays’ reading and reflection. Long story short, the crew of the ship that was giving passage to Jonah, throws him overboard into the tempest. John is swallowed by a large fish, has a conversion of some kind, the “deposited” on the beach when the whale regurgitates him (Jonah 2:11)

Jonah has been given a second chance. In its own way it parallels the life of St. Peter whose forgiveness for denying Jesus was sealed by the repetition of his initial summons “Follow me,” (John 21:19) Jonah is called again to be the divine messenger to Nineveh: “The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ‘Set out for the great city of Nineveh and announce to it the message that I will tell you.’” (Jonah 3:1-2)

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Tarshish and Vegas

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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Jonah, one of my favorites. It is about our calling, our mission in life, our choices, and the unintended consequences for others.

The Lord called Jonah to go to preach repentance to the Assyrian capital city of Nineveh, the home of  Israel’s most feared enemy. There was his mission laid before him by the Lord. But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD. He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish. Why Tarshish? Take a look at the map. A picture is worth a thousand words.

jonah_map
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In-Breaking of the Kingdom

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This coming Sunday is the 28th Sunday in Year C with the gospel taken from Luke 17. The narrative of the Journey to Jerusalem (begun in Luke 9:51) returns;  new characters are introduced – ten lepers – the disciples play no role in this story. For a brief moment the on-going theme of forming discipleship seemingly takes a backseat, as the accent is upon God’s mercy and salvation. Several commentators hold that this account marks a new turn in Luke’s telling of the gospel moving from an accent on discipleship to the larger theme of “Responding to the Kingdom” as the cleansing of lepers is taken as a sign of the in-breaking of the Kingdom.

This story is only in Luke. (While at first glance Mark 1:40-45 may appear parallel to our passage, it is considered parallel to Luke 5:12-16.) Culpepper notes that there are two instances of seeing that serve a lynchpins to the narrative:

  • And when he [Jesus] saw them (v.14)
  • And one of them, realizing he had been healed (v.15) – the word translated as “realizing” is idōn whose primary meaning is to literally “see” in a way that leads to insight and perception.
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Courage and Urgency

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“To the Lord our God belongs justice; to us, people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, to be shamefaced, as on this day” (Baruch 1:15)

These words from the prophet Baruch are not just a historical lament of the first wave of exiles to Babylon. It is not a “woe-is-me” indulgence. It is a realization that the choices they made have led them to this moment: exile. The people of Israel, in exile, finally recognize the root of their suffering: their refusal to listen to God, their stubbornness, and their idolatry. It’s a moment of collective repentance, a turning back to the Lord. They should be a mirror held up to every generation, including our own. 

In Jesus’ time the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were probably faithful people, no foreign gods among them. Where Baruch’s generation turned back to God, here and now, God turns to the people in the person of his Son who performed signs and miracles. But people are unmoved. They chose indifference to the grace that was evident to them. Jesus’ words are a lament of love rejected. 

In our modern spiritual lives, these readings challenge us in two profound ways: having the courage to confess and an urgency to respond. 

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Continuing the Lessons

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This coming Sunday is the 27th Sunday in Year C with the Gospel taken from Luke 17:5-10. Throughout the previous chapter (Luke 16), Jesus has addressed the Pharisees and scribes (scholars of the law) with beginning and ending parables: the dishonest steward and the rich man and Lazarus – each begins with a statement, “There was a rich man.” The clear target were the lovers of money, i.e., those whose love of riches prevented them from truly being lovers of God. Although the parables are aimed at the Pharisees the lesson continues a theme from 12:1 “Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.”  The disciples are reminded of the characteristics of true discipleship as well as the pitfalls along the way.

In addition, looking ahead to Luke 17:11: “As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem…” it is clear that Luke will return to a travel motif to continue telling the narrative. It is as though v.11 marks a new subsection within the longer travel narrative (9:51-19:48).  Joel Green holds that 17:1-10 marks the end of a lengthy question that began in 13:10, namely, “who will participate in the kingdom of God?” (Green, Luke, 611). If this is true, then clearly the two characteristics emphasized are faith and service.

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Without Superpower but with Purpose

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends out the Twelve with power and authority to cast out demons, to cure diseases, and to proclaim the Kingdom of God. It’s a dramatic moment. They are given extraordinary gifts and a clear mission. But what about us? Most of us are not sent with power over demons. We are not miracle workers. We are not itinerant preachers going from village to village. So how does this Gospel speak to us?

While the form of our mission in the world may differ, the heart of the mission remains the same. Jesus sends the Twelve to do two basic things: proclaim the Kingdom and heal the broken. And that remains our mission in our time and place.

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Let us go rejoicing

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The year is 587 BC. The armies of Babylon have captured and destroyed the city of Jerusalem – including the Temple built by Solomon. The people are taken into the diaspora that will be known as the Babylonian Captivity. “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat weeping when we remembered Zion…But how could we sing a song [of joy for] the LORD in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137)  There is no Temple, there is no rejoicing.

In yesterday’s first reading we read that King Cyrus of Persia has freed the Israelites from captivity in Babylon, allowing them to return to Jerusalem along with all the sacred items the Babylonians took from the Temple in Jerusalem some 40 years prior. The king’s instructions were to rebuild the Temple and worship God in their tradition.

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Faith That Shines

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“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Luke 8:16)

Jesus uses a simple image—a lamp—to teach a profound truth about discipleship. 

Think about the purpose of a lamp. Lamps are meant to shine, to give light. We can put them on timers or systems like Alexa.  You can set your family room lights to turn on 20 minutes before sunset. Why? Because we know that’s when the light is needed. That’s when the light can fulfill its purpose: brighten the darkness, illuminate, make clear the way to go, to be the beacon of hope like a lighthouse to a seafarer.

And so it is with our faith.

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Love and Money

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In today’s first reading, St. Paul gives us one of the most quoted lines in all of Scripture today: “The love of money is the root of all evils.” It’s important to notice that he does not say money itself is evil. Money is a tool, something necessary for daily life; life is too complex for a barter system. 

At the beginning of this passage, the author warns against those who treat religion as a way of personal gain—using faith to acquire status, comfort, or wealth. For the most part, in our parishes and communities, this is not where most of us fall. Few people come to Mass in hopes of making money. Most are here out of love for God, a desire for prayer, and the need for grace.

But then we go out into the world and go to work … if we are not able to earn it the old fashioned way: inherit it … or win the Powerball lottery.

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