Sunday Reflections
28th Sunday of Year C
I am Eucharistic because I give thanks
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he travelled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going, they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you”.
1. It is a well-known Christian tradition to thank God before and after each meal. By this practice, christians acknowledge and thank God as one who makes it possible for them to be able to get what they eat. The high point of all Catholic prayer and worship is the Eucharist. The greek word “eucharistien” literary means thanksgiving. Every mass we celebrate is a thanksgiving to God. This explains why we must come to mass every Sunday. He who willingly refuses to attend Sunday mass becomes guilty of ingratitude. Today’s readings present people who distinguished themselves by giving thanks for favours received from God. They are eucharistic people. We are presented those afflicted with leprosy, who sought healing and were miraculously healed. The first reading (2Kgs5:14-17) shows a Syrian army officer who cried to God for help and was healed of his leprosy. After his healing, he came back to show gratitude to God and his prophet. He made an open declaration to forever worship God for his mercy upon him. This double attitude of cry for help and expression of gratitude for prayers heard sets the tone for this Sunday.
2. In the gospel, a similar episode occurred. Ten lepers pleaded with Jesus to heal them. Jesus asked them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they were going, they regained their health, and one of them came back to thank Jesus for the healing. Leprosy, then a deadly disease, is now curable. Biblically, this sickness which eats up one’s toes and fingers, disfiguring the facial look and causing the skin to decay progressively, symbolizes the effect of sin on the human soul. Sin disfigures the image of God in man. By healing the ten lepers, Jesus presents himself as one who comes to restore the image of God in man. This restoration comes through faith and good work. By asking the lepers to go and show themselves to the priests, Jesus merely tested their faith. They were not found wanting.
3. But faith is not enough for full restoration in God. We need good work as well. The ten lepers had faith, but only one had good work, in this case, the virtue of gratitude. Just like Naaman the leper, in the first reading, the Samaritan came back to thank God for his healing. He did not forget to give thanks for favour received. Jesus noticed that he was not a Jew but a foreigner who ordinarily should know less about God. He alone came back to thank and worship God like the Syrian. Jesus told him to go because his faith has healed him, a living faith that manifests itself in good action.
4. Today, people are besieged with a lot of difficulties. Houses of prayers are springing up everywhere, and people are making commitments in those places, hoping to find solutions to their problems. Unfortunately, some men of God are exploiting the situation to enrich themselves at the expense of the unfortunate fellows. The command of Jesus to the lepers should guide our level of obedience to the exploitative demands of the so-called men of God. Jesus did not tell the unfortunate lepers to sow seed so that God would, in return, restore their health. Elisha did not tell Naaman to build an altar for him so that God would, in return, heal him. Both Jesus and Elisha demanded a simple proof of faith that does not in any way cost any material thing to the lepers nor provided a material gain for Jesus or Elisha. In as much as we must give thanks to God, we must realize that God is not hungry for our material riches. Our thanksgiving adds nothing to his glory. It only disposes for salvation. That is why Jesus declared to the Samaritan leper: “Go, your faith has saved you”.
5. You have certainly been through one difficulty or the other. You have certainly received one or more unmerited favours from people or from God. Have you gone back to give thanks? Have you expressed your gratitude to your benefactor, or do you continue to think that he or she does not need anything from you? God certainly needs nothing from you for him to feel better but the remark of Jesus to the Samaritan that came back to give thanks (“Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”) shows that God expects you to show gratitude not only to him but also to your fellow humans whenever you receive a favour. Always remember to go back and give thanks and never forget to fulfil the promises you made to God in your time of distress.
©VitalisAnaehobi, 12/10/25
