THE PURPOSE OF OUR HEALING - 10/09/22 (Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Luke 17:17-18

“Ten were cleansed, were they not?  Where are the other nine?  Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100922.cfm

Blessed Sunday! When the ten lepers recognized Jesus Christ, they all begged for His mercy. This also shows us of our dependence on Him. As such, when we are sick or when we are problems, we ask for His healing and for His guidance. We ask for His strength so that we may endure all of our trials in life. At the same time, we should ask ourselves, "What is the purpose for our healing?" It's good for us to pray to God for Him to help us, and knowing the reason why we're doing it will make us more united to our Lord. 

Because of the mercy of Jesus for the 10 lepers, He told them to go to the priests, and as they were travelling, they realized that they were healed. But, only one person came back to Jesus to glorify Him and give thanks to Him, and that's the Samaritan. All of the ten lepers received physical healing, but only one of them accepted the gift of spiritual healing because of his faith. God has been gracious to us because despite the challenges in our lives, He strengthens us, and when we are sick, He heals us. Jesus may cure us of our physical illnesses in different ways. But, what's more important is for us to recognize that the reason why we receive this blessing is for us to glorify Him and serve Him. What are some of the ways that we can glorify Jesus Christ? 

One way is by giving thanks to Him. This is what we see in the gospel reading for today. Let's thank our Lord for the blessings we receive because all of them are expressions of God's love for us. Also, we should have a humble disposition in giving thanks to our Lord. It should be done in such a way that we are grateful because of the mercy of our Savior towards us who are sinners. And, glorifying Jesus should not just be done through our words but also through our deeds. When the Samaritan gave thanks to Jesus, he turned to Him. This is an imagery of how we should turn away from our sins and come back to Jesus who is always waiting for us. Our Lord is asking us the question of where we are after receiving God's mercy and love. Where are we in terms of our relationship with God? 

The Samaritan did not just come back to Jesus because of having good health or because of the miracle. It's because he saw the love of Jesus for him, and this love inspired him to give that love back to Jesus. By following the commandments of Christ, the teachings of the Church and the will of God, we are living a life of doing nothing except to glorify God. As we receive many blessings from God, let's not just focus on what we want in our lives but on what God wants for us. If we recognize that we've been living in a materialistic way, it's a calling for us to be more detached from wealth or from worldly honors. We may have been unfaithful to Jesus, but He will always remain faithful to us. Jesus never gave up on the other nine people. In the same way, He never gives up on us, and He is continuously waiting for us to return to Him and love every single day. Let's persevere in serving Him so that we can reign with Him in heaven one day and forever. Our Lord Jesus Christ will help us and guide us in fulfilling our true purpose in life, to love God and make Him loved. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Amazing Testimony on Rosary:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFyRwJBExMk

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth