Twenty-seventh Week of Ordinary Time

Today’s Gospel encourages us to use of faith to turn to Jesus with confidence. He listens to us and helps us find a solution and a way through the storms and the torments of life.

Gospel according to Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When Jesus saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. The one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with aloud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then Jesus said to the Samaritan, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Reflections

Today’s Gospel as if illustrates the example of the “mulberry tree,” which Jesus said, can get transplanted from the soil into the sea when ordered by a person of faith, with a living example of ten lepers seeking healing. Their faith is so strong that it moves them to seek out Jesus, call to him, and become healed by Him. However, only one of them comes back to give thanks for his healing—and this is the only one who receives full healing: body, mind, and soul.  

The setting of this scene is startling: Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem. They are walking in the countryside between Samaria and Galilee in a region inhabited by both Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans, as you may recall, were in a disadvantaged position as compared to the Jews, because in Jesus’ time, they were considered less pure than the Jews. They spoke with a Samaritan Aramaic accent, observed slightly different traditions than the Jews, and worshipped on Mount Gerizim, in contrast to the Jews, who worshipped at the Temple of Jerusalem. (1,2) 

Here, on the periphery, far away from major cities or centres, in a literal, physical, and spiritual sense, ten lepers, one who was a Samaritan, and nine who were Jewish, banded together and walked, literally hand in hand, so seek healing from Jesus, whom they called, “Master”—the one with authority; “the one in charge” (Luke 17:13; 5).  They shared the same fate and had faith. 

Covered with sores, the ten lepers advanced solely on the basis of maybe a hearsay, or an eyewitness testimony, according to which, Jesus could heal people suffering from all sorts of illnesses. Thus, they believed that He could possibly cure them from leprosy. At this time, physical illness was considered a punishment from God. Healing, when performed by doctors, was seen as through vessels working God’s mercy. (3) It was therefore a messenger of God through whom God could act, or God Himself, whom the ten lepers sought to implore. They undertook a perilous journey to ask for a Divine intervention. 

The meting was highly unlikely, since lepers were not allowed to be seen in public during the day. (3) If they ventured close to inhabited places, they were to avoid all contact with people by carrying a walking stick with a bell and shouting in a loud voice; “Unclean, unclean!” Upon hearing this warning, and seeing them, people would run to avoid them. Isolation and loneliness were the everyday reality of a person suffering from leprosy in these days. (3) 

Indeed, the group consisted of castaway individuals who were required by law to stay on the peripheries and to avoid human contact, or else they could be chased, shouted at, insulted or hurt. Because, you see, In Jesus’ time, leprosy, which is today a treatable bacterial infection, was considered something like a death sentence. People who contracted it slowly lost sensation in their limbs and developed open sores on various parts of their bodies. These sores got infected, disfiguring their appearance. They lived from leftovers that were discarded by the community and were forced into caves and shelters away from society. There they died a slow and painful death. (3) 

But these lepers, our lepers, were fortunate. They heard about Jesus, and regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, decided to travel together to meet Him. If they had been discovered on the road, they could have been stopped. Thus, they jeopardized their vulnerable position by entering the village and calling out for help: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13) And Jesus, Jesus could have easily ignored their cries. He could have easily turned and walked away from them, just like the priests did; just like the doctors did; and just like their community did. Despite the meager odds of obtaining what they asked for, the ten set out to ask Him. 

And Jesus did not turn away from them. He turned toward them and healed them. He healed them immediately and told them to go to the priests to show themselves. Seeing a priest was an obligation before being allowed to re-join the community. According to custom, and Mosaic Law, whoever suffered from a contagious illness and recovered, had to show themselves to the priests, who ascertained that their symptoms have disappeared by examining the skin and pronouncing cleanness. The recovered person then had to present the prescribed offering to God in thanksgiving for their healing, and they could break their isolation, re-join their communities, and participate in worship in the temple (Leviticus 13-14). This was a process, which concluded the healing with an approval and attestation that their condition has been changed. They have been looked upon with favor by God.

Jesus heard the lepers, He saw them and healed them. He sent them on their way to fulfill their obligations under the Mosaic Law. As they went away rejoicing and praising God, one returned to Jesus to thank him for his healing. The emphasis of the text is on this one. Jesus was puzzled as to why the others did not come back to express His gratitude, while one of the ten, “…turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him” (Luke 17:15-16).  And Luke remarked that the man who had thanked Jesus was not a Jew, but a Samaritan. (Luke 17:16). This is an indication that Jesus’ message, and God’s mercy, is intended for all people, regardless of their religious or ethnic background, but there is a bit more to the message…the Samaritan, the “less worthy one,” was the one who did the most noble gesture: “...He prostrated himself at Jesus feet and thanked him.”  And Jesus sent him away with the words, “Go on your way, your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19).

Why did Jesus say the words “your faith has made you well” when the man was already healed from leprosy? He not only honored the great faith of this man but underlined an additional grace that resulted after the physical healing: by giving thanks, this man did not only obtain physical recovery, but he also attained complete mental restoration and spiritual well-being. He regained full health because of gratitude.   

The fact that Jesus could heal a physical illness was a miracle that accompanied His presence on Earth to testify to the power of God. That he healed an incurable illness of his time, which was considered a punishment from God, meant that He had power over sin and death. This is then a potent illustration that with faith, we can persistently ask God for healing. 

If we suffer from a physical or mental illness, we can use the strength of our faith to ask God to help us reach out to find the right care. We can pray to Jesus for persistence to be able to follow up with a regiment of assessments, and treatments, and find the palaces where there are people whoa are qualified to help. We can pray for our friends, relatives, and those who are suffering that they receive the right advice and aid. If we suffer from a spiritual conflict, we can talk about it with Jesus directly. In prayer, we can lift up to Jesus ourselves, our loved ones, and others. With gratitude at each step, and every day, we can access a wellspring of grace even while our complete physical or mental health is not yet obtained, or possible to attain. 

As we read about this miracle of Jesus, we certainly learn a bit more about faith. According to Cardinal Schőnborn of Vienna, our faith may be as tiny as a mustard seed, but it lives within each of us. Without it, we could hardy be able to handle the difficulties of life.  Faith, he says, “…is a daily decision, often against the gravity of one’s own inability.” (4) An illness may wear us down, and just “…everyday life may not always be fun either.” (4) And the Cardinal explains, 

“But juts like life shows itself in daily events, so does faith.  [Faith] Like all postures, it needs regular exercise. Then, it becomes a source of strength, giving joy and security. Those who believe, live easier, even if the physical forces decline due to age or disease. The power of faith has already helped many to endure situations that seemed as impossible as planting a tree in the sea. There is a little mustard seed of faith in every person. It’s waiting to break out and grow.” (4)

Last weeks’ reflections ended with reminding us that God gives a task to each person and that “…if we do our task the best we can and trust firmly that God will do His--this confidence is called faith.” (4)

Today’s reading, recorded by Saint Luke, a physician, reminds us that 

“…It takes faith to realize we need God’s mercy and to receive his grace. But it also takes great faith to maintain that grace in our lives from moment to moment and not to lose sight of the debtors we are before the Lord. That makes us healthy and restores a deep sense of thankfulness into our very soul. It was that glorious faith that Jesus recognized in him [in the one who gave thanks] and commended him for it. And it was that faith for which Jesus told him “It has made you well” or “Whole” body and mind and soul. The other nine may have been delivered from physical leprosy, but as long as they didn’t know how to turn their hearts to the Lord in thanksgiving, their hearts and souls were still far from whole. Let’s learn from the Samaritan to deeply appreciate God’s grace and mercy in our lives and not to take them for granted. Let’s learn to be thankful. Let’s restore our basic thankfulness.” (3)

Today’s Gospel encourages us to use of faith to turn to Jesus with confidence. Trust Him and share with Him our sorrows, pain, and illness. Lift up to him those in our community who need care. He listens to us and helps us find a solution and a way through the storms and the torments of life. 

It is true that life can make us feel lost, lonely, and scared, wondering, and wondering. Doubt can pull us downward and into a self-fulfilling cycle. In times like those, gratitude helps to lift us upward because it does not depend on our external circumstances but rooted in a deep hope and faith. We can choose to be grateful and cultivate a grateful life.

There is still so much still left to ponder in the words of David Steinl-Rast: 

“It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. Every moment is a gift…. Whatever life gives to you, you can respond with joy. Joy is the happiness that does not depend on what happens. It is the grateful response to the opportunity that life offers you at this moment.” (6)

In this moment…. No power on earth can rob us from gratitude…. Especially on Thanksgiving Day.

References

1. UNESCO World heritage Centre (2025). Mount Gerizim and the Samaritans—UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved from: https://whc.unesco.org.  Accessed: October 6, 2025.
2. Britannica (2025). Samaritan: Definition, Religion and Bible. Retrieved from: www.britannica.com. Accessed: October 6, 2025. 
3.  Marks-Hirschfeld Museum of Medical History (2019). Medicine at the time of Christ. Retrieved from: https://medicine.uq.edu.au/blog/2019/12/medicine-time-christ. Accessed; October 6, 2025.
4. Cardinal Schönborn, C. (2025). Reflections on October 5, 2025. Retrieved from: www.facebook.com/share/p/17PNpk4VF7/ Accessed; October 6, 2025.
5. Hembekides, T. (2025). And He was a Samaritan/Luke 17:11-19/Thanksgiving. Retrieved from: https://st-ignatius.net/blog/and-he-was-a-samaritan-luke-17-11-19-thanksgiving. Accessed; October 6, 2025.
6. Steindl-Rast, D. (2023). Want to be Happy? Be Grateful. TEDGlobal. Retrieved from: https://grateful.org/resource/want-to-be-happy-be-grateful/ Accessed: October 6, 2025.