Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
ruler and judge of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
In the darkness of this age that is passing away
may the light of your presence which the saints enjoy
surround our steps as we journey on.
May we reflect your glory this day
and so be made ready to see your face
in the heavenly city where night shall be no more.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
Luke 17.11-19
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
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 he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was 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 give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’
Reflection
Have you ever found yourself in a strange town or city, a place where you are unfamiliar with the people and the surroundings? You may have been surrounded by many people, but your lack of familiarity with the environment in which you found yourself created a sense of emptiness, loneliness and isolation. Today’s reading opens with Jesus travelling in two named regions: Samaria and Galilee. As we know from the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jews did not consider that anything good could possibly exist in the Samaritan territories. In Galilee, Jesus’ home town, we have already seen him rejected by those who felt threatened by his teaching, his power to heal and his willingness to challenge the accepted religious norms of the day. As Jesus travelled from place to place he must have felt isolated and, perhaps, threatened by the suspicion with which he was viewed by the authorities. And yet, Jesus never travelled alone. Jesus always travelled in the company of his, and our, Heavenly Father.
In the second half of the gospel narrative we see Jesus travelling towards Jerusalem, the city in which he will be arrested, tried and executed. As he journeys towards that great city his message becomes increasingly difficult to hear and understand for those who are unable to repent, to turn around and follow a different path. On more than one occasion we read of Jesus hiding for fear of his life. But, today, we see outcasts from society seeking the healing that can come from him alone.
Whether the lepers were from Galilee or Samaria, they would have been a group that most would have crossed the road to avoid. They were unclean in Jewish law and a threat to public health elsewhere. However, Jesus did not cross the road. Instead he gave them the gift of healing. Despite their affliction and despite the attitude of the society in which they existed, Jesus gave them their health. How would you react to such a gift? Surely you would want to shout it from the rooftops, to thank the one who had given you back your life. But Luke tells of only one who turned back, praising God with a loud voice … and he was a Samaritan.
Today we are being challenged to go out in faith and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those we encounter day-by-day. Whether the streets along which we travel are familiar or strange, friendly or hostile, we are called to travel in the confidence that we are accompanied by our loving, Heavenly Father, and we are called to help others to find the voice with which they can loudly praise God.
Prayers
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.
Let us praise Christ our King, by whose cross we have citizenship in heaven, saying: all your saints praise you.
Lord, you built your Church on the foundation of the apostles:
all your saints praise you.
You witness to your truth in the lives of your saints:
all your saints praise you.
You made us to be a kingdom and priests serving our God:
all your saints praise you.
You have shared our burdens,
revealing the holiness of our life and work:
all your saints praise you.
You stir us to seek the mysteries of the kingdom:
all your saints praise you.
You lead us to the eternal assembly of the saints:
all your saints praise you.
God of holiness,
your glory is proclaimed in every age:
as we rejoice in the faith of your saints,
inspire us to follow their example
with boldness and joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Christ our King make us faithful and strong to do his will,
that we may reign with him in glory;
and may the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.
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