HOMILY 28TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
GRATITUDE AND FAITH, FOCUSSED ON THE ALIEN OUTSIDER
Lk 17.11-19 2Kings 5.14-17 2Tim 2.8-13
(Sorry I couldn’t find a Rhyme Bible version!)
It is often said ‘your health is your wealth’ (as I remember my dear old, now late, friend, dynamic Grey Sister Rita Kennedy at 95, often saying in Ottawa), and while it can sound trite and simplistic, which it is, don’t we know it is absolutely true, particularly when we are afflicted with illness or some sort of physical or psychological weakness, which can weigh us down?
Being on a hospital ethics committee, meeting twice a month, I am often enlightened by the way in which new approaches to medical treatment are constantly being proposed and investigated, all with a view to improving treatment, alleviating symptoms and facilitating recovery. Also, one has to be impressed with the volunteer patients who put themselves forward, willing to participate in the research, not only for their own good, but for the future benefit of others.
Don’t we know we humans are fragile creatures, and the body is a complex mixture of flesh, blood and bone and hormones, all in a delicate balance of equilibrium, physical and mental? And then there’s the fundamental empirically unmeasurable spiritual component! We can take good health for granted when we’re in good form, and feeling comfortable and fit growing up in a secure and happy environment, but that doesn’t protect us from contracting illnesses here and there. Surgery and therapy of all sorts, vaccines, antobiotics, antivirals and immunotherapy can all help, but in the end, we all have to face the reality of the ageing process, and our own mortality, hair transplants and facelifts notwithstanding (not to forget spectacles, false teeth, hearing aids and joint replacements!).
I guess it strikes me even more directly, given the number of funerals I’ve done, particularly in the last few years, where it’s not just a matter of old age which knocks us off, but so many other ailments which can afflict us. Just this week there were two born in 1952, my year of birth! First there was Jackie, who had lived with chronic illness from a young age, and Dianne, who died suddenly at work, with no prior indications of ill health. Both were well-attended celebrations of their lives, acknowledging lovely women whose lives had been well-lived and well-loved, but certainly very sad occasions also. The reality of grief and loss cannot be played down, here and now!
The faith dimension is obviously a central part of our farewell service, but so is the celebration of life. We commend those who have died to life with God in eternity, without specifying the details, accepting in faith the mystery of eternal life as proclaimed by Jesus. But there is also the clear message for you and me to live life well here and now, as we faithfully follow the way of Jesus, as he walked this earth.
He speaks of a the Kingdom of God as one of justice, love and peace, demonstrating what that means by his own words and actions, of which we hear week after week in the Gospels and accompanying scripture readings.
Today we have the old well-worn story of the 10 lepers, perhaps most significantly, one being an even greater outsider, the Samaritan, who seems to have teamed up as a fellow traveller with the other 9 here. Let’s start with their condition, disfiguring, incurable, and isolating from family, friends and community, so their situation was desperate, even tragic. In contrast to the religious leaders of the time, Jesus shows no hesitation in reaching out to them, as they ask for acceptance, help and healing. Yet, he then sends them back to the Temple Police, as I like to describe them, in order to observe the requirements of Jewish religious law, to ensure their healing was complete.
Then the followup is only 10%, and wouldn’t it have to be the unexpected alien outsider, who returns to say thanks, not only expressing gratitude to Jesus, but also demonstrating faith in him, such that the Samaritan is a model of conversion, having turned around and gone back to the source and agent of his healing, in the person of Jesus.
As Brendan Byrne SJ says: “Beyond physical healing or rescue, salvation for Luke above all means coming to know God in a new way as a God who saves, and being transformed by that knowledge… This Gospel “is not just about the healing of an afflicted person. For all else involved, including ourselves, it is a summons to conversion.”
In the background, it could be imagined that the joy and relief of the other 9 could well have had them caught up with families and friends, after their isolation. Maybe they had good intentions of returning to Jesus after the festivities had died down, but the main point is that the outsider is the one who responds in coming back, without any hesitation. The priority here is acknowledgement of Jesus as Saviour, the one in whom to believe and to follow.
As the Jerome Biblical Commentary puts it, in heavy theological terms: “In this instance the teaching-word will have Christological, soteriological, eschatological and parenetic (relating to moral and ethical instruction… hortatory, persuasive or encouraging!) import… Jesus is the one who saves from disease and restores one to human concourse. In him, disciples find the fullness of human wholeness” (p709)!!
And I like Claude Mostowik MSC’s conclusion here too: “The healing of the Samaritan is more than skin deep, where the normal tolerates divisions, social inequity and all forms of social neglect.” The compassion of Jesus always reaches way beyond such limitations.
In the end, it seems to me that here is a simple lesson in the importance of saying thanks, not taking others or health and happiness, for granted, and being gracious in appreciating what we have, and the good things done for us, by others in our own lives.
As AA Milne says: “Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a large amount of gratitude.” Whatever about the difficulties and hardships, there is so much in life to be thankful for, is there not?
john hannon 12th October 2025