Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - Wednesday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 6:1-11 and Luke 17:11-19]"Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." [Luke]
NOVEMBER 11 ST. MARTIN OF TOURS
The gospel story of Jesus' encounter with the ten lepers will appear also on Thanksgiving Day. There the emphasis is on the contrast between the nine, presumably, Jews who did not return to give thanks and the Samaritan who would not have been "expected" to do so because of the ancient enmity between Jews and Samaritans. Of course, we have already (Luke 10:29-37) encountered a Samaritan who assisted an injured victim when very clearly his fellow Jews had "passed by on the other side." An attitude of gratitude is very important, but the central point of this encounter is that faith is where one finds it.
The Samaritan would have been excluded by the community from Jesus' presence by his very identity as a Samaritan as well as by his illness. Where he found some community was with fellow lepers. We do not know what happened to him once Jesus sends him away healed and restored. Perhaps he went back to his Samaritan community and shared the good news of Jesus.
Who are the "Samaritans" and "lepers" in our midst? Can we reach out to them when they call for help? Would we be surprised when they show gratitude in contrast to others who will take our efforts for granted or else consider them an "entitlement" or "right" for which gratitude is not necessary? We will meet the "lepers" and this Samaritan again on Thanksgiving Day. With whom shall we identify ourselves as a matter of faith? Remember, Jesus' last comment: "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." AMEN
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