28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

GOSPEL BULLET POINTS (Gospel: Luke 17:11-19)

• Ten lepers approached Jesus as he was entering a village, asking for His mercy, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Out of compassion, Jesus told them. “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed from leprosy. He not only cleansed, healed, and gave them new life but also reincorporated them into the family of God. The healed lepers, who once were outcasts, can now join the rest of the people in worshiping God.
• All ten lepers realized they were healed, but only one returned to Jesus, praising God for His mercy. Only one returned to give Him thanks. Jesus declared, “Your faith has saved you.” After the cure, they went to the temple and showed themselves to the priests. Notice that in the process, they failed to acknowledge the source of their healing. Notice that only the Samaritan o returned to Jesus to offer Him gratitude.
• Surprisingly, the tenth leper who returned to thank Jesus was a Samaritan. He was a foreigner and did not belong to the right religion. He was regarded as a lawless sinner because he did not observe the Jewish law. But he was the only one who returned to giving thanks to His benefactor. This pained Jesus, “Where are the other nine?” All were cured, but only one was saved!
• THE APPLICATION: We can be just one of the nine lepers who never care to show gratitude to Jesus. There are people today who believe they have earned every good that comes their way and, therefore, do not need to thank anyone or God for it. We take our blessings for granted. How easily we grow accustomed to our blessings and forget to give thanks to the Lord for them.
• Always remember that even amid our problems, there is always something to be grateful for.