Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity AD 2023

Today’s Gospel tells us about ten lepers who were cleansed by the word of Jesus. They were all together, but separate from other people, far away, so as not to infect others. People feared them, perhaps even despised them, because it is so easy to blame the trials that befall people on their own. Illness has often been considered a curse of God, with which He punishes people for their sins.

These ten men were equal in every way; they were all in the same situation. When they heard and saw Jesus approaching, they cried out as if with one voice: “Master, have mercy on us!“ Jesus healed them all together. And when He saw them, He said unto them, “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.“ And it came to pass that, as they went, they were cleansed.

And suddenly they were no longer the same or equal. Now we are told that one of the ten was a Samaritan – a stranger whom the Jews despised and considered worse than the Gentiles, because they were accused of apostasy.

There is a saying, that you know who your friend is when you’re in trouble. This is true, but it is also true that trouble and misery make people equal, while happiness and abundance tend to make them unequal. One of the most important questions is what happens to someone when he or she is saved from trouble and misery.

Today’s Gospel shows us that there was only one in ten who was able to appreciate Jesus’ saving help as a free and undeserved gift. The rest of the former lepers thought they were entitled to healing.

Yes, only one of the ten came back to Jesus and thanked Him, showing that he was healed not only physically, but also spiritually. The fact that he found his way back to Jesus shows that he had also found his soul and true life.