Homily
for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)
Based
on Lk 17:11-19 (Gospel),
2 Kgs 5:14-17
(First Reading) and 2 Tim 2:8-13 (Second Reading)
From
the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
TEN LEPERS
“As he entered one of the villages, ten
lepers came to meet him” (Lk 17:12)
The Gospel reading for this 28th
Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C) is Lk 17:11-19.
Verse 11
says: Now on the way to Jerusalem, he
traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.c Footnote c says “Making
for the Jordan valley and so down to Jericho, 18:35; from there he goes up to
Jerusalem.
Parallel texts are:
1.
Lk 9:51 - Now as the time drew near for him to be taken
up to heaven, k he resolutely took the road for Jerusalem… Footnote
k says “Lit. ‘for his taking up’. This ‘assumption’ of
Jesus, cf. 2 K 2:9-11; Mk 16:19; Ac 1:2,10-11; 1 Tm 3:16, refers to the last
days of his suffering life (Passion, death) and the beginning of his glory
(resurrection, ascension). Jn, thinking more theologically, uses the word
‘glorify’ in connection with the whole of this period, Jn 7:39; 12:16,23;
13:31f; for him the crucifixion is a ‘lifting up’, Jn 12:32+.”
2.
Jn 4:9 - The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘What? You
are a Jew and you ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?’ Jews, in fact, do not
associate with Samaritanse Footnote e says “Some
authorities omit this parenthesis. The Jews hated the Samaritans, Si 50:25-26;
Jn 8:48; Lk 9:52-55, cf. Mt 10:5, Lk 10:33; 17:16, and attributed their origin
to the importation of five pagan groups, 2 K 17:24-41, who retained some of
their loyalty to their old gods, these are symbolized by the ‘five husbands of
v. 18.”
Verses 12. 13 and 14 say: As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers
came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, “Jesus, Master!
Take pity on us!” When he saw them he said, “Go and show yourselves to the
priests.” Now as they were going away they were cleansed.
Parallel
text for verse 12 is Lv 13:45-46 that
says: A man infected with leprosy must wear his clothing torn and his
hair disordered; he must shield his upper lip and cry, “Unclean, unclean!” As
long as the disease lasts he must be unclean; and therefore he must live apart;
he must live outside the camp (v. 46).
Parallel texts for verse 14
are:
1.
Lk 5:14 - He
ordered him to tell no one, ‘But go and show yourself to the priest and make
the offering for your healing as Moses prescribed it as evidence for them.
2.
Lv 14:1-32 - Purification of lepers. Yahweh spoke to Moses; he said: (v. 1). This is the law applied to lepers on the day
he is purified. He must be taken to the priest (v. 2), and the priest must go
outside the camp. If he finds on examination that the leper is cured of his
leprosy (v. 3), he shall order the following to be brought
for the man’s purification: two live birds that are clean, cedar wood, scarlet,
and hyssop (v. 4). Then he is to give orders for one of the birds to be
immolated in an earthenware pot over
running water (v. 5). Then he is to take the live bird, the cedar wood, the
scarlet and the hyssop and must dip all of this (including the live bird) into
the blood of the bird immolated over running water (v. 6). Then he must
sprinkle the man who is to be purified of leprosy seven and having declared him
clean must set the live bird free to fly off into the open countryside (v. 7).
The man who is undergoing purification is to wash his clothing, shave all his
hair, and wash himself, then he will be clean. After this he may return to the
camp, although he must remain seven days outside his or her tent (v. 8) On the
seventh day he must shave off all his hair - head, beard, and eyebrows; he must
shave off all hair—after washing his clothing and his body he will be clean(v.
9). On the eighth day, he is to take two lambs without blemish, an unblemished
ewe one year old, three tenthsa of wheaten flour mixed with oil for
the oblation, and one log of oil (v. 10).
The priest who is performing the purification is to station the man who
is being purified with his offerings at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting
before Yahweh (v. 11). Then he must take one of the lambs and offer it as a
sacrifice of reparation as also the log of oil. With this he has to make the gesture of offering before Yahweh (v.
12). Then he must immolate the lamb on
that spot inside the sacred precincts where the victims of the sacrifice for
sin and of the holocaust are immolated. This offering of reparation, like the
sacrifice for sin; reverts to the priest: it is a most holy thing (v. 13). Then the priest must take the blood of this
sacrifice and put some of it on the lobe
of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right
foot of the man who is being purified (v. 14). Then he is to take the log of
oil and pour a little into the hollow of his left hand (v. 15); He must dip the
finger of his right hand into the oil in the hollow of his left hand, and with
this oil make seven sprinklings with his
finger before Yahweh (v. 16). Then he is
to take a little of the oil that remains in the hollow of his hand and put it
on the lobe of the right ear of the man being purified, and on the thumb of his
right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot, this in addition to the blood
of the sacrifice of reparation(v. 17).
The rest of the oil in the hollow
of his hand he is to put on the head of the man who is being purified. In this
way he will have performed over him the
rite of atonement before Yahweh(v. 18). Then the priest must offer the
sacrifice for sin, and perform the rite of atonement for uncleanness over the
man who is being purified. After this he must immolate the holocaust (v. 19), and send up holocaust and oblation on the
altar. When the priest has performed the rite
atonement over him in this way, the man will be clean (v. 20). If he is
poor and cannot afford all this, he need take only one lamb, the one for the
sacrifice of reparation, and it is to be presented with the gesture of offering
to perform the rite of atonement over the man. And he is to take for oblation
only one tenth of a wheaten flour mixed
with oil, and the log of oil (v. 21).
and finally two turtledoves or two young pigeons - if he can afford them - one to be used as a
sacrifice for sin for the holocaust (v.
22). On the eighth day, he must bring them to the priest at the entrance of the
Tent of Meeting before Yahweh for his purification (v. 23). The priest is to take the lamb for the
sacrifice of reparation and the log of
oil and present them before Yahweh with the gesture of offering (v. 24). Then he must immolate the lamb for the
sacrifice of reparation, take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the
right ear of the man who is being purified, on the thumb of the right hand and
on the big toe of his right foot (v. 25). He is to pour the oil into the hollow
of his left hand (v. 26). and with this
oil in the hollow of his left hand he must make seven sprinkling with his
finger before Yahweh (v. 27). He is to put some of it on the lobe of the right
ear of the man who is being purified, the thumb of his right hand, and the big
toe of his right foot, as he did with the blood of the sacrifice for reparation
(v. 28). The remainder of the oil in the
hollow of his hand he must put on the head of the man who being purified,
performing the rite of atonement over him before Yahweh (v. 29). Of the two
turtledoves or the two pigeons, if he can afford them (v. 30), he is to offer a
sacrifice for sin with one, and with the other a holocaust together with an
oblation- if he can afford them. In this way the priest will have performed before Yahweh the rite of
atonement over the person who is being purified (v. 31). Such is the law concerning a person afflicted
with leprosy who cannot afford the means for his purification (v. 32).
3.
Mt 8:4 - Then
Jesus said to him, “Mind you do not tell anyone, but go and show yourself to
the priest, and make the offering
prescribed by Moses as evidence for them.”
4.
Mk 1:44 - “Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and
show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence for your
recovery.
Verse 15 says: Finding
himself cured, returned, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice;
Parallel
text is Lk 2:20 that says: And the
shepherds went back, glorifying and praising Godf for all they had
heard and seen, it was exactly as they had been told to them. Footnote f says “A
favorite theme of Lk: 1:64; 2:28,38; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15,18; 18:43;
19:37; 23:47; 24:53. Cf Ac 2:47+.”
Verses 16,
17, 18 and 19 say: and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The
man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, “Were not all ten
made clean, were they not? The
other nine where are they? It seems no one
has come back to give praise to God
except this foreigner.” And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way;
Your faith has saved you.’
Parallel texts for verse 16 are:
1.
Lk 9:53 - But the people would not receive him because
he was making for Jerusalem.l Footnote l says “The hatred of the Samaritans for the Jews, Jn 4:9+, would show itself
particularly towards those on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; hence it was usual to
bypass this territory, cf Mt 10:5. Only Lk and Jn (4:1-42) mention Christ’s
presence in this schismatic province, cfLk 17:11,16. The early Church was not
slow to follow his example, Ac 8:5-25.”
2.
Lk 10:33 - But a Samaritanh traveler who came
upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. Footnote h says “An
alien and a heretic, Jn 8:48; cf Lk 9:53+, from whom one might expect
hostility, as opposed to those of Israel who should have been most sensitive to
the demands of charity.”
Parallel
text for verse 17 is Mt 8:10 that says: When Jesus
heard this, he was astonished and said
to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found
faithb like this. Footnote
b says “The faith that
Jesus asks for from the outset of public life (Mk. 1:15) and throughout his
subsequent career, is that act of trust and self-abandonment by which people no
longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the
power and guiding word of him in whom they believe (Lk. 1:20,45; Mt.
21:25p,32). Christ asks for this faith especially when he works his
miracles(8:13; 9:2p; 22p, 28-29; 15:28; Mk 5:36p;10:52p; Lk 17:19) which are
not so much acts of mercy as signs attesting his mission and witnessing to the
kingdom (8:3+; cf. Jn 2:11+), hence he cannot work miracles unless he finds the
faith without which the miracle lose their true significance (13:58p; 12;38-39;
16:1-4). Since the faith demands the sacrifice of the whole man, mind and
heart, it is not an easy act of humility to perform; many decline it,
particularly in Israel (8:10p; 15:28; 27:42p; Lk 18;8), or are half-hearted (Mk
9;24; Lk 8;13). Even the disciples are slow to believe (8:26p; 14;31; 18;8;
17:20p) and are still reluctant after the resurrection (28;17; Mk 16:11-14; Lk
24;11,25,41). The most generous faith of all, of the ‘Rock’ (16:16-18), the
disciples leader, was destined to the shaken by the outrage of the Passion
(26:69-75p) though it was to triumph in the end (Lk 22:32). When faith is
strong it works wonders (17:20p; 21:21p; Mk 16:17) and its appeal is never
refused (21:22p; Mk 9:23) especially when it asks for forgiveness of sin (9:2p;
Lk 7:50) and for that salvation of which it is the necessary condition (Lk
8;12; Mk 16:16, cf. Ac 3:16+).”
The First Reading is from 2 Kgs 5:14-17:
Verses 14
and 15 say: So he went down and immersed himself seven
times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told him to do. And his flesh became clean
once more like the flesh of a little child. Returning to Elisha with his whole
escort, he went in and stood before him. “Now I know, he said, that there is no God in all the earth except
in Israel.c Now, please
accept a present from your servant.’ Footnote c
says “Yahweh alone is truly God.
Nevertheless, though he is the only God for them, there is a special
relationship between him and the land and people of Israel; hence Naaman takes
soil from Samaria to raise an altar to Yahweh in Damascus.”
Parallel text for verse 14 is
Lk 4:27 that says: And in the prophet Elishah’s time there were many
lepers in Israel, but none of these were cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’
Verses 16
and 17 say: But Elisha replied, “As
Yahweh lives, whom I serve, I will accept nothing.” Naaman pressed him to
accept, but he refused. Then Naaman
said: “Since your answer is “No”, allow your servant to be given as much earth as two mules may carry, because your
servant will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any god except Yahweh.
Parallel text for verse 16 is that
says: Saul replied to the servant, “But if
we do go, what can we take to the man? The bread in our sacks has gone; and we
have no present to offer the man of God. What can we give him?”d Footnote d
says “One consults a prophet only
after making him a present, Nb 22:7; 1 K 14:3; 2 K 4:42; 5:15; 8:8. Cf. Am
7:12; Mi 3:11; Ezr 13:19.”
The Second Reading is from 2 Tim 2:8-13.
Verse 8 says: Remember
the Good News that I carry, Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, sprung from the
race of David:
Parallel texts are:
1.
Ac 13:22-23
- [In those days, Paul said:] he
(God) deposed him (Saul) and made David their king, of whom he approved in
these words, “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who
will carry out my whole purpose’ (v. 22). To keep his promise, God has raised
upn for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus as Saviour (v. 23). Footnote n says “Or
‘raised from the dead’. The Greek verb can mean either and this ambivalence is
exploited in the argument, as in 3:20-26; the promise finds fulfillment in
Christ’s resurrection, vv 32-33; see also 26:6-8; moreover, it is by his
resurrection that Jesus is established as savior, cf. 5:31; see also 2:21; 4:12;
Rm 5:9-10; Ph 3:20, etc. Thus the verb which means ‘raise up’ in v. 22
unequivocally means ‘raise from the dead’ from v. 30 onwards. In v 23 it is
transitional and ambiguous.”
2.
Rm 1:3, 4 - This
news is about the Son of God who according to the human nature he took, was a
descended from David (v. 3). It is about Jesus Christ our Lord who is the order
of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that is in him, was proclaimedc
Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead.d
(v. 4). Footnote c says “Vulg. ‘predestined’”; and Footnote d - For Paul
Christ rose only because God raised him, 1 Th. 1:10; 1 Co. 6:14; 15:15; 2 Co.
4:14; Ga. 1:1; Rm. 4:24; 10:9; Ac. 2:24+; cf. 1 P. 1:21, thus displaying his
‘power’, 2 Cor. 13:4; Rm. 6:4; Ph. 3:10; Col. 2:12; Ep. 1:19f; Heb. 7:16; and because God raised him to life through
the Holy Spirit, Rm. 8:11. Christ is established in glory as Kyrios, Ph
2:9-11+; Ac 2:36; Rm 14:9, deserving anew, this time in virtue of his messianic
work, the name he had from eternity, ‘son of God’, Ac 13:33, Heb 1:5; %:5. Cf.
Rm 8:11+; 9:5+.
Verse 9 says: …it is on
account of this that I have my own hardships to bear even to being chained like
a criminal-but they cannot chain up God’s news.
Parallel texts are:
1.
Ep 3:1 - So,
I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you pagans…
2.
Ph 1:13-18 - My chains, in Christ, have
become famous not only all over the Praetorium a but everywhere (v.
13), and most of the brothers have taken courage in the Lord from these chains
of mine and getting more and more daring announcing the messageh
without fear (v. 14). It is true that
some of them are doing it just out of rivalry and competition, but the rest
preach Christ with the right intention (v. 15), out of nothing but love, as
they know that this is my invariable way of defending the gospel (v. 16). The
other, who proclaim Christ for jealous or selfish motives, do not mind if they
make my chains heavier to bear (v. 17) But does it matter? Whether from
dishonest motives or in sincerity, Christ is proclaimed; and that makes me
happy (v. 18). Footnote
a says “If Paul is writing from his house-arrest in Rome, this must refer to
members of the Praetorian guard (two were quartered just outside the city
wall). If Paul is writing from Ephesus or Caesaria, he is referring to the
staff of the Praetorium which was the name of the official residence of the
governor in each of those cities.”
Footnote
3.
Col 1:24
- It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my
own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by
Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. m Footnote m says “Lit.
‘all that is lacking from the sufferings of Christ…Church’. Jesus suffered in
order to establish the reign of God, and anyone who continues his work must
share this suffering. Paul is not saying that he thinks his own sufferings
increase the value of his redemption (since that value cannot be increased) but
that he shares by his sufferings as a missionary in those that Jesus had
undergone in his own mission, cf. 2 Co. 1:15, Ph. 1:20+. These are the
sufferings predicted for the messianic era, Mt. 24:8, Ac. 14:22 , 1 Tm. 4:1+, and are all part of the way
in which God had always intended the Church to develop. Paul feels that, being
the messenger Christ has chosen to send to the pagans, he has been especially
called on to experience those sufferings.”
Verse 10 says: So, I bear it all for the sake of those who are chosen, so that in
the end they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus and the eternal
glory that comes with it.
Parallel text is that says: Teaching you what I right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live
a life worthy of the God who is calling youc to share the glory of his
kingdom. Footnote c says “Var.
‘called you’.”
Verse 11
says: Here is a saying
that you can rely onb: If we have died with him then we shall live
with him. Footnote b says “vv.
11-13 are part of a Christian hymn, cf. 1 Tm 3:16.”
Parallel texts are:
1.
1 Tm 1:15+ - Here is a saying that you can rely oni and nobody should
doubt: That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the
greatest of them. Footnote i says “Lit.
‘faithful is the word (or saying): this is one of the characteristic phrases of
the Pastoral Letters, cf. 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tm
2:11; Tt 3:8.”
2.
Rm 6:5+ - If in union with Christ, we have
imitated his death, we shall also be imitate his resurrection.
Verse 12 says: If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him,
then he will disown us.
Footnote
Parallel texts are:
1.
Ac 14:22 -
They put
fresh heart into the disciples,m
encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience
many hardships’ they said ‘before we
enter the kingdom of God.’ Footnote m– Paul uses a similar
metaphor, 1 Co 16:9; 2 Cor 2:12; Col 4:3.
2.
Rm 8:17 - And if we are
children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing
his sufferings so as to share his glory
3.
Mt 10:33 - But the one who
disowns me in the presence of me, I will disown in the presence of my Father in
heaven.
Verse 13
says: We may be unfaithful but he is always
faithful, for he cannot disown his own self.
Parallel texts are:
1.
Rm 3:3 - What
if some of them were unfaithful? Will their lack of fidelity cancel God’s fidelity?
2.
1 Co 1:9…because
God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; and God is
faithful.f Footnote f says “Cf.
10:13; 2 Co 1:18; 1 Th 5:24; 2 Th 3:3; 2 Tm 2:13; Heb 10:23; 11:11.”
3.
Nb 23:19 - God
is no man that he should lie, no son of Adam to draw back., who feels regret.
Is it his to say and not do, to speak and not fulfill?
4.
Tt 1:2 - And
to give them the hope of eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. He
does not lie.
5.
Heb 6:18 - so that there will be two unalterable thingsf,
in which it was impossible for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have
found safety, should we have strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the
hope that is held out to us.
Footnote f says “I.e. the promise and the oath of God who ‘does not lie’, Tt 1:2.”
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