Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C (2025)
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Twice in today’s Lectionary, we read about lepers. In the Old Testament, we read about Naaman, the great military commander of the king of Aram (Syria), who suffered from leprosy. In Luke’s Gospel, we read the account of Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers. Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is caused by slow-growing bacteria that mainly target the skin and peripheral nerves, but can also affect the eyes and respiratory tract. The disease commonly causes numbness, discolored skin patches, nerve and muscle weakness, thickened skin, and sometimes vision or nasal problems. Although leprosy is now recognized as completely treatable, it has historically been surrounded by fear, stigma, and misunderstanding, as many viewed it as tacit of divine punishment. The consequences for a person diagnosed with leprosy in the 1st century AD Judea were devastating, encompassing physical, social, economic, and spiritual ruin. The Readings lead us to reflect on the transformative power of humble obedience and the steadfast hope that sustains us in suffering. They also lead us to contemplate the call to gratitude and giving praise and glory to God.
The first reading tells us that Naaman is healed after he humbles himself and immerses in the Jordan. When he returns to the prophet Elisha, he declares, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.” — 2 Kings 5:15b. His instinct is to give back for what he has received, a gesture of gratitude that the prophet refuses, insisting that the only acceptable offering is the thanksgiving of a transformed heart. The Gospel narrative of the ten lepers culminates in a single act of gratitude. After being healed, only one leper, a Samaritan, returns, “glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” — Luke 17:15b-16. In reply, Jesus said, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” — Luke 17:17. This suggests that expressing gratitude is the expected response to God’s healing. The thanksgiving of the lepers transforms their physical restoration into a spiritual communion; they become a living embodiment of the Eucharistic mystery, where the faithful receive the Body of Christ and respond with thankful hearts. “Eucharist” literally means “thanksgiving.” It originates from the Greek word “eucharistia,” which translates to thanksgiving or good grace. The Eucharist transforms gratitude into communion.
The Church teaches, “Every joy and suffering, every event and need can become the matter for thanksgiving which, sharing in that of Christ, should fill one’s whole life: “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).” — Catechism §2648. To live this gratitude fully, we must carry the spirit of the grateful leper always and bring it into every Mass. When we receive Holy Communion, let us recall Naaman’s immersion in the Jordan, a total surrender to God’s healing, and the Samaritan leper’s enthusiastic praise. May each celebration deepen our gratitude, and may that gratitude, rooted in the Eucharist, overflow into every aspect of our lives, transforming us into true witnesses of Christ’s love.
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.