TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (C)
1st Reading: (2 Kings 5: 14-17)
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 98:1.2-3ab.3cd-4 (R. cf. 2)
2nd Reading: (2 Timothy 2:8-13)
Gospel Reading: (Luke 17:11-19)
Comfort Mary Edewor
The readings for this Sunday, makes me reflect on the different levels of gratitude that people exhibit as a habit. Some people never believe there is need to express gratitude no matter the favours they receive from God or from man. Many Catholics never even remember to thank God after a meal. These are people with an entitlement mentality, who even take every favour received for granted.
There are those who only thank you for something just received, and after that pretend to forget that you ever existed. This attitude towards God is also very common. Until they receive another favour, the gratitude can stay in the closet . Another group more mature in charity will never stop thanking you each time they see you, even years after. It is actually a cultural practice for some ethnic groups to keep thanking you for past favours until you start dodging them. I wish such practices can be also directed towards God our Father ,the giver of all good things.
Another group are those who deem it wise not just to thank God for the past favours, but the present as well as those believed to be in the pipeline. They are the propagators of the "Thank you Jesus Rosary".
Scripture however admonishes us to thank God at all times. Even in our pain, in our frustration, in our Sorrows as well as in our joy. This level is for those who have learnt to trust their God, and that should include us all. Gratitude therefore is not about having our way, or receiving answers to prayers but in trusting God enough to acknowledge that even when things begin to look awkward, he is still very much involved working all things together for our good.
Agwunobi Chinazom
Yes, I have every reason to THANK GOD because I'm ALIVE TODAY!
It's only the living that praises the Lord! The dead doesn't do so...
Secondly, gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parents of all others.” Nothing is more honourable than a grateful heart.”
Being grateful to God in all circumstances pleases God and unlocks the gates of success and breakthroughs .
Let's keep being GRATEFUL TO GOD, irrespective of the circumstances that surround us. He's still all knowing God, and He sees us.
Ekwuye Gloria Oby
SHOWING APPRECIATION
Naaman the leper shows huge appreciation for his healing, received through Elisha. One out of ten lepers cleansed by Jesus shows appreciation and gets totally healed. Leprosy is viewed as punishment for sins committed against God, and it entails some form of separation of those afflicted to an isolated place to avoid defilement and contamination of others in the community. Sin is a form of leprosy, it defiles us and makes us enemies of ourselves, from others and hinders our blessings from God. It is a break-up of relationship.
When we come back to God through reconciliation/confession, we are restored to love, friendship and wholeness and the division caused by the separation is bridged. Every sin forgiven brings us close to our salvation; thus Jesus said to Zaccheus, “Today salvation has come to this house,” and to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” we should always appreciate the no matter how little you get or receive.
When we wake up everyday do we thank God for life. It's little but it shows we value our relationship with God.
Joy Udeh
The importance of thanksgiving
As humans we often take for granted the things God does for us. We have spent days, weeks, months or even years, praying and asking God for something and when he eventually does answer, we give a flippant "Thank you Jesus or Thank God ooo" and that ends it. Giving the aura of "Nice doing business with you God, till we meet again".
Some people even get carried away by the Joy of the answered prayers that they forget to give thanks.
What is the value of our Thanksgiving to God? How genuine, how heartfelt is it?
Out of ten lepers, only ONE was grateful enough to turn back and show appreciation. If Jesus could ask for the other nine, don't you think He will raise an eyebrow IF we do not give him thanks everyday talk more of when he answers a special prayer request for us?
That we receive free oxygen and in good health is enough to thank Him. Forget say economy hard, na who dey alive go see front and see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Why not take time out to Thank God today? Even for that special request, instead of praying and begging, why not change strategy? Sing His praises and see what He will do. After all, He who sings well, prays twice.
May the Lord forgive us all the times we have failed to appreciate and adore Him in thanksgiving.
Victor Ofor
The Urgency of Recognizing Our Leprosy
The readings call us to look inward and confront the spiritual sickness that so easily infects us. Many in the world are living in the darkness of sin, either unaware or simply unconcerned. But for us, the challenge is clear: O that today you’d listen to his voice, harden not your heart!
The gravity of this sickness is starkly illustrated in the Law of Moses. Just as leprosy rendered a person totally unclean, the Law commanded, “The leper who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:45-46). Sin does this to us spiritually: it makes us unkempt, spiritually isolated, and unable to move freely in God’s presence.
This destruction is what St. Teresa of Ávila describes in The Interior Castle, where she likens the soul to a beautiful diamond. She explains that mortal sin is the destruction of the soul's beauty and the ultimate tragedy: “While the soul is in mortal sin, nothing can profit it; none of its good works merit an eternal reward..." The soul, separated from God, instead “shares in the blackness of the Devil.” Even small faults are a danger when committed with willful pride, as she defines a deliberate venial sin as the attitude of saying: “Lord, although this grieves You, I will do it; I’m already aware that You see it... but I want to follow my whim and appetite more than Your will.” Such defiance, she argues, is a very great offense.
But the Gospel reminds us of our limitless hope! When the ten lepers cried out to Jesus for mercy, he didn't question or delay; he cured them all with immediate compassion. Like them, we only need to go to Christ with all our hearts, asking for His mercy and deliverance, ready to drop the leprosy of sin. His healing is immediate, and His welcome is constant. Let us resolve today to acknowledge our spiritual condition, turn to the Divine Physician, and, in all circumstances, give thanks to God, for this is His will in Christ Jesus for you.
Rev. Gerald Udemba CCE.
These readings invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and our response to His mercy and love. Do we approach God with humility and obedience, like Naaman? Do we persevere in our faith despite challenges, as Paul encourages us? Do we show gratitude for God's blessings in our lives, like the Samaritan leper?
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