28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: True followers of Christ live a life of unwavering faith.
Theme: We live a life of unwavering faith when we are grateful to God in all things.
Promise: “…the Lord has made his salvation known… he has revealed his justice.”
(Ps 98:2)
Reflection:
Many miracles of healing in the Bible are attributed to the faith an individual has in Jesus, in His word, and in his teachings. We also hear these sayings: ‘faith comes by hearing’, ‘faith can move mountains’, ‘believe and have faith’, or ‘your faith has saved you.’ What is faith? The dictionary defines faith as the complete trust and confidence in someone or something. In the book of Hebrews, “faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen,” (Heb 11:1). It is a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
Growing firmly in our faith then requires diligence and perseverance in knowing who God is, that we may be able to understand and appreciate the depth of the love of the Father for His children, why He sent His only Begotten Son to us. As our Order for the month says, “Take as your norm… the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus,” (2 Tim 1:13). It is the virtue of gratitude that must be evident in our lives, for the blessings given to us by God for which we are not entitled to, or we do not deserve, or we have earned… but given as a free gift. Our salvation is a free gift from God, through Jesus who gave His life that we might live. He is our teacher and model of our faith, who shows us the path to life. If we are grateful for this gift, like Jesus, we are to share our blessings with others, especially with those who have less in life, for we all are equally loved by God. As true followers of Christ, we possess unwavering faith in Him when we acknowledge His gift of salvation with gratitude, as our theme for this week states.
In the Gospel, Jesus heals the ten lepers. What is interesting in this event is that Jesus tells them to go see the priest and they will be healed. It is quite different from His usual way of laying hands or touching the person. And the ten lepers did as they were told by Jesus and they were healed, they were cleansed from leprosy. They believed in the spoken words of Jesus. But then, only one of them returned to Jesus to give thanks. He was in fact a gentile, an unbeliever. His gratefulness speaks of a realization that his healing is a free gift from Jesus and he was compelled to give thanks.
What about the other nine, what do they represent? Realistically speaking, aren’t some of us like them who sometimes forget to give thanks to God for even the smallest blessing we receive each day? As we wake up in the morning, we sometimes forget to thank God for a good night’s rest, for giving us a new lease on life, as we rush to do our daily task, go to work, or worry over some personal concerns, forgetting that we have a God, the Giver of good gifts, who is just waiting for us to return to Him to give thanks. May His promise for us this week remind us to be always grateful no matter what situation we are in, to make Him first in our lives, for “…the Lord has made his salvation known…he has revealed his justice,” (Ps 98.2).
Prayer:
Thank You Lord for Your gift of salvation. Thank You for calling me back to Your fold in this community where I learn so much about You and myself as well and my purpose in life. Thank You for Your forgiving love and restoring me to wholeness. As You said, Your grace is sufficient for me. Thank You for all the graces I receive from You each day as I wake up. May I share the blessings You give me with other people I come in contact with each day. Stay with me Lord and help me to grow deeper in my faith and to always be grateful to You. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:

1. What am I grateful to God for? How can I concretely express my gratitude to God?
2. Do I see my service in the community as a way of giving back to God and growing in my faith?
   This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
   October 9, 2022 (Sun) – Kgs 5:14-17/ Ps 98:1-4/ 2 Tm 2:8-13/ Lk 17:11-19
   October 10, 2022 (Mon) – Gal 4:22-24, 26, 27, 31-51/Ps 113:17/Lk 11:29-32
   October 11, 2022 (Tue) – Gal 5:1-6/Ps 119:4, 43-45, 47, 48/Lk 11:37-41
   October 12, 2022 (Wed) – Gal 5:18-25/Ps1:1-4, 6/Lk 11:42-46
   October 13, 2022 (Thu) – Eph 1:1-10/Ps 98:1-6/Lk 11:47-54
   October 14, 2022 (Fri) – Eph 1:11-14/Ps 33:1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13/Lk 12:1-7
   October 15, 2022 (Sat) – Eph 1:15-23/Ps 8:2-7/Lk 12:8-12
   “Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”