28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – My Take on Fr. Minta’s Sermon – 13th October 2013

The reading calls us to generosity & gratitude – let’s not forget the source of our blessing is our God. The Trinitarian God is the source of all we have and are. In all things give thanks. Rev. Fr. Minta called us to make friends – Kofi Boateng GCAA & Perceval Kasoa were the new friends I made today.

Leprosy was not accepted in Israel & even today it is a disease we all fear even in Ghana. Will we be able to shake hands with lepers if they came into our chapels? In those days a lot of skin diseases were referred to as leprosy. Deuteronomy dictated how to treat leprosy & the patients. The issue of quarantine & bell, it was not a good live at all in Israel those days. Disease does not know wealth, religion, colour or creed. It can & affects all of us without discrimination. Thus even the General Naaman was afflicted.

Naaman the General had captured a servant girl in battle who came from Israel. She preached to her master of going to Israel to see the prophet of God. Do we use opportunities of adversity to propagate God’s word? As Christians there are 3 forms of evangelization  we should all engage in. To God, where we spend intimate time with Him, as Pope Francis said during his sermon at the special Mass for Catechist at the 3-day International Congress, he said being a Catechist is a vocation an approach to live. It starts first with being with God, getting to know Him. We went on to say that being close to God means praying to Him, talking to Him and letting Him “watch over you which warms the heart and keeps the fire of friendship with The Lord alive. Then we need to fellowship and evangelize with the saved – attending Mass and Church activities and praying with the militant church on earth. Then thirdly we need to help spread the word to the end of the earth. That is what the servant girl did, in a strange land of Syria. Naman was humble enough to listen to a servant girl. Will we be humble enough to hear God speak through those we find lower than us?

Naaman before he proceeded on his journey asked the king of Syria to do the protocol, for he was highly placed. So the king of Syria wrote to the king of Israel to assist his General. Note that the King of Israel was upset & thought that the King of Syria was looking for war. The King of Israel was in unbelief & did not that know the prophet of God could heal. Is the message so close to us but we take it for granted and do not know what we have? When God wants to do His things, He will get His servant to intervene. So someone convinced the king of Israel that there was a Prophet of God in Israel who could do it. So another preaching & persuasion who turned the heart of the king?

Naaman too looked down on the simple thing he was told to do for healing, dipping into the river Jordan, when there were greater and better rivers in Syria where he came from. Pride comes before a fall, if he had not listened all his preparation and coming will have been in vain. He was also angry about the cure given him. Another person had to convince him to go do it.
When he agreed to do it, he did not do all the 7 dips before the Leprosy left him. God will always go out and meet us at our points of need even before we get to Him. Trust & obey. Our God is a God of simplicity. Don’t despise small things our God is able to use everything for His Glory.

Naaman was healed because he listened to a servant girl. How do we treat our househelps, with respect or disdain? Note we are no better than the house help. We all have same blood flowing through us. Our God does not discriminate so we who are call by His name sound not do so. Less than 1% of African Americans are Catholics because of racism in the past, they saw the Catholic whites despise them, so they did and do not want know. Note that even before Naaman left he had packed gifts for gratitude to be given to the man of God when he was healed. Gratitude is critical but it was not only gratitude but also faith that he will be healed. We all have our crosses to carry & nothing should block us from the love of God, be it disease or whatever.

The Gospel reading tells us the story Christ travel to Jerusalem through Samaria & Galilee.  Israel looked on anybody who was not a Jew, they looked down on the Samaritans because they had married the people of Assyria. It was on that journey that here that Christ encounters the 10 lepers. How are we treating lepers & sick people among us. Lepers were not allowed to Israel, but the Samaritans allowed them in. So when they saw Christ coming they were filled with hope & shouted Son of David have pity on us. Christ asked them to go show themselves to the priest. Note that in those days it was the priest who to certified whether you had the disease or not. Also note that they also got healed before they met the priest. God again meeting us more than half way, once we take the step of faith. So the 1st miracle happen when Mary the mother of God told the people at the wedding do whatever He tells you to do. At that instant due to her faith the miracle happened

Note that they did not even finish the instruction of showing themselves to the priest, they rather went to show themselves to the world and only one returned. Of the one who returned, it was a Samaritan who returned with gratitude in her heart, the 9 Jews did not return. You and I might not be different from the 9, most of us show ingratitude. Kids to parents, couples among themselves, even to our God through the church. Thank you is lost. Most Catholics are ungrateful, we are grateful to ourselves  but ungrateful to God and the Church, spend a lot on ourselves but drop in a GHS1 for a week for what we call collection.

Note that the Mass is sacrifice of thanksgiving. Eucharist means thanksgiving but do we understand it? We need to take the message gratitude seriously. Let’s show appreciation in all things. Today’s message is a message of love & generosity. Most of us have not paid the GHS6 per year church dues. We should constantly be thanking God for his mercies, we are constantly being healed. Note that Naaman was overly generous Let us learn to give & stop being selfish

FIRST READING
2 Kings 5:14–17

Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean of his leprosy.

Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.”

Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;” and despite Naaman’s urging, he still refused. Naaman said: “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 98:1, 2–3, 3–4 (see 2b)

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands: break into song; sing praise.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

SECOND READING
2 Timothy 2:8–13

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

ALLELUIA
1 Thessalonians 5:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Luke 17:11–19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

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