Walking with Jesus: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, October 12, 2025

2 Kings 5:14-17, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, Luke 17:11-19


How do I feel about myself right now? How do I feel I am doing in my faith? Do I feel I’m on the right track? Or do I feel that there is something ... or many things ... that I must accomplish before I come to the end of my life and if I don’t, I won’t get to heaven? Is this my attitude?

What do these questions tell me about my God? Is He my loving God who is leading me, or is He the God pounding His fist on the table for all my indiscretions? God just plain loves me all the time. Satan takes this sentiment and places all kinds of confusion and doubt in our minds, leading us to think, God just will never help me … lead me … care about me … or even really love me ... because I’m a big sinner. Jesus never said this! That loud, “convincing voice of anger, revenge, no caring or love” always comes from Satan. Today’s readings provide examples of how God is leading us to Himself through what happens in our lives.

So am I letting God be God to me? That’s His plan every day! How can I let God lead me?

In the first reading we hear a narrative about healing, gratitude, conversion and worship. The prophet Elisha is the main character in his encounter with Naaman, a foreigner who is cured of leprosy, changes his life and is converted to the God of Israel. It’s a strange healing story since Elisha gives Naaman a ritual to perform, yet is not even present when it happens. It sounds like a primitive ritual, almost magic in its sevenfold immersion for which a reason is not given. Naaman, who is very rich, has a huge number of attendants — yet he has leprosy which the people feel is highly contagious and sent as a punishment from God. Nevertheless he is healed through the immersion and wants to give Elisha a gift to express his gratitude. Elisha says it's unnecessary, so Naaman asks if he can take some of the local dirt. The rest of the story is found in verses 18-27. Interesting point: It is surprising that an Israelite (Elisha) would claim there is no God but the Lord. Yet Naaman’s a “pagan … non-believer” who does believe — but he needs a miracle to feel accepted. A big point is that to Naaman — and Elisha too — the Lord and only the Lord is God — God’s power extends over the entire world.

We continue Paul’s appeal to Timothy that began in last Sunday’s epistle reading. The fact that Paul is writing from prison makes his appeal even more poignant. Paul is expounding the twofold truth that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead and He is a descendant of David. The word CHRIST means “anointed one” — the long-awaited one who will inaugurate the reign of God and bring it to fulfillment. All of the waiting is OVER. They knew the Messiah would come, but when? Where? Now it has happened through the death and resurrection of Jesus, who came from the line of David — which shows the He fulfilled all of the expectations and promises associated with that royal family. Paul, a Roman citizen, is in prison — and the thought that this Messiah would come in poverty, and as a baby and not a king as they expected, was just not how they felt that God would complete His plan. How so very often we fail to see God because He’s not living up to our plans and the way we want it to happen! I guest we have to work on TRUSTING GOD.

As we see so forcefully in the Gospel: Ten lepers, all healed. One comes back — not a person belonging to the Jewish faith, but a hated foreigner labeled a Samaritan. Hmm! God’s ways are not our ways.

The readings suggest a journey tracing the stages of Christian conversion from sin through healing to gratitude, and finally to the privilege of living a fulfilled life preparing for heaven. Where am I here? What do I need? Can I ask? Why not? God loves me.

So I reflect on:

• Sin is the separation from God: Naaman and the ten men with leprosy, which was the principal alienating disease of that day, serve as a metaphor for our sinfulness that makes us unfit for the presence of God. We feel separated from God and alienated from “my world” — we just can’t seem to love as we should and cannot get out of our horrible state.
• Salvation is healing: God’s healing power, God helping us, leading us, loving us. So do I let God love me and forgive me? In the stories, note that the agent of God’s healing did not belong to the social group of the one healed ... so God’s grace does not move according to our ways but His way, moving through unexpected quarters and unexpected ways. Think of the people who have touched you so positively in your life …some you never knew before … some who were “enemies;” others who were just different. Some we married, others are our closest friends or may have disappeared. God sent them and they made us who we are: God’s angels!
• Thanks and praise: The next step in our journey of conversion is the response of gratitude and praise. Naaman and the lone Samaritan are so filled with gratitude that they return to the one responsible for their healing. They are not so preoccupied with their good fortune to forget that the healing was given as a gift. Let us give thanks to GOD for His gifts to us!
• New Life is completely dependent on faith: Do I believe? Do I trust God? Do I love God? Do I live this in gratitude? Why not NOW? It’s my turn now!

Sacred Space 2025 states:

“Our Lord might well ask, where are the other nine? Do we ever find ourselves among the nine who forgot to thank the Lord? St. Ignatius stresses that gratitude is a very important attitude to develop on our spiritual journey. It is a most helpful way to get into prayer, because the more aware we become of the gift, the more aware we can become of the Giver. Everything we have is a gift from God. St. Paul wrote, Always be thankful!”