2 Kings 5.14-17 | 2 Timothy 2.8-13 | Luke 17.11-19

We begin the twenty-eighth week of Ordinary Time with Mother Church, in this month of mission and the Rosary.

To be a missionary is to go out of oneself to encounter others, carrying faith in Christ in one's heart. There are missionaries who go to distant countries, crossing mountains, forests, and oceans to witness to the faith and serve the Church in challenging geographical and climatic conditions, sometimes risking their own lives in social environments hostile to Christianity. But there are also missionaries who evangelize in their own city and country, in peripheral places, among people in need of bread, embraces, and hope to live, helping Christian communities without human and material resources. Have courage and be a missionary yourself. Christ and the Church are counting on you!

Today, the evangelist Luke tells us about the healing of the ten lepers and the gratitude of the Samaritan. Today, leprosy (Hansen's disease) is curable, especially when diagnosed and treated early. However, in the time Jesus lived, the disease was practically a death certificate. Because it was contagious, the Law of Moses commanded lepers to withdraw from family and social life. And, to make matters worse, lepers were considered punished by the Lord for their sins.

In this context, the desperation of those ten lepers for healing and their resulting joy are understandable.

The Jews taught that the Messiah would come and would be recognized for His power to heal diseases, following the example of the great prophets Elijah and Elisha. Thus, those ten lepers were healed because they recognized that Jesus was the Messiah with the power to heal them.

But, while the nine lepers from Judah were only cured of their disease, the leper from Samaria was also saved by his faith. The evangelist thus highlights the faith of the Samaritans, generally considered infidels by the people of Judah. ​​Many desire healing, but despise the Lord of healing.

On the one hand, let us bear witness to our faith that Jesus is the Messiah, to whom God gave the power to heal illnesses, especially among the most suffering individuals and families. On the other hand, while recognizing the role of Medicine and healthcare professionals, let us speak of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, through which Christ continues to heal the body and save through faith through the Church.

Today, the author of the second book of Kings tells us about the healing of General Naaman of Syria from leprosy by the great prophet Elisha, who lived in Israel in the ninth century BC.

Naaman was healed of the disease and was also saved by his faith. We know this because the Syrian general admitted to Elisha, the man of God, that there was no other Lord besides Israel, and that he would only make burnt offerings and sacrifices to Him.

Thus, we see that God allows His prophets to perform signs so that people may see the wonder of His power and convert to Him. Healing the body has the purpose of salvation through faith.

Today, the apostle Paul speaks to us in his second letter to Timothy of the union between the dead and resurrected Christ and His servants who suffer as they bear witness to Him in the world.

The apostle's hope was to die with Christ so as to reign with Him. Paul believed that by suffering for Christ, the elect would attain salvation.

The apostle was imprisoned in Rome as a criminal shortly before his martyrdom. But Paul said that the Word of God was not imprisoned, that the Gospel was free.

In this missionary month, let us not allow anything to impede the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. God comforts His servants who suffer persecution for their faith in the Son of the living God.