Scripture Reflection - October 12, 2025

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading: 2 Kings 5:14-17

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-13

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

Today’s readings tell of Naaman’s healing from leprosy and of the ten lepers healed by Jesus, who told them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”  Naaman had to plunge into the Jordan seven times before his flesh became like that of a little child, while the ten lepers were cured without Jesus even touching them. In both accounts, healing followed specific instructions.

Leprosy, caused by a slow-growing bacterium, is an ancient disease that, though rare, still affects people today. Most cases occur in Africa and Asia, with about one hundred diagnosed each year in the United States. It is curable with antibiotics.

How times have changed! Throughout history, many cultures have practiced healing using natural substances found on Earth. Today, physicians prescribe medicines derived from nature or employ advanced technologies such as nuclear medicine. Yet, the challenge with these modern treatments lies in their side effects. Sometimes enduring the cure can be more painful than the disease itself. As a result, many turn to natural remedies from the Earth God created, while others choose to forgo treatment altogether, accepting the dying process as a path toward union with a peaceful, pain-free God.

Upon his healing, Naaman approached Elisha and offered a gift, recognizing him as an instrument of God. Although Jesus cleansed ten lepers, only one returned to express gratitude.

Our task today is to find the lesson within these two healings—something God may be revealing to us.

How do I respond to a doctor’s orders? Do I follow them faithfully, seek a second opinion, or risk the consequences of refusing?

The men in today’s readings obeyed and were healed. But did they truly expect a cure? Two returned to express gratitude, while nine did not. Do we, after receiving healing, go beyond the cure of medicine to live a life of continual thanksgiving?

In today’s world of debate over health care and the effects of medicine, whom do we trust? Faith saved those we heard about today. Is our faith in God strong enough to face threats to our wellbeing, or do we rely only on what we read and hear?

May God, the giver of life, bless us in this world and in the world to come.

Sr. Dorothy Maxwell, OP