Reflection for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Oct. 13, 2019

We begin our liturgy this weekend singing, “Sing a New Song” which is based on Psalm 98. You may remember that Psalm 98 is also the responsorial psalm for the Mass. Singing Biblical texts is always a good thing in my book – as often as possible! If we sing it multiple times, maybe we’ll actually remember it and put it into action.

In our readings we hear of people being cleaned of leprosy. Naaman was washed clean in the Jordan upon Elisha’s word and Jesus cured ten lepers on his journey to Jerusalem. In the story of the ten lepers, only one returns to give thanks and recognizes Jesus for who he is – the Great Physician who cures not only the body but also the soul. (According to the Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention, 150 people in the US and 250,000 around the world contract the disease every year. It is curable with antibiotics and is not very contagious.)

Our song at the presentation of the gifts, refers to the healing that Jesus performed in the Gospel. It was written in 1992 but has the feeling of an older folk tune with its rhythm and repetitive text.

“Taste and See” at Communion, reaffirms our faith in God’s good-ness to all as we offer Him praise and glory when we cry out to Him in our need. “Open My Eyes” brings us back to the idea of God’s healing power:

Open my eyes, Lord. Help me to see your face.
Open my ears, Lord. Help me to hear your voice.
Open my heart, Lord. Help me to love like you.

While we may not need the physical healing that the lepers needed from Jesus, we can all use Jesus’ healing powers to open our hearts and souls to His word.

We end our service with “Now Thank We All Our God”, a tradition-al hymn giving praise to God. Let us do the same thing that the one Samaritan leper did – give praise to God for what He has done for us.