Show yourselves to the priests

13 NOVEMBER (Lk 17,11-19)

The Gospel must be read with great attention. Entering its spirit is not easy. However, no one is permitted to remain on the surface. A superficial, brief, impromptu, fancy reading is detrimental to the whole of humanity. Jesus wants those who draw near Him to implore for some miracle to live of a strong faith. But what exactly is the faith he asks for? It is often obedience in a present where no miracle was worked. The miracle does not exist. We obey as if it existed. Let us read three episodes of the Gospel and we will certainly understand.

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” (And) Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him (Jn 2,1-11).

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. (Now) this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea (Jn 4,46-54).

In the jars there is no wine, but water. The miracle is accomplished along the way. They carry water and deliver wine. This is the faith: obeying as if the miracle had already occurred. Even the royal official is heading towards home believing only in the word said by Jesus. He sees nothing, knows nothing, cannot notice anything. Today, ten lepers come to Jesus to be healed. Jesus sends them to the priests. These must ascertain their recovery, but they are still lepers. They start as lepers, they set out as sick, believing in the word of Jesus. They start at “broken in their bodies,” on the way they see themselves pure, cleansed and healed.

As he 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 voice, 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.”

Our whole life is a journey in faith. We start empty, poor, wretched, sick, crippled, lame, sinners, but in order to reach full, rich, healthy, undamaged, saints into the kingdom of God. This trip is operated without any interruption. We are empty, the faith tells us that we will be filled, if we obey the Gospel. We are sinners, the word of Jesus reveals us that we will be saints, if we live according to truth and justice.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints teach us the truth of the faith.