Sunday Reflections October 14, 2007
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Ghanaian Catholic Community
At Christ The King Church
At Christ The King Church
Sunday Mass at 5PM
| 141 Marcy Place | Bronx, NY 10452 |Tel: 718 538 5546 |
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SUNDAY REFLECTIONS - October 14, 2007
Sunday Reflections
Dear Brothers and sisters
This is another milestone in the development of our community. We have really gone dot.org. I hope now
to hear more form you.
Today's readings are taken from 2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; and the Gospel, Luke 17:11-19
Today's first reading and Gospel are about lepers and leprosy. Once a preacher called out all those who had
stomach problems to come out for special prayers. Half of the church went forward. Next he called out
those with headaches. Half of the church went forward including some of those who had gone out earlier
for prayers. Then he called out those who have HIV/AIDS to come forward for prayers. Not a single
person went forward. Why? Not because they were people in that congregation who were suspected to be
HIV positive, but the stigma. In fact after the Mass a young man came secretly to confess to the priest that
he had been diagnosed to be HIV positive. Why didn't he come forward to be prayed for? I bet you after
that he would have lost all his friends and even family would have abandoned him.
AIDS is our present leprosy, as leprosy was among the Jews at the time of Jesus. It is the unspeakable,
untouchable disease.
I cannot go into the whole historical and theological meaning of leprosy among the Jews. Simply they were
unclean, cursed for their evil deeds, and sinners. They were the most horrific of all people and remained
outcast. Interestingly the gesture of Jesus toward these lepers is different from all others but not different
from his other actions of compassion, mercy and love toward those who suffer. I would have been
surprised if Jesus had also turned them away or refused to cure them.
But this story tells us about how ungracious human being could be after having received so much from
Jesus.
According to the reading, this incident happened as Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, where he was to
die on the cross to save all of us, giving us a new life in the spirit. The church brings to our minds today,
not so much of the mercy and kindness of Jesus to all classes, even the outcasts, as the lepers were, as to
make us see and be amazed at the depths of ingratitude to which we can all sink.
Think for a moment. If those nine ungrateful lepers were struck again with disease some months later and
returned to implore Jesus for a cure, would you blame him if he refused? I am sure most of us would
refuse. Yet, we expect Jesus to listen to our urgent pleas the minutes we make them, while we have not
given him a thought and never said one "thank you, Lord" while things were going well with us.
My brothers and sisters, we all need to be more grateful to God ever day for our lives - more grateful than
we have been. There is nothing we can do to repay that Man who took our place on the cross than to be
like this lonely Samaritan; falling on our knees and saying, Thank you! Thank you, Jesus!
Sunday Reflections
Dear Brothers and sisters
This is another milestone in the development of our community. We have really gone dot.org. I hope now
to hear more form you.
Today's readings are taken from 2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; and the Gospel, Luke 17:11-19
Today's first reading and Gospel are about lepers and leprosy. Once a preacher called out all those who had
stomach problems to come out for special prayers. Half of the church went forward. Next he called out
those with headaches. Half of the church went forward including some of those who had gone out earlier
for prayers. Then he called out those who have HIV/AIDS to come forward for prayers. Not a single
person went forward. Why? Not because they were people in that congregation who were suspected to be
HIV positive, but the stigma. In fact after the Mass a young man came secretly to confess to the priest that
he had been diagnosed to be HIV positive. Why didn't he come forward to be prayed for? I bet you after
that he would have lost all his friends and even family would have abandoned him.
AIDS is our present leprosy, as leprosy was among the Jews at the time of Jesus. It is the unspeakable,
untouchable disease.
I cannot go into the whole historical and theological meaning of leprosy among the Jews. Simply they were
unclean, cursed for their evil deeds, and sinners. They were the most horrific of all people and remained
outcast. Interestingly the gesture of Jesus toward these lepers is different from all others but not different
from his other actions of compassion, mercy and love toward those who suffer. I would have been
surprised if Jesus had also turned them away or refused to cure them.
But this story tells us about how ungracious human being could be after having received so much from
Jesus.
According to the reading, this incident happened as Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, where he was to
die on the cross to save all of us, giving us a new life in the spirit. The church brings to our minds today,
not so much of the mercy and kindness of Jesus to all classes, even the outcasts, as the lepers were, as to
make us see and be amazed at the depths of ingratitude to which we can all sink.
Think for a moment. If those nine ungrateful lepers were struck again with disease some months later and
returned to implore Jesus for a cure, would you blame him if he refused? I am sure most of us would
refuse. Yet, we expect Jesus to listen to our urgent pleas the minutes we make them, while we have not
given him a thought and never said one "thank you, Lord" while things were going well with us.
My brothers and sisters, we all need to be more grateful to God ever day for our lives - more grateful than
we have been. There is nothing we can do to repay that Man who took our place on the cross than to be
like this lonely Samaritan; falling on our knees and saying, Thank you! Thank you, Jesus!