In this Sunday’s Gospel, St. Luke tells us that ten lepers go out to meet the Lord. The group of lepers maintains a distance from the Lord. In Israel at the time, leprosy socially excluded those who suffered from it. The only way these ten lepers can "draw near" to the Lord is through their voices, so they cry out for Him to hear them. They cry out a simple but powerful prayer: "Jesus, Master, have pity on us." This group of lepers symbolizes humanity in need of healing from sin. Through His Incarnation and Passion on the cross, the Lord healed humanity of this woeful condition.

The lepers symbolize all of us who continue to struggle with personal sin. We must recognize, as they did, that the Lord is the only one who can help us in our circumstances. And we must seek His help and cry out for it. These lepers, as supplicants, give us an example of being people of prayer. The ten lepers are the first in the Gospel of Luke to call on the name of the Lord Jesus. After them, a blind man and a criminal on the cross will call on His name. People in need call on His name. The name of the Lord says it all. The name Jesus means "God saves." The name of the Lord itself is a promise from God to us. His name fills us with hope just by calling on Him.

The lepers are also an example of faith for us. Because they believe in the Lord as a man of God, they call on His name. But a greater proof of their faith is the fact that they believe and obey the Lord's word. The Lord does not heal them immediately but does so when they are on their way to present themselves to the priests. At that time, the Law of Moses required priests to officially state when someone with leprosy had been healed.

These lepers believe the Lord's word, commanding them to set out even though their disease has not yet disappeared. They believe they will be cured once they arrive. They have complete faith in the Lord's word, which will not disappoint them.

Speaking of faith, on another occasion the Lord said that if we had faith as small as a mustard seed, then we would see miracles in our lives. The Lord asks that we make a small initial contribution so that He can do greater things. The lepers' contribution is to set out on their journey, obeying the Lord's command in faith. Pope Francis said, “Faith calls for journey, a ‘going out’ from ourselves, and it can work wonders if we abandon our comforting certainties, if we leave our safe harbors and our cozy nests. Faith advances when we make our way equipped with trust in God.”

Now, among the ten lepers, there is one who has greater faith. He is the leper who returns to give thanks to the Lord. The nine ungrateful lepers have an imperfect faith. They are focused on themselves, waiting to ask for the next grace. Many of us live like them.

The grateful leper has perfect faith. Although he asks for a favor for himself, deep down he seeks a personal encounter with the Lord. The Lord tells him, “Your faith has saved you.” This leper is not only healed but saved. The other nine lepers seek only to be healed in body. This other one seeks to be saved. He achieves this through his faith, which is an encounter with the Lord. And that personal encounter is what heals not only his skin but especially his heart. Only a personal encounter with the Lord saves us. Pope Francis said in this regard, “Whenever we meet Jesus, the word “thanks” comes immediately to our lips, because we have discovered the most important thing in life, which is not to receive a grace or resolve a problem, but to embrace the Lord of life.” 

The word “Eucharist” means “Thanksgiving.” We go to Mass because we are spontaneously moved to thank the Lord for all He does for us, not just physically, but mainly spiritually. We will never tire of thanking God for the gift of salvation, for His eternal love for us. Let us humbly ask the Lord to give us a grateful heart so that we may find our joy in giving thanks.