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By Sr. Barbara Finch

The readings for this Sunday:

2 Kings 5:14-17

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Luke 17:11-19

The Scripture for the celebration of our Sunday liturgy truly
challenges us to proclaim and believe as the Psalmist bids us "God has
revealed to the nations God's saving power." Our God is the God of all
nations and all peoples, no matter what faith tradition, spirituality,
culture, or race. I wonder at times whether we as a Church have become
too complacent, too matter-of fact, or to familiar about our faith, that
Jesus has become virtually absent from our lives. We as Catholic
Christians claim to be followers of Jesus and yet how often do we fail
to be his true presence to the other person or experience his presence
in the other person.

Many Catholics have falsely learned that salvation comes only
through belief in Jesus in and through the Catholic Church. Our
compassionate and merciful Divine Parent would never create a human
being according to the image of God only to then damn that same
person.

The Hebrew Scripture and the Gospel for Sunday gives us some
insight to the expansiveness of God's inclusive heart. In each reading
we find an individual not considered among the chosen but one who is
called foreigner. In each instance the individual comes to know God
fully by being healed of their leprosy. Naaman in 2Kings and the
Samaritan leper in Luke go forth living lives of profound gratitude
while glorifying God continually.

Perhaps, our Scripture bids us to come to know Jesus more
intimately by opening our hearts to the stranger or the foreigner. It
maybe the Jew, Moslem, Hindu, or Buddhist that shows us the face of
Jesus. Jesus always welcomes the stranger into his presence . If we are
to be like Jesus we will do the same.

2Timothy reminds us that the "Word of God is not chained." Let us
commit ourselves anew to seek the Word of God in all people and live as
one Church.