28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

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28th
Sunday in Ordinary Time C
October 13, 2013
In preparation for this Sunday’s Liturgy
As aid in focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

1st
reading: 2 Kings 5,14-17
 14 Naaman went down and plunged into the
Jordan seven times at the word of the man of
God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a
little child, and he was clean. 5 He returned with
his whole retinue to the man of God. On his
arrival he stood before him and said, "Now I know
that there is no God in all the earth, except in
Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant." 16
"As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take
it," Elisha replied; and despite Naaman's urging,
he still refused. 17 Naaman said: "If you will not
accept, please let me, your servant, have two
mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer
holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to
the LORD. The focus is on gratitude.

1st
Naaman, the leper, obeys the prophet
 14 Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven
times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became
again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Thanksgiving of Naaman
 15 He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.
On his arrival he stood before him and said, "Now I know
that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.
Please accept a gift from your servant." 16 "As the LORD
lives whom I serve, I will not take it," Elisha replied; and
despite Naaman's urging, he still refused. 17 Naaman
said: "If you will not accept, please let me, your servant,
have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer
holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the
LORD.
A simple outline!

Textual Context of 2 Kings 5,14-17
Outline of the Book of Kings (Boadt)
1 Kings 1-2 The end of the “Successive Narrative” with
Solomon winning the kingship
1 Kings 3-11 The reign of Solomon
1 Kings 12-16 The early days of the Divided Monarchy
1 Kings 17—2 Kings 8 The prophetic stories of Elijah and Elisha
during the days of the Aramean Wars
2 Kings 9-17 The History of the Divided Monarchy up to the
fall of Samaria in 722-721 BC.
2 Kings 18-25 The history of Judah from the end of the Northern
Kingdom to the Exile in Babylon and the Fall of
Jerusalem in 586. The last incident occurs in 562.

1st
Naaman, the leper, obeys the
prophet
 14 Naaman went down
and plunged into the
Jordan seven times at the
word of the man of God.
His flesh became again
like the flesh of a little
child, and he was clean.
Thanksgiving of Naaman
 15 He returned with his
whole retinue to the man of
God. On his arrival he
stood before him and said,
"Now I know that there is
no God in all the earth,
except in Israel. Please
accept a gift from your
servant."
Commentary
 V.14: Naaman, a Syrian king, a
leper, asks help from Elisha.
 He obeys Elisha, the man of God,
who commands him to plunge into
the River Jordan 7x.
 The result: He is cleansed / healed.
 V.15: Naaman returns to Elisha.
 Naaman articulates his realization.
 There is no God on earth except in
Israel.
 He acknowledges the God of Israel,
not his god or other gods.
 Naaman also offers a gift (as a
thanksgiving) to Elisha.
 Naaman shows humility. He
considers himself “your servant” to
the prophet.
 He becomes a humble king.

1st
16 "As the LORD lives whom I serve, I
will not take it," Elisha replied;
and despite Naaman's urging, he
still refused. 17 Naaman said: "If
you will not accept, please let me,
your servant, have two mule-
loads of earth, for I will no longer
offer holocaust or sacrifice to any
other god except to the LORD.
 In v.16, Elisha does not
accept Naaman’s gift.
 He is adamant in rejecting the
gift. Why?
 The text does not say.
 But the refusal of Elisha
moves Naaman to have two-
mule loads of earth with a
promise not to offer any more
holocaust (burnt sacrifice)
except to the God of Israel,
the God of Elisha. V.17
 Out of this Israelite earth, he
will erect in Aram an altar of
the God of Israel.
 What a conversion!

Reflections on the 1st
reading
 We are all in need of healing.
 We each have a bout of our own diseases
(physical, psychological or spiritual).
 We need God to heal us through his instruments
(doctors, counselors, psychiatrists, spiritual directors,
good friends, etc.).
 Have we experienced healing?
 In many ways, we sure have been healed.
 Are we thankful to God for having intervened in
our lives?
 How do we show our gratitude to him?

Resp. Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
 R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving
power.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.
 2 The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

3 All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
4 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:
break into song; sing praise.

Resp. Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
 R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to
the nations his saving power.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for
him, his holy arm.
 2 The LORD has made his salvation
known:
in the sight of the nations he has
revealed his justice.
3 He has remembered his kindness
and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

3 All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
4 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you
lands:
break into song; sing praise.
Commentary
V.1 exhorts us to render new songs
to the Lord, as a response to all his
wonderful deeds.
V.1 also acknowledges God as
victorious (over his/our enemies).
In v.2, the psalmist declares that God
makes known his salvation and justice
to all. He displays his power to the
nations.
In v.3, the psalmist believes that God
is a remembering God. God
remembers his kindness and
faithfulness to his people Israel.
The psalmist also speaks for all the
people, saying all have experienced
God’s salvation.

Reflections on the Psalm
 God is for all peoples.
 He cannot be monopolized by a small group of people.
 If God is for all and he shows his power to all, all must
render him due recognition and thanksgiving.
 We, Christians, must be at the forefront in
acknowledging, praising and thanking God.
 Can you show your gratitude to God with your
community?

2nd
reading: 2 Timothy 2,8-13
 8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead,
a descendant of David: such is my gospel, 9 for
which I am suffering, even to the point of chains,
like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained.
10 Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake
of those who are chosen, so that they too may
obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory. 11 This saying is
trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also
live with him; 12 if we persevere we shall also
reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us.
13 If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he
cannot deny himself.
The focus is on remembering Jesus Christ.

2nd
The imperative to Timothy
 8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a
descendant of David: such is my gospel,
 9 for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a
criminal.
 But the word of God is not chained.
 10 Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are
chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ
Jesus, together with eternal glory.
What happens if we remember Jesus Christ?
 11 This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we
shall also live with him; 12 if we persevere we shall also
reign with him.
 But if we deny him he will deny us. 13 If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
A simple outline!

Textual Context of 2 Timothy 2,8-13
Salutation, 1,1-2
Exhortation to courageous witness on the basis of Paul’s
example, 1,3—2,13
Behavior toward heretics, 2,14—4,8
Paul’s personal situation, 4,9-18
Greetings, 4,19-22

2nd
 8 Remember Jesus Christ,
raised from the dead, a
descendant of David: such is my
gospel,
 9 for which I am suffering, even
to the point of chains, like a
criminal.
 But the word of God is not
chained.
 10 Therefore, I bear with
everything for the sake of those
who are chosen, so that they
too may obtain the salvation
that is in Christ Jesus, together
with eternal glory.
What happens if we remember
Jesus Christ?
 11 This saying is trustworthy: If
we have died with him we shall
also live with him; 12 if we
persevere we shall also reign
with him.
 But if we deny him he will deny
us. 13 If we are unfaithful he
remains faithful, for he cannot
deny himself.
Commentary
 In v.8, Paul exhorts Timothy, the
church leader, (bishop of Ephesus) to
remember Jesus Christ. Why? Did
Timothy forget him?
 In reminding Timothy, his “disciple,”
Paul also says who Jesus is:
 Raised from the dead
 A descendant of David
 His gospel
 Cause of his sufferings, chains, being
treated like a criminal. V.9 (now in
prison)
 Paul says the Word of God is not
chained.
 In v.10, Paul continues to bear
sufferings so that the chosen ones will
be saved too.
 Salvation is brought about by Jesus.

2nd
 8 Remember Jesus Christ,
raised from the dead, a
descendant of David: such is my
gospel,
 9 for which I am suffering, even
to the point of chains, like a
criminal.
 But the word of God is not
chained.
 10 Therefore, I bear with
everything for the sake of those
who are chosen, so that they
too may obtain the salvation
that is in Christ Jesus, together
with eternal glory.
What happens if we remember
Jesus Christ?
 11 This saying is trustworthy: If
we have died with him we shall
also live with him; 12 if we
persevere we shall also reign
with him.
 But if we deny him he will deny
us. 13 If we are unfaithful he
remains faithful, for he cannot
deny himself.
 In vv.11-13, we find a series of
conditional clauses (introduced by if’s)
which highlight Christian destiny.
 V.11 talks about dying and living
with Jesus (in baptism).
 V.12 talks about the reward of
persevering in our baptismal
vows. We will reign with him.
 The opposite of perseverance
here is denial, to renege on our
baptismal commitments. V.12
 In v.13, we may be unfaithful but
Jesus remains faithful. He does
not change.

Reflections on the 2nd
reading
 If you are a church leader (bishop), it does not
mean you don’t need reminding anymore.
 The church leader must always think of Jesus
Christ, must center her/his life on him.
 Remembering Jesus means re-living his
passion, death and resurrection.
 Remembering Jesus is the main point of our
leadership. Leadership does not end with our
successful plans and programs.
 Remembering leads to thanksgiving.

Gospel reading: Luke 17,11-19
 11 As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled
through Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was entering a
village, ten lepers met (him). They stood at a distance
from him 13 and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus,
Master! Have pity on us!" 14 And when he saw them, he
said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were
going they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, realizing
he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud
voice; 16 and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked
him. He was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said in reply, "Ten
were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?
18 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to
God?" 19 Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your
faith has saved you."
The focus is on gratefulness.

Setting: Journey to Jerusalem
 11 As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled
through Samaria and Galilee.
The 10 lepers
 12 As he was entering a village, ten lepers met (him). They
stood at a distance from him 13 and raised their voice,
saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" 14 And when he
saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As
they were going they were cleansed.
The 1 leper, a Samaritan
 15 And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at
the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 18 Has none but this foreigner
returned to give thanks to God?" 19 Then he said to him,
"Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
A simple outline!

Textual Context of Luke 17,11-19
 16,1-8a The Parable of the Dishonest Steward
 16,8b-13 Application of the Parable
 16,14-18 A Saying Against the Pharisees
 16, 19-31 The Rich Man and Lazarus
 17,1-10 Some sayings of Jesus
 17,11-19 Jesus Cleanses the Ten Lepers
 17,20-37 The Coming of the Kingdom
 18,1-8 The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge
The reading belongs to the long travel narrative of Jesus starting from
Galilea through Samaria to Jerusalem.

 11 As he continued his journey to
Jerusalem, he traveled through
Samaria and Galilee.
The 10 lepers
 12 As he was entering a village, ten
lepers met (him). They stood at a
distance from him 13 and raised
their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master!
Have pity on us!" 14 And when he
saw them, he said, "Go show
yourselves to the priests." As they
were going they were cleansed.
 15 And one of them, realizing he had
been healed, returned, glorifying God
in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at the
feet of Jesus and thanked him. He
was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said in
reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they
not? Where are the other nine? 18
Has none but this foreigner returned
to give thanks to God?" 19 Then he
said to him, "Stand up and go; your
Commentary
 In v.11 Jesus continues his journey to
Jerusalem.
 He traverses through Galilee and
Samaria (the text inverts the order).
 V.12 introduces the 10 lepers. They
seem to be organized and know their
limitations.
 Together they stand at a distance.
 In v.13, together they raise their voice in
chorus.
 V.14 presents the response of Jesus.
Instead of saying, “Come here,” he says
“Go to the priests…”
 Jesus asks them to present themselves
to the priests in Jerusalem (probably as
a sign that something is happening. The
priests must be able to interpret
correctly their healing).
 They obey and are cleansed.
 The kingdom of God is at hand.

The 10 lepers
 In v.15, one of the lepers is on focus.
 He returns and glorifies God in a
loud voice (full volume). He sees the
hand of God in his healing.
 He worships Jesus and thanks him.
V.16
 This cleansed leper is specified as a
Samaritan.
 What’s so important about specifying
this one as a Samaritan?
 The Jews and the Samaritans do not
like each other for religious and
historical reasons.
 The least expected person comes
back to give thanks.

The 10 lepers
 In v.17, Jesus accounts those who
are cleansed. Where are the
others?
 What happened to them? Are they
not healed?
 V.18 picks up the important
elements of vv.15-16 (returned,
thanked).
 In v.19, Jesus makes him stand
and go. Jesus affirms his faith.

Reflections on the gospel reading
 Gratefulness is an important characteristic of the
Christian.
 To be grateful is to go back to Jesus, the source of
healing and blessing.
 Gratefulness should come out spontaneously.
 We should not delay (postpone) giving thanks.
 There is no excuse for us not to be thankful.

Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm
 The first reading talks about thanksgiving, after the
healing/cleansing.
 The psalm acknowledges God’s salvation to all.
 The second reading talks about remembering Jesus to
whom we owe our salvation (paving the way to
thanksgiving).
 The gospel reading talks about thanksgiving, after
healing.

How to develop your sharing / homily
 Are you a grateful person?
 We, Catholics, offer mass when we graduate from
college, when we pass board exams, and when we get
a new job or when we have a successful operation.
 Many mass offerings in our churches are thanksgiving
masses.
 However, many of us Catholics still have to cultivate the
spirit of gratefulness as taught by the readings.

 The first reading teaches us to be thankful to those who
do us favors. We do not take them for granted.
 They are God’s instruments in bestowing his graces to
us.
 Even if we are in authority (king, president, general,
manager, etc.), we still have to give thanks to those
who are able to help us.
 In the reading, gratefulness is not simply saying “Thank
you,” but making a firm promise to worship the true
God.
 Thanksgiving is not complete when we don’t
acknowledge the power of God or when we don’t
demonstrate our conversion.

 The second reading helps us understand the
theme of thanksgiving.
 The important element here is to remember.
 To be thankful to God, we have to remember
Jesus Christ.
 It is he who brings us salvation.
 We remember the gospel.
 Like Paul, we too suffer for the gospel, that
others may be saved and that they may be
thankful to God too.

 The gospel reading explicitly teaches us to be
grateful.
 We have to be creative in order to be grateful.
 We don’t have to be instructed or commanded
in order to be grateful.
 Gratefulness is a spontaneous exercise of our
faith.
 After receiving a big favor from God and when
you return and give thanks to him, you are
making a very strong statement to others that
the kingdom of God is at hand.
 Gratefulness builds relationships.

 In the family, church and society, we cannot do much
with ungrateful people.
 These people expect you to do a lot of favor to them, as
if it is their right to be supported and you have no
freedom to withhold whatever they want.
 Doing a favor to others is not an obligation.
 It is a free gift. For this we must be thankful.
 Ungratefulness is a sign of being irreligious.
 To the ungrateful, remember that you are pitiful. You
are not at all on top of other people (those who are
supporting you). You are just a pain in their neck.
 Be humble and acknowledge your poverty,
powerlessness, dependence, blunders and un-freedom.
 Be thankful with a beautiful smile.

 The eucharist is the food for the grateful people.
 The word eucharist comes from the Greek
ευχαριστεω, which means “I give thanks.”
 In the eucharist, we give thanks to God for the
gift of salvation.
 In the eucharist, we are showing to the world
that we are a grateful people.

Our Context of Sin and Grace
 Ungrateful
 Walang utang na loob
 Refusal to acknowledge the
goodness of the other
 Makes unnecessary remarks
 Forgets the goodness of the
other when there is a little
misunderstanding
 Easily breaks relationships
 Forgetful of the donor
 Does not have the drive to
attend mass
 Gratefulness
 Thoughtfulness
 Appreciative
 Generous in giving
compliments
 Letter of thanks
 Gestures of thanksgiving
 A simple remembrance
 Goes to mass

Suggested Songs
 You are so good
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spj_5sTiF5Y
 Thank You, Lord (Poy Galeon)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHEMk4AqoMw
 Yours are the Praises (Canticle of Bro. Sun)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUEuzQjA7x8

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

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