In this week’s Gospel week’s Luke tells us about ten people suffering from leprosy who were healed by Jesus, but only one of them came back to say 'thank you'. Many people with this illness lose all of their fingers and toes because of the disease. It’s very painful. People with leprosy couldn't get too close to others for fear of spreading the illness. They were total outcasts from society.

Once again the Gospel tells us about the importance of faith. The man who returned to praise and thank God is a Samaritan. In the Jewish circles in which Jesus lived, Samaritans were looked down upon because of the differences between the two communities.

Another lesson for us in this Gospel has to do with salvation. All 10 of the lepers were given the gift of healing, but in his gratitude to God for this gift, the Samaritan found salvation. Our salvation is found in recognising the gifts we have been given and using them wisely as well as knowing when to be grateful and who to say ‘thank you’ to.

This is not just a lesson about what the other nine lepers should have done. It is also a lesson for how we are to live our lives every day. Our lives are a gift from God, and the time that we have been given on this earth belongs to God. We are stewards, or caretakers, of that time.

Mrs Darwin
STCCAT Chaplain

For more reflections and thoughts on how we can live out the Gospel please see our Chaplaincy page.