“Ten lepers stood at a distance from Jesus and raised their voices, saying,  ‘Jesus, Master!  Have pity on us!’  He said to them,  ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’  As they were going they were cleansed.  And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. . .  Jesus said in reply,  ‘Ten were cleansed, were they not?  Where are the other nine? . . .’ Then he said to him, ‘Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.'”  Luke 17:11-19

The one leper returned because, as Jesus explains, he had an inner faith, not only in God but also in his own worthiness to be in the presence of his Healer. The others (almost all of those healed!), had deeper maladies that prevented their return. And wouldn’t we expect this to be the case since they were shunned, rejected and forced to live on the edges of society?  How do we heal the interior damage caused by “man’s inhumanity to man”?  How do we heal those whose ability to connect with others has been wounded by real or perceived past or present rejections?

As we go forth from Mass back into our everyday lives, let us focus on being more open to perceiving signs of woundedness in ourselves and in others. May we let God heal us and work through us to help others restore their faith in God and their faith in their worthiness to be in the presence of this God.

Sister Loretta Fernandez RSM