28th Sunday In Ordinary Time -
A Reflection By Fr. Leo
Practicing religion can point us in the direction of what is good, but it cannot of itself make us loving. We see this clearly in today’s gospel of the ten lepers. Jesus cured all ten. The nine Jews who were cured did what the law directed. They showed themselves to the priest. Only the one not accustomed to the law, a foreigner, came to Jesus to express his gratitude.
The same can be said for going to church every day. In itself it won’t make us holy. In fact it could make us self-righteous and judgmental. I’ve seen this several times. The most blatant case involved the parents of a gay man dying of aids. The parents had disowned their son. While he was dying they paid a cold and cordial visit and never came back for their son’s funeral. They wanted to keep their good name in their church where they went to daily mass.
Sad when religion can be used against one’s own children. This is the issue with fundamentalists of any faith. It is bad “religion” that keeps them from love and leads them to acts of hatred. Only when love comes first can Christ be recognized in our behavior toward one another. Today, let us be people who are willing to live our faith in a way that knows when the letter of the law comes second and the love of Christ comes first.
May God bless us, help us to know what love requires, and grant us the courage put God’s love in action!