The glory of God is open to all who have faith

Let us share the word of God this Sunday with the sisters of the Carmel of Frileuse, located in Essonne, on the outskirts of Paris.

Understanding

The expression “glorifying God” does not seem to raise any questions, and it may not receive much attention. To God alone is the glory!

However, it is interesting to note that Luke uses it more than Matthew and Mark in his Gospel — often in passages of his own — as in the Acts of the Apostles.

The first people who glorify God are the shepherds (Luke 2); shepherds are considered marginal in Israel, because they cannot keep all the observances of the law.

Then, in Chapter 5, the paralyzed, forgiven and healed person gives glory to God with all those who were there; shortly afterwards, all give glory to God when Jesus resurrects the only son of a widow (Luke 7). Then, it is the bent woman whom Jesus freed from her infirmity that gives glory to God (Luke 13).

And we come to the last use of the expression, in this Sunday’s Gospel. One of the 10 purified lepers, a Samaritan, retraces his steps to give glory to God. Luke has a predilection for the poor and the little ones; he likes to present them to us, giving glory to God for the wonders he accomplishes in their lives.

Meditating

The Gospel today presents us with the healing of 10 lepers and contrasts the Samaritan, who went back to glorify God and give thanks to Jesus, with the nine others who, probably, simply went to show themselves to the priests at Jesus’ request. They were the priests who were empowered to declare someone healed and reintegrate them into society.

The 10 lepers begged Jesus to take pity on them, shouting at him and calling him “master,” while standing at a distance as the law required.

Jesus, with discretion and delicacy, does not enjoin them to approach, he respects their distance and puts himself as if he were in the background by simply telling them: “Go and show yourself to the priests. ” And, at the word of Jesus, they did not hesitate to leave, without even waiting for their healing, in a total act of faith.

Among them was a stranger, a Samaritan; usually the Jews had no relationship with the Samaritans, whom they despised, but these 10 men were walking together and clearly bound by the same misfortune.

Perhaps the social status of this Samaritan, being doubly despised, gave him a greater awareness that healing was not a right, but a free gift from God through Jesus. He alone makes the path in the opposite direction, glorifying God in full voice.

He takes one more step toward Jesus, prostrating himself before Him and giving Him thanks as he did to his God. He recognizes it as the source of his healing that could only come from God.

Then Jesus, too, went one step further by saying to him: “Rise up and go: your faith has saved you.”

Not only is this man purified and reintegrated into his people, but he is also risen, he can go free, live the new life offered by Jesus.

Jesus recognizes in him the faith that brings salvation, he withdraws himself again: healing and salvation have passed through this man’s act of faith.