As the Church celebrates the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jenny Kraska offers her thoughts on the day’s Gospel reading.
By Jenny Kraska *
As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, He encounters ten lepers who cry out from a distance: “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” In their desperation, they do not ask for healing directly, but for mercy – a plea that reveals the depth of their faith and their awareness of their own brokenness. Jesus sends them to the priest, and as they go, they are cleansed. Yet only one, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks and to glorify God.
This Gospel passage is one of the most poignant stories about gratitude in all of Scripture. It reminds us that God’s blessings are never meant to end with us; they are meant to return to Him in thanksgiving. The nine who went on their way received healing, but the one who returned received something far greater: a relationship. When Jesus says, “Your faith has saved you,” He reveals that salvation is not merely physical restoration – it is communion with God, born of faith and gratitude.
As we reflect on this week’s Gospel, the Church also celebrates a significant moment in her own history. October 11 marks the Feast of St. John XXIII, and it was on this day in 1962 that he opened the Second Vatican Council, a moment of profound renewal and hope for the Church and the world. St. John XXIII’s spirit – gentle, joyful, and deeply rooted in trust – illuminates the meaning of today’s Gospel.
John XXIII lived his faith with a simple yet profound trust in God’s goodness. He once said, “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential.” This attitude of hopeful gratitude transforms how we see the world. The Samaritan leper could have focused on the years of isolation and suffering, but instead, he focused on the miracle of healing – and that focus led him back to Christ. Each of us must learn to see our lives not through the lens of what is lacking, but through the abundance of what God has done and continues to do.
This Gospel also reminds us that faith and gratitude are inseparable. The lepers were healed as they went – their faith moved them forward before they saw the results. Likewise, gratitude completes faith by bringing us back to God in thanksgiving. In our own lives, we are often like the nine who rush ahead, forgetting to return and give thanks. Yet the Eucharist – our central act of worship – literally means “thanksgiving.” Each Mass invites us to be like that one grateful leper: to fall a Jesus’ feet and glorify God for the blessings we have received.
This week let the Gospel remind us that gratitude opens the heart to grace, faith leads us to action, and blessing is meant to draw us ever closer to Christ. And when we return to give thanks, we too will hear Him say: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
* Jenny Kraska is the Executive Director of the Maryland Catholic Conference
