Evening Prayer Lay Homily by parishioner, Raymond Krystyniak - 11.13.2013 Today’s reading from Luke we have 10 lepers healed but only 1 returning to praise God and thanking Jesus for the healing. Why only one returning to Christ and how can I relate to this lack of gratitude and praise from the other 9? More importantly, in which group do I find myself? There are two thoughts that come to mind on the nine that did not return; either they did as Jesus told them and went to the temple or they went about their way to pick up a new life. One is commendable, that is obedient, but the other very human. Which happened? We’re not told in the story. All we’re told is that only one returned and that he was a foreigner, a Samaritan. His motivation is not told either, though it is stated that he came back to praise the God of Abraham, and thank the son of David, and then followed Jesus as one His disciples. By relating the story in this manner the Samaritan is acclaiming God and by Jesus’ ability to heal he is proclaiming the divinity and the fulfillment of scriptures of Jesus as the Messiah. How can I incorporate this story into my own life? I believe God wants me to be praising and thanking Him for the many blessings He has given me. Often I forget to praise and thank God and merely go about my life as if I deserved the blessings (healings). More often I don’t even recognize they are being given to me. And at times I don’t want to recognize the blessings because they’re not presented as I want them to be granted. This is a painful thing to admit but a truthful statement for me. Let me give an example. I continue to have flashbacks and nightmares from my war experiences, especially the parts where I see myself killing someone. I want these memories to disappear and allow me to go on with my life. Since that’s not what is happening I forget to look at the many blessings I receive on a daily basis opting instead to focus on the things unfulfilled and therefore not praising and thanking God. That hardly seems like the very action that God wants of me. Even in my two thoughts of the nine lepers that did not return, in both cases they apparently recognized their healing. I seem to be stuck in the “what am I looking for” in my healing? Am I asking for what I need, as the ten lepers did, or am I asking for one particular thing but really expecting something different? I am not quite sure how to answer that question. I do know that asking forgiveness and receiving absolution is not leaving me with the feeling of being healed. That sounds to me a lot like having little or no faith in God, and I surely do not want to be in that space. Pray with me, God grant me the insight to do more praising and the willingness to accomplish this. Help me to know Your constant presence in my life. Help me to approach You first with a grateful and thankful heart, trusting You as did the ten lepers as they walked away to the temple. Help me sing my continual praises to You by how I treat others in my life. Help me to have faith in Your healing ways. Help me remember that, as in Hebrews 11:1, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Amen
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 16:00:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015