In this reading, a phrase that quietly captures my attention is, “when he saw that he was healed”. All ten of them had been healed, but only this one noticed. It’s almost as if the other nine were so used to disappointment, to resigning themselves to bad outcomes, to plodding through life with little hope that things would get better, they didn’t even recognize what Jesus had done. The one had such faith in what Jesus was about to do, he was on the lookout for when it would happen.
Sometimes we have a tendency to go through life looking for confirmation that things are as bad as we think they are, that people are as awful as they seem, that nothing will ever be good again. We offer prayers for God to bring healing or peace with little hope that it will actually happen.
What if, like that one leper, we had complete faith in what Jesus could do? What if we were constantly on the lookout for healing that is already taking place – healing of bodies or of minds, of relationships or of spirits, of individuals or of groups or of whole societies? How else could we respond but to give thanks and praise?
Today, think of at least three examples of healing or improvement in yours or someone else’s life. Offer a prayer of thanks for each example.
