Today’s gospel reading (Lk 17:11-19) repeats one proclaimed recently because this is Thanksgiving.  Jesus encounters ten lepers begging for pity.  He tells them to show themselves to the priests and they are cured on the way.  Only a Samaritan from the group returns to thank Jesus.  Jesus wonders where the others are and then dismisses this man telling him that he has been saved because of his faith.  Like this healed man we should turn (or return if we’ve been away for awhile) to Jesus, falling on our knees before Him to thank Him for all He has given us and all He has done for us.  We can do this in a special way before the tabernacle or at an adoration table where Christ is really present in a mode par excellence.  But our grateful response should not be confined to only those occasions.  We do well to make it a habit to thank God throughout the day — and not only for things that go our way.  Gratitude for trials, struggles, and pain is inconceivable to the world and a challenge for us but, when recognized as an opportunity to grow in faith (remember the father of the possessed boy: “I do believe, help my unbelief!” — Mk 9:24) and share in the redemptive suffering of Christ (“offer it up” was and remains good advice), it will increasingly flow naturally and freely from us. Jesus understands, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15).

Near Jerusalem, Jesus tells His listeners the Parable of the Ten Gold Coins in response to speculation that the Kingdom of God would appear imminently (Lk 19:11-28).  In the story, a nobleman goes off to be king.  Before leaving he entrusts some servants with gold coins explicitly telling them he expects a profit.  Upon his return the first two show a handsome profit so they are put in charge of a number of cities.  The third did nothing with the money given to him and he is reproved for it, with his coin being given to the one who gave the most in return.  In reply to those who question this, the new king relays the line at top, while saying those who have little will even have that taken away.  Then he orders those who opposed his kingship to be slaughtered in front of him.  Then Jesus proceeded to Jerusalem.  Isn’t it the case that the more we give, the more we profit from it?  Counter-intuitive to a “me first” mindset that is all too prevalent, yet this paradox proves true in lived experience.  Maybe it’s playing with the kids when you are almost too tired to move.  Or it could be volunteering at your church when you’d just like to stay in for the evening.  Possibly it’s denying oneself a really desirable luxury in order to donate more to a worthy cause.  What about that time we set aside for prayer which seems like the last thing we feel can do “properly” if at all.  In every one of these cases and countless more like them we often find immediate gratification and even joy in giving — from which we gain much more than we sacrifice.  And those times when the effort seems to yield little or no fruit (at least initially) we can simply take solace in knowing that we are doing God’s will for which He honors us now and, if we remain steadfast, with an ultimate reward that is the highest one can receive.

Jesus, going through Jericho, encounters Zacchaeus, a short tax collector who desires to see Jesus so much that he climbs a tree to do so (Lk 19:1-10).  Jesus speaks to him in the tree, telling him to come down since He plans to stay with him that day.  Upon descending Zacchaeus vows to give half his possession to the poor and to restore those he cheated four-fold.  In response Jesus tells him that he has found salvation as one of the lost descendants of Abraham who is now found.  We are told that Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus thus he put forth extraordinary effort to see Him.  Little did He know that it was Jesus seeking, and finding, him.  And when he is found, he receives Jesus with great joy, as we read in the headline.  Jesus is forever seeking the lost sheep, those who have gone astray, those who have left the safety of the sheepfold to follow errant ways.  When Jesus breaks through the barriers we put up, when we encounter Him in a special way, do we receive Him with joy?  Are we, like Zacchaeus, able to give up those things we possess (or rather, that possess us) so that salvation will come to us as well?  And, as with this tax collector again, are we able to not only restore our broken relationships but make them into our most treasured friendships?  Let us never fail to receive Jesus with joy as He appears to us in our fellow men and most especially as He condescends to be with us in the miraculous gift of the Eucharist so that we also will be saved and will bring others along as well.

A blind beggar on the roadside near Jericho finds out that Jesus is passing by and calls out to Him louder and louder (despite being told to be quiet by those around him) to have pity on him (Lk 18:35-43).   Jesus has him brought over and asks what the blind man wants of Him.  He asks to regain his sight and Jesus grants it because of his faith.  The man then begins to follow Jesus, glorifying God along with all who witnessed this miraculous event.  Focusing on the line at top, we, like the mendicant should be begging continuously for sight from God.  This is the correct disposition in relation to the Lord.  All true wisdom and insight comes from God.  As sinners, we all, in various degrees, are blind.  Recall the words of Jesus about removing the wooden beam from our eyes in order to make right judgments (Mt 7:4), or His admonition of the Pharisees as being blind even though they claim to see clearly (Jn 9:41), or His rebuke of those same Pharisees as blind guides (Mt 15:14 and 23:24) due to their sinful ways.  Sin and vice obscure or, worse, distort the truth.  As we pray and work to eliminate transgressions against God and neighbor reality comes more and more into focus.  This truth, manifesting itself in humility, allows us to recognize our actual status before God (everything we have and are comes from Him) and our proper relation to neighbor (love and service).  Let us be supplicants continuously before the Lord, asking for real (in)sight in this world and the next.

Continuing the Sunday readings through Mark (13:24-32) Jesus continues to expound upon the end times.  Here He tells His disciples that the sun and moon will be darkened and the stars will fall just before the Son of Man returns sending His angels out to gather the elect.  Jesus uses the fig tree to teach a lesson: Just as they know the season that the fig tree sprouts they should also know the time when Jesus will again draw near — and it will happen before the current generation is completely gone.  He then speaks the line above before saying that only God the Father knows the precise time of these occurrences.  Jesus’ words — the words of the Word — are very powerful.  So powerful, in fact, that they will outlast all creation.  Since that is so, how much more seriously should we take Sacred Scripture in our lives.  How we live or don’t live these words has everlasting consequences since the Word is eternal.   The Bible should be an integral part of our lives as it is the perfect “self-help” book for daily living.  Time should be devoted each day, ideally in the context of the Mass, but not limited to that celebration.  These words of wisdom help us on our earthly journey, guiding us through the joys and sufferings, trials and tribulations of life.  The reader will be surprised how often the chosen excerpt precisely is something he needed to hear or applies directly to a particular situation of difficulty.  Over time, scripture becomes part of the devoted reader and then he can apply it to any number of different life situations of his own as well as being able to provide sage advice to those facing challenges or struggles to which they can see no solution.  Jesus said: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk 12:49)   Let’s do our part to add the kindling.

As Jesus continues His journey to Jerusalem (Lk 17:11-19) he encounters ten lepers who plead with Him (above).  He tells them to go to the priests and along the way they are healed.  The only one to return to thank Him is the Samaritan in the group, a foreigner.  Jesus comments on this and then tells him that his faith has saved him.  As is so often the case, the words of figures in the gospel can be applied to us today.  Asking Jesus to pity us poor sinners should be at least a daily practice of ours.  Glorifying God for His gifts to us, thanking Jesus for healing us, as the poor Samaritan immediately did, should be our reaction as well.  All we have comes from God.  Our salvation is effected because of Jesus’ Paschal Mystery.  How can we be anything but grateful, even when things seem to be going against us?  “My grace is sufficient for you” Christ said to Paul and to us (2 Cor 12:9).  Ultimately, all that matters is that we are in the state of grace when the Lord calls us to Him.  So we should never not be in that state for we “know neither the day nor the hour” of our deaths (Mt 25:13).  Then Jesus will say to us, as He said to the Samaritan: “Your faith has saved you.”

Jesus’ closing line (above) in today’s excerpt from Luke (17:7-10) is explained to the Apostles through the use of a parable.  Jesus asks them to put themselves in the place of a master whose servant has done precisely his duties.  This servant has no right to be thanked and does not get special treatment at dinner time, but rather must wait on the master, as is his job, until the master is finished eating.  So they are to have the same attitude in their work for the Lord.  And so are we.  This was an important lesson in humility for Jesus’ followers then as it has been throughout the ages.  God has a plan for each person.  We are obligated to come to know His will in our lives and follow it as closely as possible, continuously asking for enlightenment on the path and grace to do the good.  Since all we have comes from God and since He has commnaded us to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48) how can we possibly exalt ourselves?  All we have to do is recall Paul’s words: “[A]ll have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23) to recognize our status.  But we are obliged to do that which the Lord has set aside for us to do and we must never be discouraged in doing so but rather we must embrace our role with great joy.  May we always strive to know and fulfill God’s will as faithful servants of His in building up the Kingdom.

Back to Mark (12:38-44), Jesus warns the crowd He is teaching about the scribes.  These men love the special greetings and honors they receive, Jesus says, yet they treat widows poorly — thus they will receive condemnation.  Going then to look at the treasury, Jesus calls His disciples over and has them observe persons contributing donations.  In particular He points out a poor widow who drops in next to nothing, but it is all that she has.  Jesus tells them that she has given more than all the others who have given out of their surplus.  While this is certainly a call to us to be as generous with our treasure (and time and talent), it also should bring to mind how much we are like the widow described in this gospel passage.  We have more earthly means than she does, but we are just as poor — poor sinners that is.  This serves as a reminder that all we have is a gift from God and He deserves it all back.  We are to contribute our “whole livelihood” as well.  If there is a part of us we reserve for ourselves that does not honor God (whether some worldly pleasure or comfortable vice), we are called to give that up.  It has been said that if God is not Lord of our whole lives he is not Lord at all.  How true!  We must desire with our whole beings to have Jesus point us out to the angels and saints, saying to them that we have contributed everything to Him.

Continuing Markan readings on Sundays (Mk 12:28b-34), today we find Jesus being approached by a scribe.  The latter asks Jesus what the first commandment is.  Jesus responds with two commandments: first, love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength; second, love your neighbor as yourself.  The scribe concurs, adding that following these commandments is worth more than all sacrifices.  Jesus approves of his understanding, telling him the words above.  No one asks any more questions.  What blessed words these must have been for the scribe to hear.  And don’t we wish to hear the same?  How well do we understand and follow the clear commands of Sacred Scripture?  Do we have the insight that comes through prayer and study to fully comprehend the Good News of Jesus Christ?  Are we able to convey it to other in word?  More powerfully a witness, do we strive to be more fully open to the grace that allows us to do good and exemplify virtue to others?  Of course, at our deaths, we wish to hear Jesus tell us to enter into His joy (cf. Mt 25:21, 23).  But Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mt 4:17).  We want to be close to that kingdom as co-workers with Christ in the vineyard of the world (cf. Rom 16:3-16), toiling daily to be better subjects and to be the means the Lord uses to bring others into His reign as He desires no man to die (cf. Ez 18:23).

Luke 14 (1, 7-11) begins with Jesus’ dining at the home of a leading Pharisee.  This passage of the gospel comes immediately after Jesus cures a man of dropsy after inquiring if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath.  Now Jesus admonishes the other guests as He observes them vying for places of honor at table.  He tells a parable of a man who takes the highest seat at a wedding feast but, to his embarrassment, is asked to move to the lowest spot when others come who outrank him.  The lesson, Jesus says, is to take the lowest place so that the host will ask you to move up, gaining esteem from all present.  He closes with the line at top.  Humility is key in all circumstances, because it is the first virtue introduced when God became man.  God begins as an embryo in the womb of a poor girl from nowhere, is destined to live a simple life of hard work and meager means followed by a ministry filled with many challenges and difficulties that will quickly end up in brutal torture and death.  Through it all, He “did not regard equality with God something to be grasped” (Phil 2:6).  We make ourselves like God not by grasping at divinity, making a god of ourselves, but by imitating the One who was like us in all things but sin (cf. Heb 4:15 and 2 Cor 5:21).  Take this attitude to work, to school, at the dinner table, with friends, when alone.  And in so doing, remember that we are not called to demean ourselves unjustly (a false humility that stems from pride) but rather we are to acknowledge the truth: “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” (Lk 17:10).