Your Faith has Saved You

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 12, 2025

Readings: 2 Kings 5:14–17; Psalm 98:1–4; 2 Timothy 2:8–13; Luke 17:11–19

To listen to my audio-video reflections via YouTube, please click here: https://youtu.be/7_Rqj2U_U4U

Gratitude is the attitude of the heart. Gratitude swells out of the abundance of thankfulness. A grateful heart is joyful, blissful and faithful. Thanksgiving is a beautiful expression of our joy in having received some help or service. That's why everyone loves to hear the word "thanks." Unfortunately, it often remains just lip service. We must be thankful for what we have received. If we received some benefit or help, or assistance from someone, then we must return it more than what we have received. Only a grateful heart is a happy heart. Cultivating such a heart takes energy and effort. The liturgical readings on this 28th Sunday in Ordinary time invite us to be like that Namaan, a Syrian, a non-Jew, a Commander of the Army or that Samaritan leper who thanked God for all the healing they received. They made not only an extra effort to thank the person who healed them, but also continued to proclaim the mighty works of a God whom they did not believe earlier. 

1. Faith demands active listening

In this Sunday’s Gospel Luke 17:11–19, we meet ten lepers standing at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Their disease had separated them from their families, their communities, and even their places of worship. Yet, their cry of faith reaches Jesus — and He hears them. Jesus does not touch them or perform a dramatic miracle. He simply tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they obey, they are healed on the way. Moreover, all ten lepers were healed. God's love and mercy are for all people who are open and willing to receive it, regardless of their background or where they come from.

This is a profound moment of grace: healing comes not just through a touch, but through trust and obedience to the Word of Jesus. They listen to Jesus. When you listen to the right voices, you are blessed, you are made whole. Faith often demands that we walk in hope before seeing the miracle. Out of the ten who are healed, only one turns back. Only one pauses to give thanks. And that one is a Samaritan — a foreigner, someone considered an outsider. He falls at Jesus’ feet, praising God with a loud voice. Gratitude overflows from his heart.

2. Gratitude flows from faith

This one Samaritan leper recognizes that the source of his healing is not merely a ritual but the mercy of Jesus. His gratitude is not a polite gesture; it is a heartfelt act of worship. Many receive blessings, but few return to give thanks. True faith does not stop at receiving; it moves us to acknowledge the Giver. We do not know why the other nine did not return to thank Jesus, the healer. But we do know how easy it is for us to get distracted. To take for granted all the gifts that God has given us. The beauty of creation, the food that we eat, our friends and our family - all that we have comes from God.

Our spiritual journey is often filled with God’s quiet interventions — in moments of protection, provision, healing, and hope. How often do we pause, like the Samaritan, to turn back and say, “Thank you, Lord”? Gratitude is the language of faith. In a world where it is easy to focus on what we lack, the Gospel invites us to return to the Lord again and again in thanksgiving. Gratitude is not a one-time act but a daily posture of the heart.

3. God often works through the unexpected

It was the Samaritan, the outsider, who showed the truest response to grace. God often finds faith in unexpected places. He delights in hearts that are open, humble, and thankful. This challenges us to see God’s work beyond boundaries and to recognize grace in places we might overlook. The other nine were healed, but only the grateful one heard Jesus say, “Your faith has made you well.” Healing restored their bodies, but gratitude brought the Samaritan to the feet of Jesus. So let us turn to God in thanks and praise this week and open our hearts to God's healing love. Filled with gratitude and joy at what we have received, we are also called to be open and generous to others, despite the differences between us.

When we practice gratitude, something shifts within us. It deepens our relationship with God. It allows us to encounter not just the gift but the Giver Himself. Gratitude transforms healing into wholeness, blessing into communion, and faith into intimacy with Christ. The Church is called to be a community of grateful hearts — not merely recipients of blessings but witnesses to God’s mercy. Every Eucharist — the very word means “thanksgiving” — is an opportunity to be like the Samaritan leper: to fall at the feet of Jesus, acknowledge His goodness, and give thanks for the healing we have received and continue to receive.

Questions for self-reflection:

1. When have I experienced God’s healing or help in my life — physically, emotionally, or spiritually?
2. Do I pause to thank God for His blessings, or do I often move on once I’ve received what I prayed for?
3. Am I more focused on the gift or on the Giver of the gift?
4. What practical steps can I take to cultivate a deeper spirit of thanksgiving in my daily life?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, give us the grace to recognize your blessings in our lives. May we never take your mercy for granted. Teach us to turn back with grateful hearts, to fall at your feet, and to worship you in thanksgiving. Make us instruments of gratitude, so that our lives may be a hymn of praise to your glory. We make this prayer in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen.

- Fr Olvin Veigas, SJ

Email: olvinveigas@jesuits.net
Blog: Celebrate Faith

09 October 2025