Readings for Sunday, October 9, 2016 — 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time
2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98:1-4; 2 Timothy 2: 8-13; Luke 17:11-19
Suggested Reflection Questions:
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Naaman, great commander of the army of Aram, seeks out the Israelite Prophet Elisha on the advice of his Israelite slave-girl. Naaman is cured of his leprosy and proclaims the greatness of God, and thus a foreigner is brought into the fold of God. What does Naaman’s turning to the Lord illustrate about what it means to be “the people of God?”
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Paul, imprisoned in Rome, writes in his second letter to Timothy that though he is in chains like a criminal, “the word of God is not chained.” What is the significance of Paul, the messenger, being in chains while “the word of God,” the message, is unchained?
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Today’s reading from Luke provides us with another instance in which a Samaritan — an outsider, a foreigner, and a non-Jew — is used as an example of faithfulness in contrast to his Jewish peers (see also the Parable of the Good Samaritan). What are the implications of Jesus’ calling attention to the faith of the Samaritan?