Worship Before The Breakthrough

First of all, my computer fell off my prayer chair yesterday morning and then it would not turn on. I freaked out because it had been a couple weeks since I backed it up and in those couple of weeks I had done many design projects, writing, and presentations for work. The thought that those were lost really hit me. A friend of mine said, “Jen, start worshipping and thanking God. Focus on Him and not the problem.” So I did. I started singing worship songs even in the midst of the anxiety of losing so much creative property. I just kept praying prayers of thanksgiving and honor and eventually my anxiety, which feels like electricity in my blood, subsided and I went about my day. When I got to the Apple Store for my Genius Bar appointment I purposely tried to turn my computer on to make sure I wasn’t crazy and still nothing. I kid you not, the Genius dude came out 4 seconds after this and simply opened the laptop and pushed the same button I had just pushed and the thing started immediately! I already knew that was going to happen somewhere in the midst of my day and I knew that I simply had to get myself to the Apple Store. It was my own little exercise of faith. I kept laughing at God’s sense of humor and His cute way of reminding me to simply trust. My friend texted, “Jen, you worshipped before the breakthrough!” That was a beautiful revelation and I think it works with today’s gospel. I am so so so grateful that my computer is “healed” and that I have the means to continue writing and sharing the gift of reflection. 

Today’s gospel gives us a beautiful sequence of prayer. “Ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” I know for me, since I’ve met Jesus, I find myself often yelling at him from a distance, “please see me and heal my wounds!!” Jesus does see and hear the lepers, and he tells them to “Go show yourselves to the priests.”  Jesus did not just say, “you are healed,” and he sent them on a journey if you will toward wholeness. Showing themselves to the priests required obedience and trust on their part and in that very act of obedience they were made well. Sometimes Jesus’ answer to my prayer is mysterious and my simple obedience to his response is what opens my eyes. “As they were going they were cleansed.” As I go where Jesus sends me, I am becoming who he wants me to be. 

“And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” “And one of them…” It reminds me of the gospel a few days ago when the shepherd left the ninety-nine for the one. The one returned, gave glory to God in a loud voice, and fell at the feet of Jesus to thank him. The one that realized he was healed knew without a doubt that he needed to praise God and so he returned (repentance means to turn back), no longer at a distance, but at the feet of Christ (intimate relationship), and gave thanks. “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” There are times in my life when I am “The One” and there are times in my life when I am the other nine. Conversion is an ongoing journey and requires me to return to the feet of Jesus daily, not just every now and again. Sometimes I get too caught up in religious practice and forget to simply praise God for seeing me and loving me. 

“Then he said to him, ‘Stand up and go;’ your faith has saved you.” Jesus died for all of us to stand up and go free from affliction, but we can only come to truly know that through faith. In today’s gospel faith begins with meeting Jesus at a distance, crying out for mercy from our woundedness, being obedient to his reply, after first returning ourselves back to God in praise, and coming close to Jesus through worship and thanksgiving. Then and only then can we stand up and go cleansed, healed, reconciled, and saved. Today I choose to be The One that returns to God in praise, worship, and thanksgiving so that I can stand up and go, saved by faith. It is well with my soul. 

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin
Lectionary: 493

Reading 1 WIS 6:1-11

Hear, O kings, and understand;
learn, you magistrates of the earth's expanse!
Hearken, you who are in power over the multitude
and lord it over throngs of peoples!
Because authority was given you by the Lord
and sovereignty by the Most High,
who shall probe your works and scrutinize your counsels.
Because, though you were ministers of his kingdom, you judged not rightly,
and did not keep the law,
nor walk according to the will of God,
Terribly and swiftly shall he come against you,
because judgment is stern for the exalted–
For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy
but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test.
For the Lord of all shows no partiality,
nor does he fear greatness,
Because he himself made the great as well as the small,
and he provides for all alike;
but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends.
To you, therefore, O princes, are my words addressed
that you may learn wisdom and that you may not sin.
For those who keep the holy precepts hallowed shall be found holy,
and those learned in them will have ready a response.
Desire therefore my words;
long for them and you shall be instructed.

Responsorial PsalmPS 82:3-4, 6-7

R. (8a) Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
Defend the lowly and the fatherless;
render justice to the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the lowly and the poor;
from the hand of the wicked deliver them.
R. Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.
I said: "You are gods,
all of you sons of the Most High;
yet like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince."
R. Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth.

Alleluia 1 THES 5:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In all circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed. 
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" 
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you."