Surrounded By Foreigners

First reading2 Kings 5:14–17Naaman returned to the man of God and acknowledged the Lord.Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean of his leprosy.Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.”Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;” and despite Naaman’s urging, he still refused. Naaman said: “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD.”Responsorial PsalmPsalm 98:1, 2–3, 3–4The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.Sing to the LORD a new song,for he has done wondrous deeds;his right hand has won victory for him,his holy arm.The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.The LORD has made his salvation known:in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulnesstoward the house of Israel.The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.All the ends of the earth have seenthe salvation by our God.Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:break into song; sing praise.The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.________Second reading2 Timothy 2:8–13If we persevere we shall also reign with Christ.Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy:If we have died with himwe shall also live with him;if we perseverewe shall also reign with him.But if we deny himhe will deny us.If we are unfaithfulhe remains faithful,for he cannot deny himself.GospelLuke 17:11–19None but this foreigner has returned to give thanks to God.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 voices, 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.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aarona851065.substack.com