The sun will soon rise and when that day comes - It will never set again

Today at Holy Mass we hear in St Luke’s Gospel how Jesus cures ten lepers….and only one comes back to thank him….The one who came back was a Samaritan, an outcast…..Its interesting how the “respected class”, the people who should have known better - They did not come back to thank Christ…But the outcast did - The person everyone “wrote off”……”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”…..I read a commentary on this Gospel passage this morning from Mary Healy, who is a professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit…This is what Professor Healy wrote…….”He received far more than a physical cure. He received a profound healing on every level of his being”……That sentence jumped off the page at me…This is what God offers us…..The nine who did not come back to Christ - “They missed it”…..But the one who did….The Outcast…He received so much more then just a physical healing…….Sometimes in our life God wills us to endure a hardship….Could be a heart ache…A sickness….A loss of a loved one….All these events take there toll upon us…But if we allow them - In time…These difficult moments in life can be opportunities for growth……….Again - Ponder the words of Professor Healy - ”He received far more that a physical cure. He received a profound healing on every level of his being”……..Did you catch that?….”A profound healing on every level”……God is the potter and we are the clay - He is forming us…..One step at a time - One event at a time……The goal of life is to be sanctified - The only goal! - To get as close as possible to God - To become Christ-like…God is working on us to achieve just that - We must be attentive to “the master builder” of our soul…And cooperate with him….He knows what he is doing

“In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus”

Billy McGill was an old friend of mine, who has passed from this life around 12 years ago…I knew Billy from daily Mass and I have written about him in the past in these reflections…Billy was a rough guy, a Merchant Marine, on his own since he was 16……He came to America from Liverpool, England with nothing and built a life for himself and his family, only to destroy it…I met Billy after his divorce….When he got divorced, he was basically homeless and had to rely on the goodness of others to build his life up again - Which he did…As a result, through it all, Billy found God…..Not in a superficial way…Billy had real-deal Catholic faith….He was generous to a fault, prayerful and always ready to lend a hand to others…….When I first got married, Billy stopped over my home to ask if he could “help out” with anything…..I told him I was “ok” and offered Billy a Guinness Beer, which he refused….However, he told me like all good people from Liverpool England would…..”Joe - There is a baby in every bottle of Guinness”…He said this with a smile…..And he was right!…..Ten years later - Five children have blessed my marriage and my home…..I returned the favor to Billy when he was on his death bed….Billy had cancer and the last time I saw him, he was in the hospital…Interestingly enough, I found Billy when I arrived at his hospital bed praying…Not for himself, he told me - But for the man who was dying in the room next to him…..Billy McGill, the “wild man” from Liverpool England….Who seemingly ruined his life - Only to find it again - Through his hardships and suffering found God - "The pearl of great price"….And in finding God, he found himself in the process….I can hear the words of Christ echo in my mind as I think about Billy……”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”…….Stand up Billy! - Your faith has saved you - Rest in Peace my friend!

“If we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself”

Today we hear the story about a leper, one of ten, who was healed and returned to Jesus and gave thanks….This man, the leper who returned suffered greatly for most of his life - He understood what it meant to be "down and out”…Only to respond in a positive way once healed………For me, this is the takeaway from this Gospel story from St Luke told to us at Mass…God through his permissive will allowed this man to suffer, only to “prepare him” for something greater….So it is and will be again and again - The “process of sanctification” continues through out the ages for all of us….God loves us so much that he refuses to leave us where we are…So he “steps in”…And sometimes that “process” can be a bit painful…But if we “hang in there”….The morning comes and the darkness disappears - And something new and unexpected begins…As it was for the leper today in St Luke’s story and as it was in my story about my old buddy Billy McGill….Morning came and the sun rose - Again!…………Look to the East…..One day soon everything will make sense and on that day….You will ask no questions and understand - So “Dig In” and look to the EAST - The sun will soon rise and when that day comes - It will never set again……..JMJ

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