Twenty-eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Father Michael Elmlinger

Guest

For those of you who do not know me, I am a huge Notre Dame college football fan, so it should not come as a surprise that almost every year during the season, there is one movie that comes to mind: “Rudy.” There is one particular scene that I was recently reminded of. It is the scene where Rudy feels like he is losing all hope of getting into Notre Dame, and he is sitting in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart when Father Cavanaugh notices him. During the conversation, Rudy says, “Maybe I haven’t prayed enough … If I’ve done everything I can, can you help me?” Father Cavanaugh responds to him with a very simple statement, “Son, in 35 years of religious studies, I have come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts: there is a God, and I’m not Him.”

The reason that I bring up this scene is because one of the things Father Cavanaugh is saying here to Rudy is the same as our readings this weekend: faith is not magic. It is not a matter of saying some prayers that will force God to wave his hand to cure us of whatever ailment we are dealing with. Having this kind of relationship with the Lord is not an authentic relationship; rather, it is one of superficiality or even quid-pro-quo.

Faith, instead, is about a relationship of intimacy, of trust and obedience. We are to be obedient to Him in whatever He commands us to do, because we trust in him. That obedience is meant to lead to thanksgiving.

For the sake of brevity, I am not going to retell the story of Naaman, the Syrian commander who was cured of leprosy. I do encourage everyone to read the full story themselves in 2 Kings 5, because it will help in understanding the point I want to make. I want to focus on Naaman’s reaction to Elisha telling him to go to the Jordan River and bathe seven times. Naaman is incredulous and disappointed. He thought that Elisha would simply wave his hand and cure him of his leprosy.

Not only that, but the Jordan River is hardly the best river in the land. In fact, Naaman has to be reminded that he has no other choice but to do what Elisha commands him. He had to learn this truth that relationship with God is not meant to be a magic show. It is meant to be a relationship of trust in all that he commands him to do. After deciding to listen to what Elisha tells him, Naaman goes to the Jordan and is healed of his leprosy, and the only thing that he can think to do is to see that the God of Israel is the true God and to give thanks to him.

The 10 lepers who are healed by Jesus experience the same thing. It is interesting how this time, Jesus does not heal the lepers first, like he did earlier in the Gospel in Luke 5:12-16, before sending them to the priest. Rather, he is sending them first, which likely may have been confusing, if not frustrating, for these lepers. As lepers, they were to isolate themselves from the rest of society until they were actually cured (cf. Leviticus 13:46).

What Christ is doing here is calling them to the same act of humility and trust that Elisha called Naaman, trusting that what they have been told is true, regardless of whether they may agree with it or not. That trust turns what would have been a simple display of magic into an opportunity to grow in a real relationship with the Lord, rather than a superficial relationship. It is a relationship that is built on trust, on obedience to the word that the Lord has spoken to them, and that trust and obedience is meant to lead to only one other response: thanksgiving (from the Greek, eucharisteo).

This is what an authentic relationship with the Lord looks like. It is not one of superficiality, where all it consists of is saying the “right words” to have the Lord wave his magic hand over whatever happens to ail us that day. Rather, it is an intimate relationship built on trusting in what it is that he tells us to do, even if it may not make sense.

When we are willing to truly listen to the voice of the Lord calling out to us, then are we able to be truly transformed by Him and cleansed by him of the leprosy of sin, and there is only one response worthy of this wondrous gift: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 118:29)

Father Michael Elmlinger is a priest of the Diocese of Covington, Ky. Father Elmlinger is currently studying Canon Law at the University of St. Paul, Ottawa, Canada.