THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
11th October 2025
Greetings,
Arise, go thy way, thy faith has made thee whole. These are the culminating words of tomorrow's gospel (Luke 17.11-19) and appropriately so in a week which will itself culminate with the commemoration of St. Luke, the physician turned evangelist. I quote them from the Authorised Version of the Scriptures in The Book of Common Prayer (1662) because it's a translation which makes a subtle distinction between being healed and being made whole. Jesus encounters ten men suffering from leprosy. As outcasts they stick together but one of them is an outcast twice over for he is a Samaritan. The men plead with Jesus for mercy but he says only, Go , show yourselves to the priests. As they leave they are cleansed but only the Samaritan returns to Jesus, kneels at his feet and gives glory to God. In his response Jesus suggests that being well or whole is a matter of spirit as well as body. The Samaritan is made whole not only because he has been cleansed from a terrible disease but because he is in perfect harmony with God the Creator and Saviour revealed in Jesus. For the other nine the penny hasn't yet dropped. They are cleansed but they are not entirely whole.
As an outsider the Samaritan would not have been made welcome by the priests in Jerusalem so perhaps he had a head start when it came to acknowledging the truth. This suggests to me that in our journey of life and faith we should always seek the outsider's perspective. It's easy just to go with the flow and accept things as presented but if we are to grow to maturity in Christ and aspire to wholeness then it is necessary to question assumptions and the given narratives of the day. It might at times make us the outsider too but that is surely worth it if, staying close to Christ, the prize is true wholeness of life.
Blessings,
Charles Booth
The Pew Sheet with readings and notices is attached.
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