A reading from the Second Book of Kings
5:14-17
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."
A reading from the Second Letter to Timothy
2:8-13
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 him
we shall also live with him;
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.
From the Gospel according to Luke
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 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."
“Lepers met Him” (Luke 17:12). In another passage of the Gospel, it is said that Jesus “touched” the leper who approached Him (Luke 5:13). Jesus allows Himself to be approached; He has made Himself our neighbor in order to be encountered by us precisely at the most tragic and burdensome threshold of suffering. From the Cross, He teaches us to seek His own face in the sick, to draw near to those who suffer precisely where they experience their need. […] Christ’s example should encourage us to persist in our commitment to those social situations that remain indifferent or powerless in the face of the drama of leprosy. We must not give up, even when efforts seem fruitless or when we are faced with environments where the terror of the disease inspires inhuman defensive measures, born from instinctive and irrational aversions toward the sick. We must continue to work, so that even these situations that seem most resistant, will open up to hope. Let us respond to the cry of the lepers, addressed to Jesus: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13). […] The Lord has entrusted to our hands many works of charity, so that through them we might become co-responsible for His plan of salvation. (St. John Paul II, Homily, Holy Mass for the International Associations ‘Friends of Lepers’, 21 September 1986)
Gospel and Word of the Day – 12 October 2025 –
A reading from the Second Book of Kings
5:14-17
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."
A reading from the Second Letter to Timothy
2:8-13
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 him
we shall also live with him;
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.
From the Gospel according to Luke
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 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."
“Lepers met Him” (Luke 17:12). In another passage of the Gospel, it is said that Jesus “touched” the leper who approached Him (Luke 5:13). Jesus allows Himself to be approached; He has made Himself our neighbor in order to be encountered by us precisely at the most tragic and burdensome threshold of suffering. From the Cross, He teaches us to seek His own face in the sick, to draw near to those who suffer precisely where they experience their need. […] Christ’s example should encourage us to persist in our commitment to those social situations that remain indifferent or powerless in the face of the drama of leprosy. We must not give up, even when efforts seem fruitless or when we are faced with environments where the terror of the disease inspires inhuman defensive measures, born from instinctive and irrational aversions toward the sick. We must continue to work, so that even these situations that seem most resistant, will open up to hope. Let us respond to the cry of the lepers, addressed to Jesus: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13). […] The Lord has entrusted to our hands many works of charity, so that through them we might become co-responsible for His plan of salvation. (St. John Paul II, Homily, Holy Mass for the International Associations ‘Friends of Lepers’, 21 September 1986)
A reading from the Second Book of Kings
5:14-17
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."
A reading from the Second Letter to Timothy
2:8-13
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 him
we shall also live with him;
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.
From the Gospel according to Luke
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 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."
“Lepers met Him” (Luke 17:12). In another passage of the Gospel, it is said that Jesus “touched” the leper who approached Him (Luke 5:13). Jesus allows Himself to be approached; He has made Himself our neighbor in order to be encountered by us precisely at the most tragic and burdensome threshold of suffering. From the Cross, He teaches us to seek His own face in the sick, to draw near to those who suffer precisely where they experience their need. […] Christ’s example should encourage us to persist in our commitment to those social situations that remain indifferent or powerless in the face of the drama of leprosy. We must not give up, even when efforts seem fruitless or when we are faced with environments where the terror of the disease inspires inhuman defensive measures, born from instinctive and irrational aversions toward the sick. We must continue to work, so that even these situations that seem most resistant, will open up to hope. Let us respond to the cry of the lepers, addressed to Jesus: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13). […] The Lord has entrusted to our hands many works of charity, so that through them we might become co-responsible for His plan of salvation. (St. John Paul II, Homily, Holy Mass for the International Associations ‘Friends of Lepers’, 21 September 1986)