[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast.
[00:00:13] Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, October 12, 2025, the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
This week's episode is entitled: Being Made Clean, and in these readings, we are reminded that God is always willing to bestow his mercy upon us and make us clean. Probably not from leprosy as in this week's readings, but clean, nonetheless. All we have to do is ask.
[00:00:46] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following:
Our proper response to God's gift of mercy is to love and praise him in return. But how do we do that to the best of our ability? We do that by living according to the Gospel of his Son, Jesus - all of it, not just some of it. And by loving and forgiving others as Jesus did - all people, not just some of them.
[00:01:17] So let's begin:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for cleansing us of our sins and bestowing your mercy upon us. Strengthen us to love you in return by living according to the Gospel of your Son, Jesus. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:01:44] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures.
Our Gospel this week is from Luke 17:11-19.
“On the way to Jerusalem [Jesus] was passing along between Samar’ia and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’ When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’”
[00:02:59] This passage follows immediately after last week's passage, and we are still in the Travel Narrative of Luke's Gospel, which is evident from the first words we hear.
[00:03:11] In fact, Luke also provides some details about Jesus' journey - he tells us that Jesus has left Galilee on his way toward Jerusalem. Then we are told he enters a village.
[00:03:26] It's interesting that Luke doesn't provide the name of this village, which tells us that Luke felt the event was significant, but the place where the event occurred was not.
[00:03:42] We are, however, given a hint that this village was probably in Jewish territory because Jesus identifies the man who returns to praise him as a foreigner, and we are told that he is a Samaritan.
[00:04:00] That provides another interesting detail about life in biblical times. You may recall that Jews and Samaritans did not typically associate with each other under normal circumstances. However, suffering from leprosy is not normal.
[00:04:19] Leprosy was - and is - a contagious disease (not highly so, but contagious) and anyone determined to be suffering from such a condition was declared unclean by a Levitical priest and isolated from his or her community.
[00:04:39] Being designated as unclean tended to obliterate ethnic or religious differences, so those who were cast out of their homes and villages often banded together to form their own sort of communal existence, where they could help each other obtain food and water, help each other provide care for basic needs, and share common chores.
[00:05:07] That is most likely why a Samaritan would have been living with Jews, and why Jews would tolerate a Samaritan in their midst. Being around a Samaritan would have made them ritually unclean anyway, and since they were already declared unclean, they couldn't become any more unclean.
[00:05:30] Of course, in our modern world, we know that leprosy is, in fact, a bacterial infection that can be successfully treated with a combination of antibiotics… but in ancient times, it was a very broad term applied to a range of disfiguring skin conditions.
[00:05:54] If you want to delve a bit more deeply into the biblical subject of leprosy, chapter 13 of Leviticus deals with it in detail, so you may want to go and look that up.
[00:06:08] Regardless, let's listen again to this passage…
[00:06:13] “On the way to Jerusalem [Jesus] was passing along between Samar’ia and Galilee.”
[00:06:20] Luke tells us that Jesus was heading south out of the region of Galilee, traveling to the region of Samaria as he made his way to his ultimate destination of Jerusalem. Now, the way Luke says that shows that he really wasn't a native to that area, because Galilee and Samaria border each other.
[00:06:44] So it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what Luke may have intended when he said passing along between Samaria and Galilee. However, what we can tell is that as Jesus traveled, the Jordan River would have been east of his route, heading from Galilee in the north to Jerusalem, which is further south. The Jordan River, you may remember, flows south out of the Sea of Galilee and actually ends in the Dead Sea. I have prepared a map of Jesus' journey that I will post on my Instagram this week showing those locations so you can better understand what Luke is telling us in the Gospel and what Jesus’ journey actually entailed.
[00:07:37] “And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,”
As I explained earlier, these people may or may not have actually been infected with the bacteria that causes leprosy as we understand it today, but they all had some sort of disfiguring skin condition and had all been declared unclean by a Levitical priest.
[00:08:03] Those ten lepers…
“who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’”
Again, these sufferers - both Jewish and Samaritan - banded together to help each other since no one else could - or would - help them. And while they are clearly trying to get Jesus' attention, they are also maintaining their distance from him as required by Leviticus.
“When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’”
[00:08:41] Now that was a necessary step in being declared clean or healed. Only a Levitical priest could declare someone unclean, and only a Levitical priest could declare that person then clean.
[00:08:57] “And as they went they were cleansed.”
Leprosy, or what was called leprosy in biblical times, was thought to be an outward manifestation of interior sinfulness and impurity. Since the lepers were cleansed - the word Jesus uses there is the Greek word ekatharisthēsan - that simply meant that their skin condition was eliminated… they were cleansed of their disease, but not necessarily of any internal sinfulness or impurity.
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.”
It is telling that only the Samaritan showed gratitude to Jesus for his healing and that he expressed his gratitude by praising God and paying homage to Jesus. That's what that meant by falling on his face at Jesus' feet - he is according Jesus the same homage that you would accord to God - so he is praising God and giving homage to Jesus.
[00:10:25] It's possible that the other nine lepers accepted their healing as something to which they were entitled by their birthright as Jews, almost as if God owed them the healing they received, which is why they showed no particular gratitude to Jesus.
[00:10:44] But even Jesus then says…
“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
Even Jesus is clearly puzzled by the lack of gratitude shown by his fellow Jews.
“And [Jesus] said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’”
[00:11:17] Jesus uses the Greek word sesōken there to indicate that the man was cured both of his disease and his impurity because of his faith in Jesus, because he saw his healing as a gift rather than an entitlement.
[00:11:38] We are not told what the other nine do, but we can safely assume that they presented themselves to the Levitical priest and were declared ritually clean. However, lacking sincere faith in Jesus, their cleansing would have only been external.
This reading can serve as a warning to us. We must not emulate those nine lepers!
[00:12:12] Not that we would do that consciously, but if we become so bold as to seek God's mercy as something that is our due, as something that God owes us, then we have fallen into the very same trap that ensnared those nine lepers, the trap of entitlement!
[00:12:37] Instead, we must have the humility to receive God's mercy as the great gift that it is. and - like the Samaritan who returned to Jesus - we must praise God for his goodness to us.
[00:12:58] And we can only do that when we live as Jesus taught us to live according to the Gospel… not just the parts we like, but all of it, not just the parts that are comfortable and easy, but most especially the parts that are difficult.
[00:13:17] We can only properly show our love for God when we genuinely love other people - not just some people, not just the people we like or the people who look like us, or the people who think like us, but everyone.
[00:13:40] We have to love everyone!
[00:13:43] That's what Jesus taught us to do, therefore, that's what we must do. It's not easy, but Jesus never promised easy.
[00:13:55] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from 2 Kings 5: 14-17.
[00:14:02] “[Na’aman] went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of [Elisha,] the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. [Na’aman] returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before [Elisha]; and he said, ‘Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.’ But [Elisha] said, ‘As the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will receive none.’ [Na’aman] urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Na’aman said, ‘If not, I beg you, let there be given to your servant two mules’ burden of earth; for henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD.’”
[00:15:04] This story tells of the actual healing of Naaman the Syrian - but it is only part of the story; the full story is much more complicated and entertaining. I highly recommend that you read it - and it is in all of chapter 5 of 2 Kings.
[00:15:24] Suffice it to say that Elisha, the prophet, instructed Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times, and if he did so, he would be healed. To say that Naaman was disappointed by that would be a gross understatement. Naaman expected grand gestures, dramatic arm waving, and loud calls to God.
[00:15:50] Instead, he's told to go and wash in a rather unimpressive river. Naaman's servant, however, says that if Elisha would have demanded a grand gesture from Naaman, he would certainly have done it. So, what could it hurt to do something so simple as washing in the river? And that is where we join the narrative…
[00:16:16] “[Na’aman] went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan.”
I said that the Jordan was not particularly impressive, but what we actually have to keep in mind is that the Jordan river is narrow, murky, and truly not at all impressive.
[00:16:38] And the number seven here is significant - numbers in the Bible are always significant.
[00:16:46] When we think of the number seven, we should immediately think of the seven days of creation when God created the entire world - fresh and new in six days and rested on the seventh. Naaman's body is being cleansed, renewed, restored - he is becoming like a new creation.
[00:17:13] All of this was done…
“according to the word of [Elisha,] the man of God;”
It's interesting to note that while Naaman went to Elisha's house, Elisha himself didn't even go outside to talk to him. Instead, Elisha sent a messenger out to relay instructions of what Naaman was to do.
[00:17:37] That's what the scripture means when it says “according to the word of Elisha.” I'm sure that also contributed, in a way, to Naaman's ill temper.
“[Na’aman's] flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”
[00:17:54] The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) uses the same word that we found in the Gospel: ekatharisthe - here it's singular instead of plural, because only one person was made clean instead of ten, but it's the same root word.
[00:18:12] So, just like the ten lepers were cleansed of their disease in the Gospel, Naaman here is cleansed of his leprosy.
[Na’aman] returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before [Elisha];
[00:18:31] Now that he's been healed, Naaman is no longer angry, but is grateful… another foreigner who is grateful for his miraculous healing - so we can see why this passage was paired with our Gospel.
“and [Na’aman] said, ‘Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.’”
[00:19:01] That actually relates to part of the story we didn't hear - because we're told earlier in 2 Kings that Naaman brought a significant amount of treasure with him to pay for his cure.
“But [Elisha] said, ‘As the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will receive none.’ [Na’aman] urged him to take it, but he refused.”
[00:19:28] Elisha doesn't want any sort of reward or payment in return for Naaman's cure, actually for several reasons. In the first place, Elisha himself did nothing to earn such a valuable reward - God accomplished the healing, not Elisha.
[00:19:48] Second, Elisha doesn't want Naaman, or anyone else for that matter, to think that God's favor can be bought and paid for. It can't! And allowing such an idea to spread would establish a dangerous precedent. God's favor cannot be purchased - not then and not now.
[00:20:14] And finally, Elisha absolutely doesn't want Naaman to think that his service as God's prophet earns him any sort of financial benefit. That, too, would be a dangerous idea to plant in people's minds.
[00:20:34] “Then Na’aman said, ‘If not, I beg you, let there be given to your servant to two mules’ burden of earth; for henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD.’”
[00:20:54] Many ancient cultures believed that gods were anchored to a particular piece of land or territory. That is the reason behind Naaman's request to take some of Israel's soil with him when he returns to his home in Syria, because if a god is limited to a particular plot of land, then sacrifices offered to that god had to be offered on the correct soil in order to be accepted. By taking soil back to his home, Naaman could construct an altar to the one true God on the correct soil and therefore not interfere with his countrymen's worship of their state god (again, lowercase “g” god). That was the entire reason behind Naaman's request.
[00:21:56] We know that miracles don't cause faith, and that is not what happened here. It's important to understand Naaman was already a man of faith, albeit a different faith, but faith, nevertheless.
[00:22:16] In this instance, Naaman is transferring his allegiance to the God of Israel from Ramon, the state god of Syria, whose main temple was in Damascus.
[00:22:32] So miracles don't cause faith, but the eyes of faith are able to perceive miracles.
[00:22:44] Naaman's eyes of faith were able to recognize that his cure was miraculous, and his response was to that cure was to offer proper worship and praise to God in return.
[00:23:02] From Naaman's point of view, he accomplished that by carting soil from Israel back to Syria so that his sacrifices offered in his homeland would be acceptable to God. We don't need to transport soil in order to properly love and praise God… what we have to do is actually much more difficult.
We have to live as Jesus taught us to live… we have to love as Jesus taught us to love… and we have to forgive as Jesus taught us to forgive… every day! That is much more difficult!
[00:23:47] That brings us to our Responsorial Psalm, which is Psalm 98, and the refrain is:
“The Lord has made known his victory in the sight of the nations.”
The NAB translates that as: “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power,” while the Grail Psalter translates it: “The Lord has made known his deliverance to the nations.” I'm not sure what you will hear in your home parish this week, but it will be something along those lines.
[00:24:20] And here are the verses:
“O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.”
“The LORD has made known his victory, he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
“All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!”
[00:24:56] This Psalm is a Royal Psalm… a Hymn of Praise celebrating God's kingship.
In the first stanza, the marvelous deeds of God that the Psalmist mentions are evident in in the Exodus from Egypt and the return of the captives from Babylon. And those deeds are to be remembered and celebrated. Then the phrase right hand and holy arm are both metaphors for military might - reminders that Israel's enemies were vanquished.
[00:25:32] In the second stanza, the Psalmist talks about God's victory, which is not just an earthly military victory, but it also encompasses the salvation of the Chosen People. Then the Psalm is translated: “he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.” But I'll be honest, I don't like the way that line is translated… righteousness is a better word to be used there than vindication. So, that would be: he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Then the Psalmist says that God's faithfulness to the Covenant is evident through his mercy and faithfulness.
[00:26:16] Then in the last stanza, the Psalmist declares that the news of God's marvelous victories, the defeat of Israel's enemies, has spread far and wide, and as a result, all creation should offer right praise to God.
[00:26:35] All too often I fear that we, as Catholics, look at the Psalm as a nice musical interlude between the First and Second Readings… and it gives us a chance to sing… and oh, isn't that nice? But it doesn't really have any special meaning for us.
[00:26:55] We forget that the Church chooses a particular Psalm in each week to complement both the First Reading and the Gospel… to shed some additional light on those readings or provide some additional insight into those scriptures.
In this instance, we are again reminded of the importance of offering right praise to God. Our Gospel and our First Reading illustrated for us the mighty deeds of healing God accomplished, and the Psalm reminded us of God's bountiful mercy and faithfulness before ending with the instruction - you may recall - to offer joyous praise to God. This isn't just a pleasant musical interlude… this isn't just a chance for us to sing and do something besides sit and listen… this is a meaningful reminder that we should praise God by living as he expects us to live every moment of every day.
[00:28:09] That takes us to our Second Reading, which is from 2 Timothy 2: 8-13.
“[Beloved:] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing chains like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus goes with eternal glory. The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;
if we endure, we shall also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.”
[00:29:16] This is the second of four passages we will hear from 2 Timothy this summer.
[00:29:22] This letter actually presents a fair amount of biographical information about Paul, which is tremendously beneficial to us. But it also gives Paul the opportunity to reflect on his own ministry, as he advises Timothy on how best to continue Paul's work after his death.
[00:29:45] So let's listen to Paul's message to Timothy…
“[Beloved:] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel,”
[00:29:58] Notice how Paul addresses Timothy - as beloved.
[00:30:04] The relationship between the two men was deeper than just friendship, it was deeper than just traveling companions, it was more like that of a father and son, and Paul's affection for Timothy is evident throughout this letter. Then Paul says: “Remember Jesus Christ.”
[00:30:27] It's not as if Timothy would ever forget Jesus… Jesus is the central focus of the good news preached by both Paul and Timothy. But Paul uses that to introduce two carefully chosen phrases that shed additional light on Jesus’ identity… “risen from the dead” - describes Jesus’ miraculous rebirth to new life in the Resurrection, while “descended from David” - describes Jesus’ natural birth as the promised and long-awaited Messiah in the line of King David. Both descriptions lie at the heart of Paul's gospel - the good news that he preached - and the same good news that Timothy is now preaching.
[00:31:25] Paul is reminding Timothy that, no matter what transpires in life, good or bad, the message that is preached must… MUST always focus on Jesus Christ.
[00:31:38] Then Paul says…
“the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing chains like a criminal.”
This is one of those differences I mentioned last week that hints to us that Paul may have been imprisoned a second time. During his first imprisonment, he was under house arrest in Rome and was still able to receive visitors, preach the good news, and correspond freely.
[00:32:06] Not so this time around. This time Paul is physically restrained - he is wearing chains - and he is restricted from preaching.
[00:32:17] Then he says something that is tremendously powerful…
[00:32:23] “But the word of God is not chained.”
[00:32:28] Paul may be shackled and in prison, but nothing can constrain the authentic word of God. Nothing can stop the spread of the good news of Jesus.
[00:32:42] “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect,”
[00:32:48] The elect to whom Paul is referring are the people in Ephesus to whom Timothy is currently preaching.
“that they also may obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus Christ goes with eternal glory.”
Meaning that a place is prepared for faithful believers in the kingdom of God… the place where Jesus is for all eternity. Jesus himself told us that in John's Gospel at the Last Supper when he said: “I go to prepare a place for you.”
[00:33:23] “The saying is sure:”
[00:33:26] With those words, Paul is assuring Timothy that the message that he preached was true. The good news that he preached is the same gospel message - the same good news - he entrusted to Timothy. Therefore, what Timothy now preaches is also true. Then Paul lists a series of conditional propositions that can sometimes leave us a bit confused.
[00:33:58] So let me take them one at a time.
[00:34:01] “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;”
[00:34:06] Remember, this is a common theme in Paul's writings. That those who enter the waters of Baptism die with Christ, and rise from Baptism reborn as new creations. Therefore, we can live for all eternity with Jesus in the kingdom.
[00:34:24] So far, so good. We can understand that line pretty easily.
[00:34:28] “if we endure, we shall also reign with him;”
[00:34:33] By endure, Paul means being faithful in the Christian life… living the Gospel truth of Jesus - to the best of our abilities - every day. If we can achieve that, then we will be welcomed into the place prepared for us by Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. Okay, I think we can all understand that line, too.
[00:35:01] “if we deny him, he will also deny us;”
And it's about this point that we often say - wait, what?
[00:35:10] So, let's explore this a bit further. We need to understand that we can only deny Jesus by renouncing our Christian faith and living a life contrary to what Jesus taught. And this is one of those times we have to be very careful that we aren't led astray… unintentionally. Because sometimes what the voices of the world say to us… what the voices of social media say to us… can lead us away from the authentic Gospel message.
And remember, in 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul says: “Test everything, hold fast to what is good.” That's a whole lot more complicated now than it was then, but Paul really does mean everything! In modern terms, that means things we read in books or newspapers or on the Internet, things we see on television or social media, things other people say to us, people in our community certainly, but people beyond that, people like politicians or influencers… everything must be compared to the Gospel of Jesus.
Jesus says: "love your enemies." If someone, in turn, says to us: no, don't love your enemies, hate them. We can't listen to that message… we can't listen to that person.
[00:36:50] And we must distance ourselves from anything and everything that doesn't align with what Jesus taught. Paul says, if we don't separate ourselves from that, then Jesus will deny us - not might, will!
[00:37:11] And think of what Jesus himself said in Matthew 10: “Whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my father who is in heaven.” And then again, in the Judgment of the Nations, in Matthew 25, Jesus says: “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do to me.”
[00:37:33] If we are not faithful to the New Covenant established by Jesus, we will be disgraced and disowned, we will be liable to eternal judgment… and I can't imagine anyone truly wants that outcome, so we need to do everything we can now - in this life - to prevent being separated from God for all eternity.
[00:38:08] Then Paul writes…
“if we are faithless, he remains faithful—"
[00:38:17] That almost seems to contradict what Paul wrote in the previous line, but it really doesn't so let me explain. It all boils down to turning away from Jesus and turning away from our Christian faith.
[00:38:34] We are faithless when we don't live the way Jesus taught us to live, when we don't love and forgive the way Jesus taught us to love and forgive. But our faith, or lack thereof, does not… cannot impact Jesus' knowledge of the Father or of himself. That's what Paul means by “he remains faithful” - Jesus will always be faithful to himself and to the Father… he cannot be otherwise.
[00:39:17] Then Paul says…
“for he cannot deny himself.”
The absolute fidelity of God - which has been attested to throughout the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments - that same absolute fidelity is what Paul here attributes to the Incarnate and Risen Jesus.
[00:39:42] God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit - all three share one divine essence. They cannot deny themselves. And that's what Paul means!
[00:39:59] They know who they are… they understand their own divine nature… and nothing can, or will, make them deny themselves.
[00:40:13] I know I've said it before, but this Second Letter to Timothy places a lot of emphasis on suffering because suffering is so central to Paul's understanding of self. If you read the Acts of the Apostles, Paul's trials are listed quite clearly… he was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned.
[00:40:38] And in 2 Corinthians, he talks about having a thorn in his flesh… we don't know exactly what he was referring to, we only know that he struggled constantly with something.
[00:40:52] And, we all have something in our lives that bothers us or weighs us down… some thorn that torments us, something - be it metaphorical or actual - that tests or troubles us… some physical, mental, or spiritual adversity that weighs us down - like the lepers were afflicted by their infirmity in this week's Gospel.
[00:41:27] Something that can either pull us away from God - if we let it - or that can actually draw us closer to him… like the Samaritan that was cured and returned to thank and praise Jesus.
[00:41:51] No matter what we are struggling with, the Lord is always there for us… not necessarily to heal us, because that may not be part of his plan. After all, he didn't heal Paul, but the Lord did say to Paul: “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is is made perfect in weakness.”
[00:42:24] He says the same thing to us. Our response to such great grace should be to love and praise God in return.
[00:42:38] But that's not always how we react.
[00:42:42] Sometimes we're angry… sometimes we're resentful… sometimes we wallow in self-pity… when we should really be aware of God's grace and be assured that he is there suffering right along with us.
[00:42:59] That's how we should be - but it's not always how we are.
[00:43:04] However, we can always try harder to live according to the Gospel of Jesus… not just some of it, but all of it… even when it's difficult, especially when it's difficult!
We can try harder to love and forgive others as Jesus did… not just some people, but all people… especially the ones who have hurt us or those we disagree with or dislike…
friends and enemies, neighbors and strangers, the rich and the homeless, natives and immigrants…
We must see God's presence in everyone, and we must love and forgive everyone!
[00:44:09] And that is how we love and praise God to the very best of our abilities.
[00:44:19] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you, safe and secure, in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God Bless.
