Grace and Faith (Lk 17:17-19) by Jean Noon

13 Nov Grace and Faith (Lk 17:17-19) by Jean Noon

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB).  Leaders.  Guest Authors.
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“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.'” ~ Lk 17:15-19 (full readings)
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Jean’s Reflections:  In this text Luke draws his hero from not only the unclean and the outcast, but the foreigner among them.  Of the ten lepers who are physically healed, there is only one leper who is also spiritually healed, as evidenced by his gratitude.  The grateful leper is filled with grace — filled with gratitude — and that leper is a Samaritan foreigner (considered irreligious, profane, godless by the Chosen Ones).  The other nine Jewish lepers who were not spontaneously filled with gratitude were, despite their physical healing, lacking something important.  When Jesus says, “your faith has made you well,” “sozo” is the verb he uses.   This verb means to be made “whole” or “complete”; it is a condition often referred to as “salvation.”  This is another of Jesus’ Samaritan parables in which Jesus asserts that a cognitive belief is not the infallible sign that a branch is attached to the vine; instead, it is the fruit of one’s Life.
* Jean Noon and her husband Tom have two grown sons.  Jean is a spiritual director/teacher in the Arlington Diocese of Northern VA.
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Faith Challenge:  Remain awake and attentive to the fruit of your Life, sign of grace, a transformed heart.  Fruit that lasts – gratitude, forgiveness, mercy, love – is what sets one apart as a child of God.
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Counter-Culture News:  LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers:  Pray LIFE Runners Creed to end abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin.
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Faith Quote:  “Grace is not part of consciousness, it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason.”  ~ Pope Francis http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2013/10/01/news/pope_s_conversation_with_scalfari_english-67643118/.
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Through Christ Our Lord,
Jean
John 15:4