Twenty Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C: 12.10.25
Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow @ 10.30am, Anniversary of +Laurence Ryan
In the very early hours of Monday 13th October 2003 in Beaumont Hospital
Introduction:
It’s that magic word that every child learns so quickly! The word ‘thanks’. Jesus showed yet again that he had no barriers when it came to sickness, virus or disease. To touch a leper in biblical times was tantamount to being infected oneself. The one who thanks is applauded, and in the craftiest turn of events, Jesus asks him and all of us: “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?”[1]
This morning we honour the memory of the late Bishop Laurence Ryan. His anniversary is more correctly the very early hours of tomorrow morning – 13th October, 2003 – twenty-two years ago. As we prepare to gather for the Pre-Synodal Assembly in Kilkenny next Saturday, this is something Bishop Larry would have been passionate about and indeed put many processes in place to embed a synodal style of ministry, such as establishing Parish Pastoral Councils and a variety of lay ministries, testament to his appreciation of the vision and mission of the Second Vatican Council.
Following on from the Universal Synod in Rome, the Irish Synodal pathway now begins to gather momentum. A pre-Synodal document ‘Baptised and Sent’ just published forms the agenda for our gathering as it reminds us baptism is the key sacrament in our lives. Baptism affirms that we are a child of God, loved and cherished, sometimes grateful, often, like the nine, terribly ungrateful, and so we pray …
- Is tusa Tobar na Trócaire – you are the wellspring of mercy: A Thiarna, déan trócaire
- Is tusa Slí na Fírinne – you are the way of Truth: A Chríost, déan trócaire
- Bí linn i gcónaí, ós ár gcomhair amach – be with us always, showing us the way. A Thiarna, déan Trócaire
- Homily:
Leprosy is rare in Europe but endemic in some parts of our world such as India, Brazil and Indonesia. There were 182,815 cases reported globally in 2023.
Only one leper comes back to say thanks. A cleansed leper is still for a long time coming to terms with his healing; shunned and ostracised by family and friends. It takes time to get over recovery. Maybe the nine were traumatised. The trauma of recovery is as challenging as the illness itself.
Leprosy in Blacks Medical Dictionary is defined as “a chronic bacterial infection, affecting the skin, mucus membranes and nerves”. It’s also called ‘Hansen’s Disease’, after the Norwegian scientist who discovered the bacteria that causes it.
And remember in our gospel only one bothers to come back to say thanks. If we are honest, we’re not the best ourselves at saying thanks. We have too many axes to grind, too many scores to settle.
I remember the privilege a few years ago of leading the seminarian retreat in Maynooth. I tried to offer them key messages that in my opinion would sustain and strengthen their ministry. One of those messages was not to forget to say thanks, to show appreciation and to mean it.
It is as if society conditions all of us to believe we have some God-given right to something and it makes us vulnerable if we say thanks. Persona non grata refers to ungrateful people; we meet them every day. The nine lepers in Luke’s gospel who never come back to say thanks are not some isolated sect as we might like to believe; in fact in the scripture passage they were the majority and in life they are the majority too!
Synod is about walking. It means “walking together on the road”. It means being attentive to one another, sometimes listening to uncomfortable conversations, but listening always attentively. The Pre-Synodal gathering next Saturday in the Kilkenny Convention Centre allows us to acknowledge the tensions that have been encountered “between invitation and expectation, tradition and renewal, continuity and change”[2]. The Universal Synod in Rome is concerned with how teaching is lived and applied in the changing context of our world. I realise such thoughts can raise the blood pressure of some and raise the expectations of others.
I often think the most important message is that we allow the space in our conversations so that we become less concerned with changing Church teaching and more concerned with changing ourselves. And that’s exactly the experience of the one who turned back to say thanks in Luke’s gospel. In the Old Testament, ‘turning back’ is frequently a metaphor for repentance; the healing evoked a change of heart leading to “this foreigner”[3], this Samaritan, praising God at the top of his voice. The Samaritan was changed and so will we be if we fully reflect on the impact of being baptised and sent.
[1] Lk.17:17
[2] ‘Baptised and Sent’, Preparatory Document for the Pre-Synodal Assembly, 18th October 2025, Message of Welcome from Julieann Moran, pg. 1
[3] Lk.17:18