20251012 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

You Fit In With Jesus

Years ago I knew a young man who was going to start high school sure that he wouldn’t fit in. He remembered how other kids made fun of him in middle school and how he was always chosen last for teams. He felt so out of place that he doubted he’d fit in anywhere.

I wish he was rare. But there are so many young people that feel like outcasts. They find it hard to fit in with friends because of ethnicity, weight, acne, insecurity, clothing, family situations…the list goes on. Some of you may feel that way now.

That’s why this week’s Gospel is so important. The Samaritan leper was a double outcast. First, he was a leper. Leprosy in the Gospel isn’t the disease that causes limbs to decay. It caused flaky or scaly skin. The Jewish religious laws told Jewish people to avoid contact with people who had it. The Samaritan was also an outcast because of his ethnic background. Many Jews rejected Samaritans because they descended from Jews who married non-Jews.

Notice how Jesus reacted to those outcasts. He stopped, noticed their pain, and healed them. That means they could now fit in. People would welcome them and care about them. Also, the Samaritan was the only one who returned to thank Jesus. Jesus took note that only the “foreigner” seemed grateful.

So what’s the point for us?

First, if you feel like you don’t fit in anywhere, call out to Jesus for help like the lepers in the Gospel. Call out through prayer. Call out by talking to an adult who you trust. Call out by getting involved in serving other people who suffer. You’ll find that he’ll answer your prayers by sending people…and you’ll find a place to fit in and friends who care.

Second, Jesus points out that the Samaritan, the double outcast, shows more faith than anyone. That means we all need to respect and learn from the people we don’t think fit in.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we’ll be having our first youth rally since 2019! It’ll be a lot smaller that we had hoped, but that’s okay. We’re going to gather to sing, play and pray together as we focus on the theme from this Gospel…STAND UP AND GO! Pray with us and for us as we gather with the Young Church! Have a great weekend, jim