Homily on Luke 17:11–19: From Distance to Nearness ( 12-11-25)

A heartfelt homily on Luke 17:11–19, showing how Jesus heals the distances between people and draws us into true closeness with God and one another.(12-11-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ

There was once a carpenter who was asked by a farmer to build a fence between his farm and his brother’s land. The brothers had worked together for many years, but after a bitter quarrel, they stopped speaking. The farmer told the carpenter, “Build it high so that I will never have to see his face again.”

The carpenter listened quietly. He went to the river that divided the two farms and began his work. When the farmer returned in the evening, he was shocked. Instead of a fence, the carpenter had built a wooden bridge across the river. Before the farmer could speak, his brother came walking across the bridge with tears in his eyes. “Brother,” he said, “after all I said, you still built a bridge. Forgive me.” The carpenter smiled gently, packed his tools, and said, “My work here is done. Where there is a distance, I build bridges.”

In the Gospel of Luke, we meet ten lepers who stand at a distance. They are not only sick in body but cut off from everyone. They are alone, unwanted, and unseen. Yet when Jesus passes by, they cry out for mercy. They cannot go near Him, but their voice reaches Him. The first movement of healing happens when we dare to cry out, even from far away.

Jesus does not walk away from them. He speaks. His word travels the distance that their bodies cannot. As they walk, they are healed. But one of them feels something more than the others. His heart begins to move, not just his feet. He turns back. He comes near to Jesus and falls at His feet. The distance that began the story is now gone. He is not only healed, he is made whole.

This Gospel is not only about sickness and healing. It is about the distance that exists in every human heart. In the beginning of the Bible, when Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God. From that moment, God has been building bridges toward us. He came closer through Abraham, through Moses, through the prophets, and finally through Jesus who touched the untouchable and welcomed those far away.

Even in our homes and communities, we know what distance feels like. A word not spoken, a wound not healed, pride not surrendered. We can live in the same house and still be miles apart in heart. In religious life too, sometimes silence replaces love and duty replaces joy. We stand far off like the ten lepers, hoping God or others will make the first move. But Jesus shows us how to cross the gap.

Saint Francis of Assisi once said that real love is seen when we can love our brother even when he is far from us. True love shortens every distance. The more we come close to Christ, the closer we come to one another. Jesus is the carpenter who builds bridges, not fences. He invites us to do the same in our families, communities, and hearts.

Maybe there is someone in your life today from whom you are far away. Someone you have not spoken to, or someone you silently avoid. The Gospel invites you to take the first step. Do not wait for the other to move. Be the bridge. Like the leper who returned, come closer to Jesus and let Him make your heart whole again.

When we cross the distance that divides us, we meet God waiting on the other side.

Lord Jesus, teach us to build bridges of love . Amen

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God Bless…