From today's gospel: "As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, 'Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!' And when he saw them, he said, 'Go show yourselves to the priests.' As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan."

Jews and Samaritans did not get along in the slightest, even though they worshiped the same God. So it is quite a significant point that it was the "foreigner"/outsider who was the only one to return to give thanks. What a desire for community this leper must have had! Not only was he released from the prohibition of being in contact with anyone but lepers, but he recognized and praised his connection to the God who freed him to return to friends, family, and the communal worship of that same God. Similarly, unlike the typical Jewish residents of the other portions of Palestine, Jesus traveled through Samaria, instead of crossing the Jordan River to avoid it. Rather than avoiding "outsiders", Jesus deliberately invited a connection between individuals, community, and God.

The late Rita Pierson, in her TED talk on teaching, said, "And you know your toughest kids are never absent. Never. You won't like 'em all, and the tough ones show up for a reason. It's the connection, it's the relationships." For every student who belongs to this San Miguel community, we, every day, are their connection to God: "[Y]ou are ambassadors and ministers of Jesus Christ in the work that you do, you must act as representing Jesus Christ." (De La Salle, Med. 195.2) When we think of our toughest students, the ones that don't seem to care, or the ones who act out or make poor choices, do we think about how we are representing Christ to them? Are we thinking about how we are going to rebuild that relationship so that they are connected to God and community?

Live, Jesus, in our hearts!