Readings: 2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Lk 17:11-19
Believers
will always receive the Blessing.
The Eucharist is the greatest act of thanksgiving we can offer to God. It is described as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing through which the Church expresses gratitude for all His benefits, as well as for everything He has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. The word “Eucharist” itself means “thanksgiving.” At Mass, we gather around the Eucharistic table as a family of God’s people to give thanks for the gift of life, good health, our families, friends, our nation, and for everything God has done for us. (CCC 1360)
Surprisingly, churches are not full every Sunday with grateful people singing praises to God for their blessings. This raises a question: Could Christ be asking us, as He did the Samaritan leper, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Gratitude should come naturally to everyone; however, we live in a world where selfishness, self-centeredness, and greed have led to a false sense of entitlement, making us feel that everything we have is ours by right. Consequently, it becomes increasingly difficult to appreciate the contributions that others have made to our successes in life. According to Criss Jami, “Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think we are automatically entitled to something, we start walking all over others to get it.”
Today’s readings feature two men, both foreigners, who teach us the importance of gratitude. Outsiders—whether Samaritans or lepers—are a special focus in the ministry of Jesus. They are often more open to seeing God at work in ways that ordinary believers may overlook. After his healing, Naaman recognized the unique status of Israel’s saving Lord and declared, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.” Naaman’s sincere gratitude towards the God of Israel and the prophet Elisha brought him a gift far more precious than the healing of his leprosy; he received faith in God and was determined to serve Him faithfully. He asked, “If you will not accept the gift I brought, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord.” Through obedience to the prophet, he was healed, and his faith in God led to the forgiveness of his sins. His humility accorded him the cure for his skin disease, and his gratitude to God gave him faith in the true God. Jesus was pleased to see one of the lepers—the Samaritan—returning to thank God for his healing. He wondered why the other nine did not come back to say, “thank you,” not because He sought their gratitude, but to help them complete His work of love, of which their healing was only the first step—bringing them to faith.
Today’s readings encourage us to express our gratitude to God for His love and mercy towards us. We must teach our children to show appreciation for the blessings they receive and not to take anything or anyone for granted. For everything we have is a gift from God. Many of us have been ungrateful to our parents at times. To those who are thankless, King Lear remarked, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” We are often ungrateful to our fellow human beings as well. We can never fully repay the debt of gratitude we owe to those who have helped us along our journeys to becoming who we are today. It is easy to forget the contributions of friends, teachers, doctors, surgeons, or colleagues who have done something for us that is impossible to repay. Unfortunately, we often fail to try to repay these debts. “Blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.” (William Shakespeare, in ‘As You Like It’).
Questions: Are you consistently grateful to God for the favors you have received? Or would Christ say of you, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” Have you taught your children to express gratitude for their blessings, or have they developed a false sense of entitlement due to your behavior and failure to express thanks? Perhaps we could set aside a few minutes during dinner this week for each family member to express gratitude to God for the special things that happened that day. We should do this not only on Thanksgiving Day once a year but regularly, as we have reasons to be grateful every day. Count your blessings one by one, and you will be surprised by what God has done for you. “Thanksgiving—the giving of thanks to God for all His blessings—should be one of the most distinctive marks of the believer in Jesus Christ. Let us not allow a spirit of ingratitude to harden our hearts and chill our relationships with God and one another. As the poet George Herbert beautifully expresses it, “O God, you have given us so much. Give us one thing more—a grateful heart.” Amen.
Rev.
Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP