Article Archive

Luke 17:18-19 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."

One of the memories I have of growing up is having to write thank you notes. My mom taught us that whenever we would receive a gift whether it be for our birthday, or maybe for Christmas or another occasion that it was appropriate and that it was the right thing to do to say thank you to those who gave us the gift. Sometimes I found this kind of burdensome, but in the end I realized that she was right, that we should always be grateful for the gifts that we receive, and we should always say thank you.

This weekend's Gospel from Saint Luke finds our Lord encountering ten lepers. The lepers kept their distance because they were unclean, but raised their voices so that Jesus could hear them crying for help. There was a Samaritan in the group along with some Jews. Typically these two groups didn't mix, but because of their common ailment, all prejudices and grievances were put aside. They dropped their labels and were just simply people who needed help. Jesus instructed the group to go to the priests to show them that they were cleansed of their illness as proof of his power. But of the ten who were cleansed, only one returned giving glory to God and profusely thanked Jesus. Our Lord recognizes this and points it out to the crowd. He wants us to know that the appreciation for all gifts that God gives are worthy of thanksgiving. The Samaritan was grateful for this gift of health, but more importantly, his faithfulness and trust in God. The Samaritan humbled himself to fall to the ground in thanksgiving. Do we do that when we receive blessings from God—our health, our families, work°our very lives? We have that chance every day, every moment, and even every Sunday when we go to Mass. If you haven't been to church in a while, why not come back this weekend as an expression of your gratitude to God for all the blessings that you've received. God will continue to bless your life in ways you can't even imagine. 

Romans 10:14

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?

A weary world rejoices because there is hope! I have been practicing being grateful and offering words of thanksgiving throughout the day in my prayers.  I am fairly certain it has lifted those clouds of gray that at times during the day sneak in with doubt and fear.  As the practice of offering thanks to God for even the basic things continues, it will set a habit of being grateful that will persist even when times get tough.  How? With the hope that we have when we believe that Jesus has already won the victory of life over death, and grace over sin.

As we enter into Advent, and this year it's on the shorter side,many of us will start the season with long lists of what we need to do, to buy, to set up, and to cook.  Can we make a list of all that we can be thankful for too?  Can we schedule in some time to reach out to someone and invite them to church? When I reflect on this above scripture, I am reminded of the many people who remain unaware of the love that Jesus has for them. "How beautiful are the hands and feet of those who bring the good news!" (Romans 10: 15)