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 voice, 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.
Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the
other nine? 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."
Introductory Prayer: I love you my Lord, because you are love itself. Forgive all
that is in me that does not come from your love and does not reflect your love.
If I am to become what you want me to be, it will happen only if I allow you to
act in me.
Petition: Lord, grant me
the gift of gratitude towards you.
1. From Receiver to Giver: These
poor lepers are outcasts, banned from communion with all society. Their only
hope is Christ. They have nothing to lose by asking, and so they make their
plea. Standing at a distance from Christ, according to the law, they
acknowledge their own helplessness and beg for mercy. They receive it: Christ
heals them, and they go on their way, satisfied with his gift. To our Lord’s
dismay, however, only one returns to give thanks. To give thanks in Greek is EuXaristia.
Only one is Eucharistic; only one is saved.
2. A Just Return: Our
Lord rewards gratitude. Why is our thanksgiving so important to God? In a way,
by showing gratitude we justly return to God what he deserves. Take the example
of the lepers: They are helpless outcasts. They can’t do anything for
themselves except beg – much like our situation before God. We, too, are
spiritual lepers begging God’s mercy. If we were to accept God’s gift without
giving thanks, we would be reduced to mere consumers of grace, incapable of
giving anything back. But God wants to save us from that predicament, and he
asks our thanksgiving, euXaristia.
3. From Thanksgiving to Communion: What is the dynamic of thanksgiving? When we give thanks, we are
no longer passive recipients; we become active givers, giving back to One who
has given us what we do not deserve. When we become active givers, God places
us on another level – another level capable of receiving even more from him. By
giving thanks for what he had received, the leper was capable of receiving more
from God. Indeed, he did receive more – he was saved. Saved by God’s mercy, he
was now capable of receiving still more, of growing in intimacy with God. God
invites us into a personal relationship today, into a Eucharistic relationship
in which we are no longer mere passive recipients of his grace, but coworkers
of his redemption. In living a life of thanksgiving, a Eucharistic life, we
attract many blessings for our own souls, our families, our parish, and for
souls in danger of being lost.
Conversation with Christ: Lord,
make me aware of the many gifts you have given me so that I may respond to them
and give you what you deserve: my heartfelt thanksgiving. May I be more
thankful and thus deepen my communion with you.
Resolution: I will make a visit to the Eucharist today and consider the many gifts
God has given me. In adoration I will thank him with all my being.
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