Giving Thanks

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." (Luke 17:11-19)

Giving thanks to God should be a habit.  Many of us make giving thanks a once-a-week thing.  We have the gift of life, and for that alone we should be thankful even when life can be hard due to health problems, marriage troubles, or money woes, for example.  

Do only one in 10 of us truly appreciate our being “cleansed?”  That is, do we faithful Catholics understand the importance of the Eucharist in our lives as the means to make things right with Christ and with those we have hurt – to be cleansed of the wrongs we have committed against other people especially within our family?  

The Eucharist means thanksgiving.  When we receive the real presence of Christ, in a way, we fall at the feet of Christ and give thanks for having saved us.  If we are truly thankful, we will then act as part of the body of Christ and keep his commandments such as loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors.

When Mass is over, we stand up and then go to love and serve the Lord.  We go in peace to glorify the Lord with our lives.  Now that’s a real commitment all 10 of us should keep, not just the one Good Samaritan.

Deacon David Pierce