ARE WE GRATEFUL?
The lesson of today's Gospel is so obvious that it scarcely
needs a comment. It is incredible that the nine men who had been cured failed
to return and give thanks to Jesus. We hope that we will always be like the one
who was grateful. But, aren't there times when we do forget to give thanks to
God, or take things we've received for granted? This is especially the case
when everything is going well in our lives. We need to stop and realize how
gifted we are, especially in America. We have more than enough for ourselves.
Most importantly, though, we need to be thankful for the gift of life and the
relationships in our lives - with our families and friends.
There is a place where we gather as a community in order to give
thanks to God. It is at Mass that we should constantly be reminded of our need
to thank Him. The word Eucharist is a Greek word which means thanksgiving. The
Mass is always primarily a worship of thanks and praise to God for all of the
wonderful things He has accomplished for us and for all His people throughout
the history of salvation.
It is right that we express our gratitude and glorify God
through the Mass, but even more is required. Our very lives should be a
Eucharist - a never ending act of thanks and praise in response to God's
goodness. As a response to His goodness, we are called to reciprocate that
goodness to others for we are what we eat. Truly each one of us is God's temple
and we should give due reverence to each other. We receive the Body and Blood
of Christ into our bodies and as a result we are able to be generous towards
others because we learn what God has given to us. Very often we are reminded
that this response is expressed through love of God and our neighbor, which
gives the greatest affect.
Today's first reading from St. Paul's Letter to Titus presents
us with still another specific form of response to God's goodness. We are told
to be loyally subject to the government and its officials, to obey laws, to be
ready to take on any honest employment and to be open to every good enterprise.
In other words, we cannot be faithful Catholics only when we come together at
Mass. It is not correct to think that being conscientious and a law abiding
citizen has nothing to do with our religion. Nor is it correct to act as if
being honest or dishonest in business dealings is something apart from what we
do and say at Mass.
Our entire lives, not just our prayers, must be a response of
uprightness to God's goodness toward all peoples. Not only do we experience
God's mercy but we ought to share that mercy with others. The Gospel message of
the Samaritan leper in the company of nine Jewish lepers reflects how we, too,
must return to Christ giving thanks. When this band of lepers saw Jesus they
made a bold request. They didn't ask for healing, but instead they asked for
mercy.
The word mercy literally means sorrowful heart. But mercy is
something more than compassion, or heartfelt sorrow at another's misfortune.
Compassion empathizes with the one who is suffering and ultimately, relieves
one's anguish. A merciful person shares in another's misfortune and suffering
as if it was their own, and they will do everything in their power to dispel
that misery. Mercy is also connected with justice.
Saint Thomas Aquinas said mercy "does not destroy justice,
but is a certain kind of fulfillment of justice...Mercy without justice is the
mother of dissolution; and justice without mercy is cruelty." Pardon without repentance negates justice. So
what is the significance of these ten lepers asking for mercy? They know they
are in need of healing, not just physical, but spiritual healing as well. Jesus gives mercy to all who ask with faith
and He gives Himself totally so that all may share a life with Him. We are to
be a Eucharistic people for each other, with mercy, love, and forgiveness so we
can experience true healing.
The way in which we live is to be an extension of the praise and
thanks we give to God, for all we are and have we receive in the Mass.