Luke 17: 11-19
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.