Thanksgiving

For the scripture readings for today's reflection, go to: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112317-thanksgiving.cfm

What is thanksgiving? I think we often look at thanksgiving backwards. We think of thanksgiving as thanking God for something that has happened to us already. I believe the real purpose of giving thanks, though, is opening the door to even greater blessing. Thanksgiving becomes a window through which God's love shines.

Looking at the 10 lepers we have in today's gospel, what do we have? We have 10 men with a disease that has caused them to be outcasts in society. Because of their disease they weren’t allowed to be part of society. They were rejected and looked down upon. Leprosy was a disease for which there was no cure. In fact, leprosy was a death sentence carried out a little bit at a time—an arm now, a leg or ear later. Because the disease was thought to be highly contagious, lepers were driven out of town where they couldn't associate with anybody. These men were hopeless and helpless and alone, but they formed a fellowship among themselves. People feared catching the disease they carried. It is because of their disease that they stood at a distance from Jesus to speak with him.

Then they start hearing stories of this Jesus and all the miraculous healings he has been doing. They start hoping that they too will be healed by this Jesus of Nazareth. Their hopes began to rise. They reached the point of believing, so they began to dream. In spite of a hopeless disease, they began to feel there was a chance to live. Through fellowship, these ten lepers had the courage to keep going. Then they met Jesus and said to him, "Master, have mercy upon us." Everybody would have told them they were going to die, that it was useless to ask for help. If they had believed that, they would have died. But they came to our Lord, taking Jesus at his word that "All things are possible to him who believes."

Jesus saw a way to test their faith. He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They could have looked at each other and said, "Well, nothing's happened to us. We're just the same as we were." Instead, they did what he said; they obeyed him. As they went, the blessing came—they were cleansed. What a tremendous experience!

The one that returned praising God shows what true gratitude and thanksgiving is all about. The other nine never returned to Jesus to thank him. They may have very well went on to the priests as Jesus requested to show that they were healed. But they were quick to forget the one who was responsible for their healing.

The one that returned was able to enter into a faith in Jesus as God. He was able to show that gratitude and thanksgiving to Jesus for the good that had happened to him. He was able to see the love of God in the healing that Jesus provided him.

We are called, like the Leper that was healed, to turn to Jesus in gratitude, trust and faith, not only in the good things we may have already received from the Hand of God, but we are to turn to Jesus in gratitude and faith for the good things that will happen to us. Faith is central in our relationship with Jesus. We are to trust that he is present in all our situations. We are to be truly grateful to him in all he does for us.

Each time we are at Mass, as we approach Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we are invited to say, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Then, as we leave church, we can rest assured that Jesus is saying to us, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”