WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 15, 2023
WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRTY SECOND WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME A
SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
Wisdom 6: 1-11
Luke 17: 11-19
A HEART AND HABIT OF GRATEFULNESS AND GRATITUDE
Those simple lessons we were taught in the family when growing up, the need to greet our parents when we wake up in the morning, when we are given things, and after meal and other occasion in which there is need to express our gratefulness are indeed sacred teachings. We were taught divine virtues and imbued with the spirit of gratitude and appreciation. This is the only demand of our Lord Jesus in today’s gospel.
Healing the lepers who came making supplication and intercession was not so much an act of faith for our Lord. Though, It was a faith expressed because of the despicable situations in which they were. Such prayers of supplications and intercession in as much as they are expression of man’s trust and dependence on God are really an act of faith is less in value to the acts of thanksgiving and acknowledgement of the help, love and favour received from the Lord.
The most important aspect of this faith is that Jesus after healing the ten lepers and only one came back with grateful heart, and acknowledging in thanksgiving his healing and praising God who has granted him such healing and solace, was asked, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?” Meaning that Jesus expects gratitude from us. Jesus wants us to recognize his actions and his activities in our lives. He acknowledged this Man’s gratitude and even expressed it to the man saying, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
Gratitude is an act of faith. Giving thanks to God is good expression of faith and love of God. It means that man acknowledges that such powers came from the most high and that we depend and trust in the powers from on high. This was what this grateful leper did. And more was added to him.
How much do we express thanks to God? Most times our good health, our material endowments , our good life and good relationship with spouses, happy family members, our freedom from all adversities and all that happen to us without our knowing is taking God for granted. Do we assume that we are sacred cows, or that we merited all these? Or that we are not favoured at all?
The worse attitude we put up is that of complaining and despising of our God. We live with such mentality of entitlement, and that we deserve the better life, or that we merited it or that it must be our portion. But we tend to forget that so many people are suffering different evils not on account of their sins or anything they have done. We are only favoured by our God and the only way to show it is by being grateful. How much grateful hearts do you possess? How much grateful actions have you done?
Gratitude begets gratitude. Gratitude is the greatest form of prayer not supplication, or any other form of prayer especially to God whom we meet at prayer just as the leper did. We express such in adoration especially in the blessed sacrament, in the attendance at mass and the listening and hearing of the word of God and reception of the Eucharist. In fact, the Church captures it well when the sacrifice of the Mass is named and called Eucharistia which means thanksgiving.
We also express gratitude in giving to others, in attending to the needs of the Church, in helping the poor and the destitute and those who come calling. We express gratitude by being thankful at all times in all situations and show it to others.
As that leper came back thanking God so the Lord expects us to always come back to say thank you Lord. It is an act of faith, it is expected and it is a virtue to cultivate. Our harvest thanksgiving is near, just days away, Sunday 19th November and it is coming fast and we need to say thank you Jesus and thank you Father of all creation and thank you to the Holy Spirit. Are you prepared and what are you going to do? It is our collective thanksgiving celebration that is more supernatural than any thanksgiving. It is communitarian and needed. Jesus did same and went to the temple to do just that. And he expects that from all of us. Let us key into the parish harvest and make our thanksgiving robust and truly an act of thankfulness and gratitude to our God.
Heavenly Father we are grateful for the gift of life, good health, happy family, good relationships, good job, our maintenance and our being yours in faith. We are grateful Lord. Give us always a grateful heart in all circumstances and situations of our lives no matter the odds and continue to bless our lives and deliver us from all adversities through Christ our Lord
Fr Norbert Uchuno
