A Day For Gratitude

 Luke 17: 11-19

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy^[a] met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Gratitude is such an essential factor in our daily lives, and it is a great blessing to have a whole day devoted to giving thanks to God  with our families.  It's a nightmare travel time, but so worth the effort that there's no holding back.  People want to be together, so they drive through heavy traffic or fly from crowded airports where they have waited for hours to boar a plane so they can  share a special meal, and especially  extend love and gratitude to God for the blessing of family and the other countless blessings he daily s showers upon us. 

In the above story, 10 lepers were cured, but only ONE returned to give thanks.  We join with him, and without looking for approval, may we hear God say in our hearts, "Rise and go, your faith has made you well."

Bro. Rene

 God, you have made us and blessed us richly. All that we have comes from you. May we never lose sight of our dependence on you and may our whole lives be a sign of our gratitude to you. Help us to give without cost just as we have received without cost. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Br. Jimmy Henke, C.S.C.