Reflection
Ten were cleansed were they not? Where are the other nine?
Has only one returned to give thanks to God?
Luke 17:17 -18
Jesus continues to wonder in disappointment and amazement why gratitude is not expressed for all he has done. When we are kind and generous yet receive only ingratitude in return we are hurt and resentful. We may even walk away saying, I’ll never do anything more for these people again.” Yet,”despite our ingratitude, indifference and lack of love, God continues to help us, to heal us, and guide us, all the while waiting for us to say thank you. That is the first and last prayer for the rest of our lives…Gratitude is one of the key ingredients in the spiritual life. If we have been hurt we can move toward gratitude and name all the things God has done for us. If we are stuck in despair or boredom or gossip or fear or depression or frustration or sadness or poverty or loneliness or resentment, we can move toward gratitude and count our blessings and discover the peace and joy of Jesus.
John Dear, The Questions of Jesus
Prayer
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.
Psalm 9:1
Action
Reflect on all for which you can be grateful. Live in a spirit of gratitude. Express your thanks to those who gift you in any way.
Suggested Reading
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17:11 -19
In everything give thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4-5
Are we capable of saying ‘thank you’? How many times do we say ‘thank you’ in our family, our community, and in the church? How many times do we say ‘thank you’ to those who help us, to those close to us, to those who accompany us through life? Often we take everything for granted! This also happens with God.
Pope Francis
In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks.
Teresa of Avila
When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.
Tecumseh
Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.
Alphonse Karr
I’m thankful for serendipitous moments in my life, where things could’ve gone the other way.
Rick Springfield
There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude.
Robert Braul
Gratitude is the music of the heart, when its chords are swept by the breeze of kindness.
Author Unknown
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.
Aldous Huxley