Read Online
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.” Luke 17:17–19
This reply from our Lord came in response to the one leper who
returned to Jesus to thank Him. Ten lepers had come to Jesus, stood
at a distance, cried out, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And
with that, Jesus healed them all. But the heart of this healing is
not as much the healing itself as it is the gratitude expressed by
only one of the ten.
This Gospel relates to us that this one leper did five things to
profoundly express his gratitude. He returned, glorified God, did
so in a loud voice, fell at the feet of Jesus, and thanked him.
What a wonderful witness for us all!
By analogy, children often take the loving care of their parents
for granted. That’s why many good parents regularly remind their
children to say “thank you.” In our relationship with God, we can
also easily take God’s saving actions for granted. We can easily
see all the grace we receive as something we deserve rather than as
an infinitely merciful gift. When that happens, we become more like
the other nine who failed to properly express their gratitude to
Jesus.
First of all, it must be noted that expressing gratitude to God is
not done because God needs these accolades. He does not depend upon
our gratitude to affirm His self-worth. This is obvious. God is
God, and He does not need our praise in any way. However, giving
profound praise and glory to God is essential. It is essential
because we need this virtue of gratitude so as to daily be reminded
that all we receive from God is an unmerited gift. We cannot earn
His love and grace. We do not deserve it. But He chooses to bestow
it anyway out of mercy. And the only appropriate response to mercy
is gratitude. Profound gratitude.
Gratitude is essential because it is the truth. We should always
return to our Lord after He has graced us. We should glorify Him
with much fervor, crying out to Him with passion. We should,
literally and interiorly, fall on our face before Him, at His feet,
and thank Him, over and over and over again. Doing so will always
help us to remember the truth that everything we have and
everything we are is a gift from God. An unmerited and undeserved
gift of grace.
Reflect, today, upon the depth of gratitude in your own heart. Do
you often act more like a spoiled and selfish child, or do you
regularly perceive the graciousness of God? If you lack in any way
this fullness of gratitude, then ponder this one leper. His
gratitude, expressed with the fullness of passion, is the most
important part of this story. In the end, he was graced far more
than the other nine because his healing produced faith; and it was
that faith that saved not only his body but his soul. Seek to save
your soul by imitating the faith of this one holy and healed
leper.
My gracious Lord, You bestow Your mercy upon me in
superabundance. Without You, Jesus, I have nothing; but with You, I
receive everything. May I always know and understand my need for
Your grace. And as I am gifted with it, may I respond with the
deepest gratitude, thus, saving my soul through faith. Jesus, I
trust in You.
Source of content:
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Copyright 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission via RSS feed.
Featured image above: Healing of the Leper by Niels
Larsen Stevns, via Wikimedia Commons
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.