28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
“Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God and thanked him.” Today’s theme is about giving gratitude to God, and allows us to ask the question: are we grateful to God for what he has done in our lives?
It is so easy to take things for granted. Good health, good friends, good food. All these have been given by God as a gift, and it only takes a second to say a meaningful ‘thank you’.
I should have been more grateful when I was studying in seminary college. Good company of friends, cheap beer in the bar, and sausages every Sunday for breakfast, with the customary HP Sauce. Ah, the good old days. In parish life it is lucky if I have time for toast and a coffee before the phone rings or the door-bell sounds. I didn’t appreciate the timetable I had, time set aside for prayer, study and relaxation. The only thing on seminarians minds was the date to leave college, in order to be ordained and start parish ministry.
Ingratitude is probably the most common of all human failings. Being taken for granted without a word of thanks can be so hurtful. What causes most pain is the neglect and coldness of those, for whom we have done our best for. I remember when I was a young boy, at Christmas my Mum would say to me, make sure you note down everybody’s names who had given you these Christmas presents, so you can write to them and say thank you.
Even though it was time consuming and slightly boring, I did write those letters of thanks, saying how grateful I was to receive my gift.
If neglect and ingratitude are painful to our own friends and family, how much more is it painful to the Lord, who has given us everything?
In the Gospel ten lepers in their misery, cried out for mercy to the Lord. These lepers were treated as outcasts and isolated from their community. So, Jesus answered their prayers and all ten were cleansed, but only one came back to say thank you … only one.
Jesus expressed genuine disappointment towards the attitude of the other nine, they missed the great richness and inner joy that comes from giving thanks. The Samaritan man returned glorifying God, who Jesus refers to as being a foreigner. By doing this Jesus is overcoming the barrier between Jews and non-Jews, thus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy:
“Foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, will be brought to my holy mountain. They will be joyful, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Jesus said to the Samaritan, your faith has saved you. Suggesting that the Samaritan received more than a physical healing, like the other nine lepers, but for the Samaritan who returned, his faith in the Lord Jesus led him to Salvation.
In our first reading today, we heard about Naaman an Aramean officer who also suffered from leprosy. He was instructed by his King to see the prophet, Elisha. When he arrived at an unimpressive location, Naaman half-heartedly agrees to bathe in the river Jordan. However, his efforts were rewarded, and he was cured.
In gratitude Naaman returns to the prophet now convinced in Israel’s God is the One true God and asks Elisha if he could take back some Israeli soil, so he could offer sacrifices to God on Holy Land, while he was back at home.
God has brought us out of darkness into his most wonderful light. Jesus as conquered Sin for all humanity, by His Death, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. That is more than enough to be grateful for.
We are God’s Holy people, he has done so much for every one of us. Let us take the Samaritan’s example today, by returning to the Lord, giving praise and glory for his steadfastness of love and mercy towards us, especially in our time of need.
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