Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Wis 6:1-11; Lk 17:11-19
In today’s Gospel, Jesus praises the virtue of gratitude in the Samaritan.
The healing narrative leaves behind some important lessons for us.
1.Ten lepers approach Jesus for the cure. But it only occurs to the Samaritan to acknowledge the cure and praise the Lord. The gratitude ratio of 1-10 is quite revealing about the number of beneficiaries who are many and the few who are grateful. How about us?
2. Upon request, Jesus directs the lepers to the priests. The Gospel describes that all of them were cleansed while they were going. In this regard, ‘show yourselves to the priests’ would mean the performance of rituals. The fact that they do not come back to thank Jesus leaves us to conclude that they busied themselves with performing the rituals. Whereas, only the Samaritan stands out by worshiping the Lord.
3. All ten lepers appeal to Jesus for the cure. Some translations read: ‘They called out in a loud voice.’ They cry aloud in their need but remain quiet about their cure. Only the Samaritan proclaims the cure and glorifies the Lord in loud praise, in the same way, he made his appeal for the cure along with others. The Samaritan’s heart is in the right place.
4. Jesus readily acknowledges the goodness of the Samaritan, just as he made the compassion of the Good Samaritan immortal. He also gives credit to his faith, though he performed the cure. Jesus does not mince words when it comes to making the Gentiles examples of discipleship.
5. Oftentimes, our relationship with God resembles a business deal. One of the prayers for Catholic weddings reads like this: ‘In happiness may they praise you, O Lord; in sorrow may they seek you out.’ In short, it is an eternal bond with the Lord and not a fair-weather relationship. Unfortunately, we remember the Lord only in our bad times. God remains a forgotten reality when all is well with us!
Gratitude is an attitude. It is a virtue. It is a way of life.
Let us pray for the grace and virtue of gratitude!
Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar
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