“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
First off, to all those who walk along the Road of Faith with Connie and I, Happy Thanksgiving. We have so much for which to be thankful. This year, Connie and I have seen some incredible sights. All the National Parks give the earth’s Thanksgiving to God as they show His glory. The skies and stars cry out Thanksgiving to God. But, one of the things we are most thankful for in our journeys is the Churches we’ve visited to take part in the ultimate Thanksgiving, the Holy Eucharist. We have joyed over the celebration of Mass and reception of our Lord in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Adoration.
The ten lepers cried out in despair for healing, Jesus heard their cry and cleansed them. They ran away in glee, jumping for joy as their lives were returned. But, only one released a heart of thanksgiving and came back.
Jesus asks, “Where are the other nine?” They ran off to reclaim their lives. Only one came back to thank Jesus and glorify God.
We have all been given so much more than a simple cleansing from leperousy. We have been given Divine Mercy to cleanse our soul, giving us back eternal life.
When Jesus looks up from His cross, will He see you giving thanks to God? Or will He ask “where is…?”
We all have so many graces and blessings from God. Let us not forget in our joy to run back to thank God and give Him glory and praise.