Thanksgiving Defines Us

"Go and show yourselves to the priests."  That’s the instruction to the ten Lepers healed by Jesus in our Gospel lesson today (Luke 17:11-19).

Essentially, the instruction is for each of the people who’ve been healed to be restored to society, to their former place in society. It was the priest who was responsible for determining that someone was in fact healed and could be returned to their former place in the community and family. Mothers could go back to being mothers; fathers as fathers and so on. In a very real way, it is society that is healed, not just the ten people suffering from leprosy.

Gratitude is, without a doubt, a healthy way of being, a good response to something good. I might have, if I’d just been healed of leprosy, been more keen on seeing my family again than thanking the person who healed me. Nevertheless, gratitude is good.

Given the sometimes overwhelming news of hurricanes, earthquakes, mass shootings, bombings and other pains, it is increasingly difficult to hold onto a spirit of thankfulness. Yet, there is still goodness in the world. There are still people who choose love and courage despite their various circumstances. There is reason to be hopeful and thankful.

Most especially as followers of Jesus Christ, we must find the strength to remain people of deep gratitude. The name of the main sacrament that we celebrate each week, the Eucharist, means, thanksgiving. It is who we are. Thanksgiving defines us. Not just for the harvest and certainly not for the stuff we’ve accumulated, but for the victory of Jesus Christ which calls us into a deep relationship with a loving, forgiving and merciful God.

The nine lepers who walked away without giving thanks were still healed. The one who stayed showed his/her faith with gratitude. A truly grateful heart is to be nourished with the confidence that God’s love wins. Every time, God’s love wins.