2 Kgs 5:14-17; 2
Tim 2:8-13; Lk 17:11-19
A little girl
was going to a party and her mother told her to be a good girl and to remember,
when she was leaving, to thank her hostess. When she arrived home the mother
asked if she had thanked her hostess and the little girl replied: “No, the girl
in front of me did and the lady said, ‘Don’t mention it’ – so I didn’t!” (The story is from More Quotes and Anecdotes by Anthony P.
Castle)
As little children, we were taught by our parents to say “Thank
you” every time we receive a gift or something good from others. And yet, from
time to time, we still find ourselves failing to thank those who have helped us
in some way or another. Sometimes, we even forget to thank God who is the source
of all goodness and blessings.
“Thank you” is the language of a grateful person. The readings
give us two examples of people who have possessed or developed a thankful
heart. The Second Book of Kings tells us how Naaman, a Syrian general, tried to
express his deep gratitude to the prophet Elisha for making possible his cure
from leprosy. In like manner, the gospel of Luke narrates how a Samaritan came
back to thank Jesus after being healed from his leprosy. Actually, there were
ten lepers who received healing, but only one cared to return and give thanks
to Jesus. Realizing this, the
Lord asked: “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?” The
gospel suggests that God would like us to show gratitude whenever we receive a
gift or a blessing, be it from him or from others. Let us not be like the nine
lepers who, after being healed, ran away and forgot the source of their blessing.
Somebody
made up the following story:
The Lord was walking around
heaven when he noticed one room full of busy angels. They were busy answering
the phones.
“What is keeping you occupied
here?” The Lord asked.
An angel replied, “Lord, this
is the Office of Requests and Demands. Here, we are receiving thousands of
calls per second from earth. People are asking countless things, many of which
are not really essential.”
The Lord simply smiled as he
moved to walk to another corner on the streets. Then he came to another room
full of angels who were sleeping on the job.
“Are you not supposed to be
working at this time of the day,” the Lord demanded.
An angel replied, “Lord, this
is the Acknowledgment Office. We don’t receive a lot of calls from earth here. In
fact, very few would call to give you thanks. So, what else can we do but
sleep?”(The story is from
unknown author)
Some
people are not grateful because they take for granted the many blessings that
are given to them everyday. Fresh air, clean water, food, health, education,
children and friends are just few of God’s blessings that make this world habitable
and that make our life meaningful. Others do not find the need to say “Thank
You” because they consider their achievements as their own doing only. They believe
they can succeed without the help of God or of others.
In
contrast, grateful people are those who appreciate every little thing that
makes their life easier, or every person that makes their life worth living, or
every opportunity that opens a window to success. Moreover, thankful people are
those who recognize their dependence on others, particularly
on the goodness of God. They know that life becomes beautiful only when it is
lived in an endless cycle of generous giving and grateful receiving.
Today, we are reminded that saying “Thank You” or writing a note
of gratitude is an important gospel value. Whenever we say “Thank You”, we recognize the
many gifts, big and small, that we received from God and from others. Importantly, we also begin to appreciate the
value of these gifts as expressions of God’s love for us.
