Twenty Eighth Sunday of the Year: C: October 9, 2022

                THE VIRTUE OF GRATITUDE

First Reading: 2 Kings 5: 14-17

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2: 8-13

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 11-19

   *First reading is from the second book of Kings. We have the story of Naaman the commander of the Syrian Army who was a leper. He comes to know from his servant girl that there is a great prophet in Israel who can heal him from his leprosy. He comes to Prophet Elisha to be healed from his ailment. Elisha instructs him to wash himself seven times in the river Jordan. After much hesitation and persuasion from his servants, he washes himself in Jordan and is healed from his leprosy by the mighty power of the Lord God of Israel. As a result, Naaman expresses his faith in the Lord God. He is full of gratitude to Elisha and the Lord God. Through this miracle, the Lord God extends His healing touch to the people of other religious and cultural traditions. 

   *Second reading is from the second letter of St. Paul to Timothy. Paul exhorts Timothy to carry on the mission entrusted to him for the sake of the Gospel and for Jesus Christ. Timothy is reminded that preaching the Gospel will not be easy. It will bring much hardships, opposition and persecution.

Gratitude of the Samaritan leper                                                                Today's Gospel reading is from St. Luke. The healing of ten lepers by Jesus is narrated in detail. After being healed by the Lord, only one man, a Samaritan returns to thank Him. Jesus is surprised by their response. So He asks the one who came back, "Were not ten healed? Where are the other nine?". In fact, all the ten are healed by the Lord. But except this Samaritan, none of the others returns to thank Him. Their skin is healed but for the rest, it all remains the same. We do not know the reason why the other nine fail to show their gratitude to the Lord. This incident should help us to look into our own lives and ask why we are often found wanting to thank the Lord for the many blessings we have received and our failure to thank someone who did a favour to us in the past. Expressing gratitude and being thankful is a great virtue and should be practiced consciously. Whatever may be the reasons for our lack of gratitude, it diminishes us and those who help us. As someone said,"Ingratitude makes the bill for helping people hard to pick up." THANK YOU LORD, FOR ALL YOUR BOUNDLESS BLESSINGS. A prayer of thanks: "Thank you Lord that I can see, so many are blind. Thank you Lord that I can hear, so many are deaf. Thank you Lord that I can walk, so many are crippled. Thank you Lord that I have food, so many are hungry. Thank you Lord that I have shelter, so many are homeless. Thank you Lord for the friendship, so many are lonely. Help me Lord always to be grateful."

"When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." - G.K. Chesterton

"Gratitude is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all virtues." - M.T. Cicero

"In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer