Someone Grateful

Before I begin the sharing for this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Let me give the readings first...


First Reading 2 Kings 5: 14 - 17

4 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him; and he said, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant."
16 But he said, "As the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will receive none." And he urged him to take it, but he refused.
17 Then Na'aman said, "If not, I pray you, let there be given to your servant two mules' burden of earth; for henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD.

Second Reading 2 Timothy 2: 8 - 13


8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel,
9 the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered.
10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory.
11 The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;
12 if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful -- for he cannot deny himself.


Gospel Reading Luke 17: 11 - 19

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Sama'ria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance
13 and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."
14 When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed.
15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;
16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
17 Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
19 And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."

Commentary

God is naturally a giver. Ever wonder why He created the universe? Because He wants to give. To share his love to persons He loves and owns. We are all dependent to God. His providence is the only source of our life. The oxygen, water and sunlight do not come from any factory or enterprises, they are given freely by God. God is generous.

Every good things we experience in life is an initiative of God. Foremost is our redemption. Every good things we do are all responses to the goodness of God. The readings for this Sunday is a testimony to this graciousness and initiative of God.
God cares for everybody, even to those outside the Church. If they are repentant and they are believing in God's capacity to forgive their sins, they will be listened to. To make it clear, only their prayer for forgiveness can be heard. That is the first step. That is a response to God's redemptive initiative. Naaman who was outside the Kingdom of Israel was healed. The ten lepers who were outcasts of society were healed by Jesus also. Healing is equivalent to God's forgiveness. The physical sickness of the lepers is only an imagery of the spiritual sickness which is sinfulness. Naaman and the ten lepers are examples and imageries of people outside God's Church.

Here we can see a clear model of God's plan and economy of redemption. God will initiate the process for redemption by sending a man of God. Elisha to Naaman and His Son to the ten lepers. But before they get cured, they need to respond to God's preliminary act. Naaman traveled from Syria to Jerusalem just to meet the prophet. Likewise, the lepers need to shout so they could be heard by Jesus [they are outside the Church]. People inside the Church don't need to shout because the have access to the Lord. Sometimes they don't even have to say their prayer.

But you see, in the readings, healing does not end with physical recovery. The healing is fulfilled when there is emotional, personal and spiritual wellness and transformation. Naaman aware of God's work of graciousness returned to Elisha and offered something out of his gratitude. In the Gospel, one of the lepers returned to Jesus and answered generosity with gratitude. Jesus looked for the other nine but found no one but the Samaritan who was get cured on the way. Vividly, we know that he is the only one who is healed completely. The other nine may cured physically but still as numb as lepers in heart and spirit. Maybe they never really knew they were healed.

So this Sunday, we don't have to center immediately and solely to gratitude as a good act of a Christian but more that that, reflect on the goodness, graciousness, and initiative if our God. Healing starts with God's generosity and clemency. Then comes the charity and mission of the Church... to make tactile [through the sacraments] the act of God which is spiritual and heavenly. It is the recipient who will complete the process. How? By celebrating the triumph of God with testimony to prove the healing. When a person express one's gratitude through the lips, the works, and worship then the healing is done.

Application

Gratitude is a virtue. As we discussed, it is the response of the believers to the generosity and clemency of God. Our lives should be lives manifesting this gratefulness to God. I always thank God for the gift of life, the gift of new mornings. I thank God for giving me trustworthy and true friends though they are not that great in numbers. I thank God for giving me a loving and supportive family. I thank God that he made himself known to me, that at early age I learned about Him. I thank God for constantly loving me even in my failures and shortcomings. I thank God for forgiving me. I thank God for the heaven that awaits me.

There are so many things we can thank God. To borrow from David Foster "There's so much to be thankful for." What do you want to thank God? Each of us should be grateful for the things God has given us. Thank Him now.