In Gratitude, God is Glorified

Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

November 10, 2021, Wednesday

Readings: Click here to read in full
    Reading I: Wis 6:1-11
    Responsorial Psalm: Ps 82:3-4, 6-7
    Gospel: Lk 17:11-19

Our liturgy today brings us to the core of our Eucharistic spirituality, and that is gratitude, for gratitude draws us to God in praise and worship. We cannot praise and worship God enough without being thankful.

In our Gospel, out of ten lepers who were healed, only one came back to thank Jesus. We know that he had no business with the Jewish priests because he was a Samaritan. But more than this unjust social milieu is the Samaritan’s response to what Jesus did to him. The Gospel tells us, "And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him." He was the only one who RETURNED, the only one who GLORIFIED God, the only one who FELL at Jesus’ feet, the only one who THANKED Jesus.

God wants us to be thankful to Him for the many things He is doing for us. We thank Him even in the most difficult times, even if we are grieving and hurting, lest we become arrogant and self-centered, like the other nine lepers who were healed. Being grateful keeps us close to God, who is always unconditional in His gifts.

In gratitude, we glorify the Giver, not the gifts. However, if we look at the gifts God gives us, we see how kind and gracious God is. Gratitude then draws us closer to Him. This is what happened to the Samaritan. His gratitude drew him to Jesus.

Going back to our Eucharistic spirituality, we understand that it is best expressed in a life of gratitude, which draws us to God whom we glorify and worship in spirit and in truth.

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

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