Living Gratefully

10-13-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Julius Kundi

We all know how satisfying it is to receive a sincere “Thank you” for a service truly appreciated. The contrary also holds, of course: how hurtful it is to be consistently taken for granted, without ever a word of appreciation.

The central theme of today’s readings is gratitude – in particular, the expression of gratitude God expects from us as exemplified by today's main characters, Naaman, the Syrian General and the Samaritan.. We also have on the other hand the story of ‘the forgetful lepers’ which reveals God's disappointment and pain at our ingratitude.

Indeed, the readings encourage us to learn from Naaman and the Samaritan on how to live in gratitude to God for we too have been the greatest recipients of His choicest blessings. Their acts of thanksgiving as recorded in the Scriptures deserve some special reflection. The two cured both returned glorifying God. To understand this from a theological point of view , giving praise to God is much more than saying thanks. It’s an act of worship! Saying thanks to a good deed could be just an act of courtesy and not worship; theirs was much deeper. They both were converted and developed faith to worship God. They saw their healing as a privileged experience and that led them to conversion and giving glory to God.

Consider Naaman, a great man, leader, a valiant soldier. Yes, an army general that had the world under his control. He had everything you and l crave for, unfortunately he was a leper. Beneath that glamous armor is a problem that is breaking him and for this his status, intelligence and past achievements do not really matter anymore.

All he needed then is to find a cure. And to be cured, he must find God. Indeed he got healed. He was made whole. He was regenerated. What was he supposed to do next? He became a believer! His thanksgiving then became a response to God’s grace in his life, a confession of God’s glory for he has suddenly become aware of how awesome God is. Listen to his confessions: “Now l know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel”. “for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the Lord.”

We need to treasure the lesson in today’s readings. First, we should know that God’s grace is unconditional. His offer of new life, opportunity and beginning are all available for those who turn to his way of salvation by faith. Second, we need to know also that any good that we have has come from God. We didn't get it by luck, ingenuity, hard work, wit, or wisdom. It is proper to divinely thank Him as did Naaman and the Samaritan for He has preserved us all these years in peace and prosperity. Ultimately, living gratefully is about more than simply appreciating what you have; it’s about delighting in the opportunity to give to others. As some wise men will put it, true gratitude ignites compassion. In other words when we understand that the ultimate goal of providence is happiness and unity with God, we realize that this kind of love wants to be shared. Living gratefully, therefore increases our awareness of the beauty and blessings that are constantly unfolding around us, and thus inspires us to share those blessings with others.

The celebration of the Holy Eucharist is the supreme act of thanksgiving our Lord Jesus left us with. He wants us to do it as often as possible. When we celebrate Holy Mass together, we are thanking God for giving us the great gift of His Son in the Holy Eucharist so that we can share His Divine life and recharge our spiritual batteries, and for giving us His teaching, guiding and strengthening Holy Spirit. Remember, gratitude does not only empowers the receiver of the gift; it confirms the giver.

Fr. Julius

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