Thanks Giving 2013

   The reading at Mass today was about the ten lepers who were cured by Christ, and only one came back to give praise to God.

   I have always wondered about the other 9 lepers who were cured. They seem to be getting a bad rap, but weren't they following the instructions Jesus gave them? Maybe after they went to show themselves to the priest they came back to look for Jesus to thank him. Because the Samaritan didn't follow Jewish tradition maybe he thought it more important to go back and give thanks to the one who cured him.

   Today is a day we set aside for thanks giving but are we really thankful for what we need to be thankful for.

   Let me give you some examples: I am thankful that I have a job, but sad that I am not able to do something more satisfying. I am thankful that God call me to be a deacon but sad that I not able to minister to his people more than I am. I am thankful that I can help others in need but sad that I can’t do more. You see we always are thankful but we seem to always want more.

   I read somewhere that to be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of our existence is a gift of grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God.

   I have come to realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the open effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.

   I have also come to realize that we have not gotten to be where we are on our own. As much as we like to think we have there has been many in our lives that helped us on our journey.

   Stephen M. Wolf, was quoted to say “Each of us can look back upon someone who made a great difference in our lives, someone whose wisdom or simple acts of caring made an impression upon us. In all likelihood, it was someone who sought no recognition for their deed, other than the joy of knowing that, by their hand, another’s life had been made better.”

   We need to follow the example that the thankful leper gave us when he went back to Jesus This Thanksgiving lets take the opportunity to thank those that God has sent our way, who made a difference in our lives.