And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice. – Luke 17:15

       One of my favorite things to do while crawling through heavy traffic is praying out loud. I would chat with Jesus as though He were in the car with me, telling Him about my day and running through Him details, big and small.

       “Wasn’t that embarrassing, Lord? Can You believe what a nutcase I am?”

       There’s as much laughter as there are tears, and more than the quintessential prayer, it closely resembles intimate conversations between friends — spontaneous, uncensored and candid. During these chats, I would verbalize everything I thought and felt, especially the ones I have difficulty admitting to anyone else. And always, no matter how heavy or light I feel that day, I’d feel better.

       This is because every conversation brings me back to gratitude — if not for all the things that are going my way, then for simply having Someone who will listen without tiring, and especially without judgment.

       I wonder if the Samaritan who praised God in a loud voice felt the same. Ria Macasaet (ria.macasaet@gmail.com)

Reflection:What are you thankful for today? Give praise to God!

Lord, thank You for Your lasting friendship and abounding compassion. I ask that You anoint me to extend the same to all I encounter.

Elisha shows to the foreigner, Naaman, the power of the God of Israel. Naaman is convinced and he takes soil from Israel back to his own land in order to build a shrine at which to worship the God of the Jews. Do we know how powerful God is? Have we experienced His miracles in our lives? It is time to pray for and expect miracles to happen. God wants to manifest His presence in our midst if only we will call on Him in faith.

14 Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean of his leprosy. 15 Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.” 16 Elisha replied, “As the Lord lives whom I serve, I will not take it”; and despite Naaman’s urging, he still refused. 17 Naaman said: “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord.”

R: The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 2 The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)

Paul may have been arrested and put in chains, but his enemies cannot take away his spirit. He will continue to proclaim the Gospel until his last breath. In fact, Paul still continues to proclaim it through the writings he left behind. Let us learn from his experiences as we face our day-to-day challenge.

8 Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; 12 if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. 13 If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

Gratitude is an important aspect of respect. One of the first things we were taught as children was to say, “Thank you,” to those who have given us something or done something for us. Why should it be any different with God? To be healed of leprosy in Jesus’ time was a remarkable event. The former leper will be reintegrated into society. Lepers were avoided and exiled, but after being healed by Jesus, these men are now free to return to a normal way of life.

In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

11 As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him 13 and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” 14 And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; 16 and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? 18 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 19 Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

Thank You Lord for: __________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Amos 1-3

SABBATH PAUSE

THANK YOU LIST

SPECIAL NEEDS

HIDDEN TREASURE

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GOD’S NATURE, MAN’S RELUCTANCE

Today’s three readings are as much a story of two grateful lepers as that of a God whose nature is to give generously. Naaman, who was healed, came back to give profuse thanks by reciprocating with a gift to Elisha.

       The Gospel account presents the image of a God who acts according to His nature to be merciful, generous and giving, shown by the healing miracle of Christ to 10 lepers. But the similarity ends there. What follows is an image of a reality in stark contrast. While it is God’s nature to give, man proves to be reluctant in giving thanks. Nine out of 10 lepers who received healing did not bother to come back and give thanks.

     To be honest, I have this long-standing but secret theory that we Filipinos are not a very thankful people. I have this additional theory that certain jobs are thankless ones. Take formation work, for one, or counseling. Once people find their bearings and are equipped to soar high, few come back to acknowledge what you have done to help them. Parents can relate to this. After sacrificing for their children’s education and total growth, a great many of them end up saying: “We did it all by ourselves!”

       Sometimes, when people don’t reciprocate, when our best efforts are taken for granted, we take offense. We stop doing good. We put a period to our giving. This is just about as human as we can get. We are as much reluctant to be grateful as we are to be giving.

       I feel convicted today. St. Paul reminds us of this undying trait of God that is the exact antithesis to our being hesitant and limited do-gooders: “If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” From the human point of view, it would not have come as a surprise for the Lord to ignore that lone grateful man who came back. But God proves Himself once again to be what He had always been — a God of mercy, compassion and generosity: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you received kindness from God or another person lately? Did you remember to go back and give thanks?

Thank You, Lord, for everything that You have given me and for all that You are to me. My heart overflows with gratitude. Thank You for Your unconditional love. Amen.