Twenty-Eighth Sunday Ordinary Time, C-- Get Out Of The "Christian Bubble” For Blessings And Thanksgiving

“Where are the other nine?” Jesus asks.

I read that nine out of ten husbands agreed that their wives are always right. The tenth one hasn’t been seen since the study was conducted.

Luke 17:11 says that Jesus “traveled through Samaria and Galilee.”

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, which was around Galilee, his comfort zone where most of his ministry took place. But sometimes Jesus went rogue. He was in Samaria, a land which devout Jews of his time avoided at all costs.

And of the ten healed, only one came back and gave thanks to Jesus. A Samaritan, who had imperfect faith and belief. The lesson is that we have to sometimes get out of our “Christian bubble” in order to bless someone and receive their heartfelt thanksgiving. That is what Naaman did in our First Reading; he was saved and healed as he came down from his country of Aram, which was later known as Syria, considered enemy territory by Israel.

Gratitude is a program of action, not a program of analysis.

John Kralik is another imperfect person. He found his life at a terrible, frightening low at age 53. He was twice-divorced, out of shape, and had money troubles. What did he have to look forward to? How did he get stuck in this downward spiral? But during his tough circumstances, an idea came to John: write one thank-you note every day for a whole year. This was John’s way of forcing himself to notice something positive in his life. He began writing one thank-you note each day to family members, friends, colleagues, former bosses and professors and teachers.

And this act of writing one thank-you note each day changed John’s life. He wrote about it in his book “A Simple Act of Gratitude.” His relationships improved. He left his negative mindset behind and became more hopeful. It permanently changed his life for the better.

Resentments put us into a prison by exhausting us by complicated grievances, jealousies and ambiguities, stirring up destructive anger. Gratitude frees us and gives us new vitality and enthusiasm.

For example, a lady named Dorene keeps a 31 Day Thankful Pumpkin as part of her fall tradition. Beginning October 1 she buys the best pumpkin she can carry home and grabs her Sharpie pen. This becomes her table centerpiece, and at the end of each day, she writes one thing that she was grateful for. She says that it is a great way to train your brain to find that “diamond in the rough”—the one thing that stood out, even on bad days. For families, it can be a fun way to teach kids about being thankful, and they can look forward to writing something on their Thankful Pumpkin each day!

Though ten lepers experience a miraculous healing, nine of them miss “salvation” because it is the gratefulness to Jesus, not the “healing” that is decisive; the narrator intends a sharp critique of the belief in healing miracles apart from first seeking salvation.

The Mass is the New Covenant in the Body and Blood of Christ, which is about salvation and thanksgiving, an offering of praise to God our Father for having sent Jesus to sacrifice himself for us and for sharing his very self with us. In fact, the Greek word “Eucharist” means thanksgiving. Healing can come from that.

Lastly, Think thankfully: Being thankful starts with the right attitude and mindset. The words “thank” and “think” come from the same root word reminding us that thankfulness grows out of thoughtfulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” When we find ourselves in a difficult situation, give thanks to the Father, in the name of Jesus to keep our heart from complaining and fretting. Thanksgiving defeats the devil and glorifies the Lord.

Gus Lloyd shares,

”So, the percentage of those saved and healed who came back was exactly ten percent. Hmm… does that number sound familiar? Oh, it is a tithe. So, the very best was a Samaritan? Double ouch for the Jews!

Coincidence?

I don’t think so. Wouldn’t it be interesting to do a poll to see what percentage of people today are genuinely grateful to God for their blessings, and express it with faithful financial support of our parish each and every week.

Regardless of what the actual number is, let us make sure that we are ALWAYS part of that faithful tithe, one of the ones who ALWAYS returns to give thanks to God for His many blessings.

Amen.

[source: Gus Lloyd, The Faithful Tithe, Nov 11, 2020].