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Gospel Reading for November 12, 2025 – Luke 17: 11-19
GRATITUDE
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. 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 a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
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Imagine ourself as one of the ten lepers, who, during Jesus’ time were not allowed to go near people and are believed to have acquired leprosy because of our sins. The suffering is double: physical and mental. There is no cure so we just have to accept that we are going to waste away until death. It is a hopeless case. Then, we hear that there is a healer from Nazareth. This is our chance, perhaps our only chance, so we raise our voice in supplication when he passes by. He heals us. But, nine of us forget to thank Jesus, forgetting too all the suffering in the past, and only one of us does not only remember to thank Jesus, but glorifies God in a loud voice.
Are we among the nine, or are we the only one who came back to Jesus upon realizing we have been healed?
Sometimes, we are like the nine lepers. When we are in dire need of God, we pray and pray and pray, attending all kinds of novenas and attend mass everyday. But when our prayer is answered, we stop praying and even miss Sunday mass. Then, we go back to our old lives when God was not at the center.
GRATITUDE is very important, not for God but more for ourselves. When we are grateful for all the blessings we receive – big or small, we acquire a humble attitude, knowing we are dependent on God. We acquire empathy, thus learning to be one with the suffering of others. We do not lose anything (pride?) by being grateful. We gain everything because it makes us the persons we are meant to be.
We thank you Lord for all the blessings we receive each day. May we show our GRATITUDE by sharing what we have received from you with those in need!
