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Jesus encounters a group of lepers on the road. He heals them and tells them to show themselves to the village priests, an act required to verify their cleanliness. Only one comes back to offer thanks.
The Other Nine … Where Are They?
Why is it so easy for us to say “please, please, please?” Why do
we find it more difficult to say “thank you, thank you, thank
you?” As I reread the verses from Luke about the 10 lepers, I
realize that all 10 of them asked to be healed, but only one
returned to thank Jesus. How often do we ask and receive, but
never thank? Even Jesus asks, “Where are the other nine? Has
no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” In
our lives, do we ask 90 percent of the time and say thank you
only10 percent of the time?
When we have a crisis, an illness, a family member or friend in
need, absolutely, we ask our Lord for help, and he always
listens. Do we then remember to thank him for listening, even
if the answer is not to our liking?
I begin every morning with “Today is the day the Lord hath made,
let us rejoice and be glad in it.” In other words, I am saying,
“Thank you, Lord, for giving me another day.”
God has blessed me in so many ways that I have learned, without
a reminder, to say thank you all day, quietly and publicly. As I
care for my grandchildren, as I drive them to school and
to their activities, I say thank you. As I age, I constantly
thank him for reminding me of things I forgot to remember. Does
that make sense?
My grandson Peter, who has special needs, has truly taught me
the meaning of gratitude. We never knew if he would crawl, or
walk or talk. Every time he exceeds expectations, his
family and friends offer a giant thank you to our Lord.
But the greatest thank you should be during this time of Lent,
Holy Week and Easter when we say, “Thank you for giving your
life, so that we might be saved. Thank you for loving us
enough to die for our sins.”
When Jesus gave his life for you and me, his blood healed us,
just as he healed the lepers. Don’t have him asking us, “Where
are the others?” Let us be the ones who thank him, quietly
and publicly, for his sacrifice.
Barbara Orsak |