When I was a kid, I never liked
writing thank you notes. It’s not that I wasn't grateful for the gifts I received; I was. I just never knew what to say. “Thank you” seemed to sum it up perfectly, but
Mom said that each note had to have a few sentences. I had enough trouble finding the words for
one thank you note, so when I had several to write, I inevitably churned out
the same message: “Dear So-and-so: Thank you for the gift. I like it very, very much. It was really, really nice of you to give it
to me. Love, Michael.” Feel free to plagiarize if you need a quick
thank you note. To mix it up a little, I’d
exchange the “verys” with “a lot” and underline a word here and there for extra
emphasis. Not very creative, and I knew
it. So I usually ended the task feeling
like my thanks wasn't good enough. I
wonder if that’s what was going on with the 9 lepers in today’s Gospel.
Today’s readings include our
traditional Thanksgiving Gospel: the
Healing of the Ten Lepers. As we hear
each year, Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one returns to thank him, prompting
Jesus to ask, “Where are the other nine?”
Most Bible scholars interpret this passage as a lesson in gratitude,
explaining that only one leper truly appreciated God’s gift of healing, seen in
his expression of gratitude. The other
nine were ungrateful, so the scholars say.
But I have a soft spot in my heart for the other nine. I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they were overwhelmed by the
realization that they would no longer be outcast from society. Maybe they didn't understand what had
happened to them and how it came about. Maybe
they had no words to express their gratitude adequately. Maybe they didn't think their “thank you”
would be good enough.
Giving thanks isn't always easy
because gratitude is an act of humility.
Acknowledging that someone has done something nice for us interferes
with our sense of independence or self-sufficiency and may even make us feel
indebted to our benefactor. Whether we
owe thanks to God or to our neighbor, we may not always express it out of
discomfort, fear or a sense of inadequacy.
But gratitude is good for us. “Since ancient times, philosophers and sages
from every spiritual tradition have taught that cultivating gratitude is a key
to experiencing deeper levels of happiness, fulfillment and well-being.”[1]
Modern Science agrees. In his book called, Thanks, Robert Emmons presents years of research that proves that grateful
people live happier, healthier lives. That’s
why we say Happy Thanksgiving. In Emmons’ words, “If you want to sleep
better, count your blessings, not sheep.”[2]
And where do blessings come from? From God.
Whether we want to admit it or not, we are creatures who are wholly
dependent on our Creator. Everything we
need to live and to be happy comes from God. We need
God. So the least we can do is express a
little gratitude every once in a while. “Being
thankful to God involves waking up to the blessings around us.”[3] Every breath we take is a gift from God,
every second of our lives brings with it an opportunity to receive the gift of God’s
love and share it with our neighbor. Gratitude “lets us relive blessing and
grace and in this we have the experience twice.”[4] Living with an attitude of gratitude is a
wonderful way to live.
We have so much to be thankful for. So much that it can be overwhelming; how can
our simple “thanks” ever be good enough? No matter how we feel, we owe our gratitude
anyway. So in the example of the one
leper: let’s muster our courage, summon
our humility, and give thanks to God for his eternal, unconditional love. And don’t worry about the words, because “If
the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”[5]
Happy Thanksgiving!
[1]
Deepak Chopra, “3 Essential Practices for Gratitude,” http://spiritualityhealth.com/print/1621.
[2]
Robert Emmons, Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You
Happier (Houghton Mifflin, 2007).
[3]
David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness, Paulist
Press.
[4] M. Renee Miller, A Guide to Spiritual Practice: Gratitude
Practice.
[5]
Meister Eckhart.
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