Luke 17:
11-19
Ingratitude in one form or another is
one of the most distressing human attitude most especially after we have
given someone a gift, favour or service.
It breaks our hearts when our gift is rejected and never acknowledged or
appreciated.
The Jews expected favours after all
they were the chosen people of God. The
ingratitude of the nine Jewish lepers was a testament to such an attitude. They felt it was their due and there was no
need to say Thank You. The Samaritan who
was considered a foreigner turned back praising God in a loud voice and
throwing himself before Jesus, gave thanks for the gift of healing.
The word hospital comes from the Latin
word hospes which means host or
guest. A hospital is not just a place of
healing but a spiritual respite when we encounter God through pain and
suffering. It is a short period of rest
or relief from something unpleasant when we are taken cared of as special
guests. Through the hands of doctors,
nurses and staff and with the help of medical science and technology, we
experience healing and revival. It is
an institution where we encounter the joy and wonder when a mother gives birth
to her new born or when miracles happen beyond the explanation of medicine. We also encounter frustration and distress
most especially when death beckons in spite of the advancement of technology
and science. The hospital is a passage
of life where we encounter God! When a
person leaves the hospital after being revived surely give thanks to the
doctors, nurses and staff but the question is “Did the person encounter God while
he/she was a guest in the hospital?”
The nine Jewish lepers represent those
who take the wonders of life without acknowledging God who is the source and the
giver of all gifts. These are the
takers who think it is their due because they work for it so they deserve
it. Some think that these wonders are
part of the accidents in nature and nothing else. The Samaritan leper is the Christian who
always goes back to God, acknowledging, thanking and praising Him for such
wonders.
We say “Thank You” to God verbally,
sometimes mentally when we receive favours from Himmost especially when our
prayers have been answered. But how do we “go back” to God just like
leper did? We do it when we praise God
together with those who experience the same favour through the liturgy. The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word
eucharistein which means to give
thanks. The Eucharist is the highest
form of prayer and thanksgiving. It is
the apex of our liturgy when we come together like “a community of lepers”
needing God’s mercy and at the same time thanking Him for gift of healing which
is our salvation.
Pope Francis in a recent interview saw
the Church as a “field hospital” where sinners are like lepers encountering the
mercy and hospitality of God. This is
the reason why we always go back to the Eucharist because it is not enough to
say “Thank You” to God alone and privately.
We need the other members of the Christian community to ritualize our
gratitude through a liturgy which is acceptable to God. This is the wonder of the Holy Mass!
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