Raise your Hearts to God

Today’s Gospel Text:  On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Sama'ria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." 14 When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19

Reflection: Showing gratitude and genuinely speaking good about those who have helped us is a great quality.

Here in the gospel we have a clear example of the nature of human quality and how the majorities, that is, 9 out of 10 people tend to act ungrateful to the ones from whom they have received the good things of life. 

What is worse we tend to do this to the God who is all generous, who “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt 5:45

He is a God who has proved his generosity to us even when we were ungrateful and hardened rebels in our hearts towards him. (cfr. Rom. 5: 7-8)

How often do we show gratitude and praise him or seek to remember his kind deeds to us each morning and all throughout the day?

The scripture through its sacred prayers, especially the psalms teaches and exhorts us to praise the Lord at all times and to give him thanks for his good deeds. Yet as Christians, followers of Christ and his word we could show ingratitude and hardness.

In the gospel, it was not the Jews, who were trained in praising God, returned to praise and thank Jesus but the Samaritan who may have not had such training in praising God and thanking him.

When we praise God in gratitude we are also acting true to our nature, created in God's image and likeness, walking constantly in the truth through praise of him "who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light". (I Pt. 2:9)

And this nature then receives wholeness and healing, as if we are recreated once again into the image and likeness of God, as at the beginning of creation before the fall of Adam.

Prayer: Lord, may my soul always magnify thy holy name and be grateful to thee for all that you have given us in Christ Jesus.

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