In the first reading this Sunday, we see that after his healing in the Jordan river, Naaman returns to Elisha. It’s clear from their ensuing conversation that his miraculous healing had led to him recognising the God of Israel as the one who had healed him. In thanksgiving, he desires to offer sacrifice, and pledges that he “will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except the Lord”. In the Gospel, we see the Samaritan returning to Jesus after his healing, falling at the Lord’s feet and “praising God with a loud voice”. It’s clear from both Scriptures that when we recognise what God has done for us, our first response is to worship. That’s why our central act of worship as a Christian community is called Eucharist – from the Greek word for thanksgiving. When we come to worship God, what is it that we’re grateful for? If gratitude is the heart of worship, it’s a fruitful practice to intentionally spend some time considering God’s providence in our lives over the past week so we come to the liturgy prepared to offer thanks.
Something that has always struck me about today’s Gospel is that Jesus heals all ten of the lepers and not only the one who returned to offer thanks. While we, as humans, can be tempted to withhold love when we know it will not be acknowledged or appreciated, Jesus heals all ten. God is good to us, even when we’re ungrateful. As Paul says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself”. God can do only one thing: love. How powerful would it be if we worked to imitate the kind of gratuitous love we see in today’s Gospel? Think about opportunities to practise this kind of love. What a witness this would be to the world if we were to imitate God’s way of loving. As the Persian poet Hafiz wrote: “Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, ‘You owe me’. Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.”
Take some time before Mass each Sunday to do an examine-style prayer, reflecting on where you’ve seen God’s action in your life during the week. How has God provided for your needs? How has God accompanied you through challenges? How has the Spirit of God brought consolation and strength? Make a list of all the places you’ve experienced God’s prese
