If we are wise, we can recognize the blessings in our afflictions. If we truly are grateful to God, we thank Him for the adversity we face as well as the comfort we receive. As we embrace those who are different from us, we are positioning ourselves to learn from them. If we have faith in God, we welcome all God sends us. If we have faith, we are saved.
We are reminded of these truths in today's Gospel reading for Thanksgiving Day. There we hear that
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you."*
These lepers may have anticipated that the apparent misfortune of their leprosy would provide the vehicle through which God would be glorified in them. In their anguish, they cried out to Jesus to have pity on them. Jesus, full of compassion and love for others, cured them. The returning man recognized that God had had mercy on him, so he went back to Jesus, giving the glory and praise and honor due to God. When we are suffering from what would usually be viewed as a malady, we can thank God for the apparently ill fortune which has befallen us, if we consider that our dilemma provides an avenue through which God can be glorified. In our pain, we can capitalize on the excellent opportunity to earnestly call out to God to deliver us from what afflicts us. God likes to hear us offer up ardent prayers to Him. God hears and responds to fervent prayers. Then when God saves us from what torments us, all the glory is due to God. We can thank God not only for being delivered from agony, but also, realizing that trials supply opportunities for God to be glorified, we can also thank God for tribulations.
At times we are well instructed in thanking and praising and glorifying God by those who are different from us. The one leper who returned to thank God was a Samaritan. Normally Jews did not associate with Samaritans.** The foreigner demonstrated well the need to give thanks to God. If we dismiss those who are unlike us, we run the risk of refusing to learn from them. People dissimilar to us may have much important to teach us.
The Samaritan, the excluded one, was saved by his faith. Although he was a social outcast, he had the gift of faith from God. Through that faith, he was saved.
When we have faith, we welcome the apparent misfortune God sends us as well as the comfort He gives to us. Having faith, and being cured, we thank God not only for the relief but also for the affliction. With faith, we welcome into our hearts people who are not like us, aware that they can teach us since we are open to what they have to say. Being so receptive through our faith, we are saved. Amen.
* Luke 17:11-19
** John 4:9
We are reminded of these truths in today's Gospel reading for Thanksgiving Day. There we hear that
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you."*
These lepers may have anticipated that the apparent misfortune of their leprosy would provide the vehicle through which God would be glorified in them. In their anguish, they cried out to Jesus to have pity on them. Jesus, full of compassion and love for others, cured them. The returning man recognized that God had had mercy on him, so he went back to Jesus, giving the glory and praise and honor due to God. When we are suffering from what would usually be viewed as a malady, we can thank God for the apparently ill fortune which has befallen us, if we consider that our dilemma provides an avenue through which God can be glorified. In our pain, we can capitalize on the excellent opportunity to earnestly call out to God to deliver us from what afflicts us. God likes to hear us offer up ardent prayers to Him. God hears and responds to fervent prayers. Then when God saves us from what torments us, all the glory is due to God. We can thank God not only for being delivered from agony, but also, realizing that trials supply opportunities for God to be glorified, we can also thank God for tribulations.
At times we are well instructed in thanking and praising and glorifying God by those who are different from us. The one leper who returned to thank God was a Samaritan. Normally Jews did not associate with Samaritans.** The foreigner demonstrated well the need to give thanks to God. If we dismiss those who are unlike us, we run the risk of refusing to learn from them. People dissimilar to us may have much important to teach us.
The Samaritan, the excluded one, was saved by his faith. Although he was a social outcast, he had the gift of faith from God. Through that faith, he was saved.
When we have faith, we welcome the apparent misfortune God sends us as well as the comfort He gives to us. Having faith, and being cured, we thank God not only for the relief but also for the affliction. With faith, we welcome into our hearts people who are not like us, aware that they can teach us since we are open to what they have to say. Being so receptive through our faith, we are saved. Amen.
* Luke 17:11-19
** John 4:9
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