Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - St. Martin of Tours - Bishop
[Wisdom 6:1-11 and Luke 17:11-19]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?" The he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." [Luke]
This passage from the gospel scripture today is often featured at the Eucharist on Thanksgiving Day. There is a good reason for this. The emphasis should be not on the healing but on the reaction to it. Ten were healed, but only one is saved! The one who is saved is the one who would not have been expected to return. Once more, it is a Samaritan (remember the "Good Samaritan" earlier in this same gospel), who recognizes that God is working through Jesus and returns to give thanks directly. In short, he responds to his healing with faith and gratitude. The others presumably feel themselves fortunate, but Jesus, after all, wasn't the only "healer" at the time. My father was the one who instilled in me the necessity of "an attitude of gratitude." He could not understand why people could not say "Thank you!" when they benefited from the action or kindness of another! We take so much for granted in our "society of plenty." And when we do remember to say, "Thank you!" do we associate this with an act of faith? The Samaritan leper has a lot to teach us. AMEN
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