Luke 17: 11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean.
Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Cornucopia of Comity
Through the many Thanksgiving Day celebrations at my parents’ and neighbors’ homes, in my religious community, and as a volunteer at homeless shelters, what sticks out most in my mind, is that if everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, then everyone is family on Thanksgiving. This nostalgic time of sharing stories of well-being and woe, burying the hatchet, and breaking bread around the table is, above all, a time to return to gratitude; I mean really, it IS the name of the holiday!
However, the experience of Thanksgiving should not be relegated to a once-a-year celebration; for every time we return to Mass, like a spiritually spotted leper, we return to give Thanks for the blessings we have received, amidst and in spite of the heartache we have suffered. We begin by burying the hatchet (Penitential Rite), followed by sharing stories (scripture), before breaking bread (Eucharist) around the table (the altar), all while being with strangers who are family.
—Fr. Aaron Malnick, SJ, is a Vocation Promoter for the Midwest Jesuits and author of Poems to Retreat By: Praying with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. Learn more about Jesuit life at beajesuit.org.
Prayer
Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive through Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We give You thanks, almighty God, for these and all Your gifts, which we have received from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
—Traditional grace before and after meals
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.