Have Hearts of Gratitude

10-09-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Aruldoss

Dear People of God,

Praise the Lord. I express my sincere gratitude for all your support towards our tri-Churches. I also thank all those who purchased Rectory Restoration Raffle Tickets. I am really grateful to you all. It is very fitting to say ‘Thanks’ today, because the Readings of this Sunday remind us of the importance of showing gratitude to God.

If we spend just a moment to reflect over the course of our life, we shall definitely find many reasons why we must always return to God with our heart full of gratitude to Him. In today’s first reading, the story of Naaman the leper is a typical example of how we should express our profound gratitude to God. Naaman also teaches us how to show appreciation to those who have been good to us.

In today’s gospel reading, we hear the story of Jesus healing ten lepers. However, only one is described as glorifying God and returning to thank Jesus. The one who returns is a Samaritan, a foreigner. No Jewish lepers came to thank the Lord. In this reading, what caught the admiration of Jesus about the Samaritan was simply that he: “Turned back, praising God at the top of his voice, and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.”

When was the last time we expressed this kind of gratitude to God? Gratitude to God is an expression of our faith in His saving power. Showing gratitude to God is very important in our Christian journey with Him. However, it must not be seen as a burden.

The truth is that there is no amount of money or material thing that would be enough to pay God for his goodness to us. So, the decision to show gratitude to God must flow from our hearts. It is more about lifting up our entire being to God in his in appreciation and gratitude for His love and goodness to us. It is more about offering ourselves totally and wholly again and again to God. This is the gratitude that flows from a sincere heart. Have a Blessed and Joyful Sunday!