28th Sunday of OT Year C
2016:
Our readings these
last couple of weeks have been teaching us about the attitude of the Christian
person. I know that it is easy to talk
about actions: we need to be kind, loving, just, holy. But, attitude is so much more difficult. Attitude is the internal, action is the
external. I know that I can find it much
easier to control the external, but the internal is tough. Last week Jesus taught us about humility:
when you have done all that was commanded say, I am an unprofitable servant, I
have only done what was commanded. This
attitude of humility ensures that Christ will remain the center of our live and
the heart of what we do. Having an
attitude of humility is essential if we want to be followers of Christ, because
Christ was humble and he calls us to follow him.
Today we hear
about another important attitude, the attitude of thanksgiving. In the first reading, and in the gospel, we
hear about the healing of lepers. In
both readings, God has pity on these suffering souls and brings them
healing. In the first reading, Naaman is
healed by plunging down into the water.
In the gospel, the lepers are healed by begging Jesus for pity, for
mercy. In both readings, we hear about
the joy of the person who was healed.
Naaman is ready to give a large gift to the prophet, the Samaritan comes
back to praise Christ, “glorifying God in a loud voice.” These two should be great examples for
us. The proper response to the gifts of
God is thanksgiving. An essential
attitude for the Christian man or woman is an attitude of thanks.
But, this attitude
is not simple, and it’s not automatic.
Parents out there, how many times do you have to instruct your kids:
“now what do you say?” For whatever
reason, gratitude is not natural to us, we have to learn it, grow in it. But, when we do, it can change our
lives. Just think about some of the
things that can be a source of tension in your life. Family.
Sometimes we can get into disagreements, fights, resentment. There can be a lot of negative tension in our
families. Imagine if everyone in the
family had an attitude of thanksgiving about everyone else in the family, might
that not change everything? Jobs. Many people struggle with tensions at
work. What about being grateful for the
chance to earn an income, being grateful for the chance to interact with people
in the workforce, grateful for the chance to do something meaningful? Many
people are frustrated with politics.
But, I am certainly grateful to live in this great nation. Is our nation perfect? Certainly not. But, it is still a great nation, for which we
have much to give thanks.
So, my contention
is that the attitude of thanksgiving can change our daily circumstances in ways
you can’t believe. Without actually
changing the situations of our lives, if we are specifically and consciously
thankful for the good things of life, the negative and difficult things become
so much easier to deal with. Make
thanksgiving an important part of you daily lives and you will not be sorry.
But, we can start
by following the example of Naaman and the Samaritan. Naaman was cleansed by washing in the
Jordan. We have been cleansed by washing
in the waters of baptism. Naaman wanted
to give something to thank the God of Israel.
Instead he takes dirt. What is
that all about? He wanted the land of
Israel so that he could offer sacrifice on the land. We have been washed in baptism, and we offer
sacrifice too. Right here at Mass we
offer the sacrifice of Christ. In the
gospel, Jesus has pity on the leper, and the Samaritan returns glorifying God
in a loud voice. We have received the
mercy of God. I’m conscious of that
every time I go to confession. In that
sacrament we receive the mercy and compassion of Christ. What is the response? To glorify God with a loud voice. Again, we do that right here. Mass is the place for us to be thankful to
God. Mass is not about what we can
receive, Mass is about what we give, namely giving God thanks for all his
blessings. Mass can be the most powerful
teacher of gratitude we have. By
learning an attitude of thanksgiving, the mass can literally change our lives.
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