Gratitude Is More Than Saying Thanks
A scriptural reflection based on the readings of 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)
- First Reading: 2 Kgs 5:14–17
- Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2–3, 3–4
- Second Reading: 2 Tm 2:8–13
- Gospel: Lk 17:11–19
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100922.cfm
Gratitude is more than saying thank you. Living thanks is more important than giving thanks.
I imagine like many of you, my parents and other members of the family highlighted the importance of saying, “thank you.” As a child my mom and dad would always remind me to say, “thank you,” when my siblings and I received a gift. After tennis practice in high school, my teammates’ parents would often offer me a ride home. After forgetting this important fundamental building block of living in friendship with others of saying, “thank you,” my grandma would ask me, “now, what do you say when someone does something nice for you?” Having realized I had just taken their kindness for granted, I turned around and scurried back to the car before they took off to say, “thank you.” One of my aunts doesn’t drive, but she would take us to the mall on Honolulu’s public transportation, simply called, TheBus. When we reached our destination, she would model for us giving thanks to all sorts of people. For example, she would say, “thank you,” to the bus driver as we stepped off the bus. What they were teaching me was more than polite social etiquette. Saying thank you was just one of the building blocks. As I got older, there would be more gifts, favors, rides with friends, and random people being nice. It would take many experiences as a teenager and young adult to realize that gratitude is more than saying thank you and that living thanks is more important than giving thanks.
Today’s readings tell us about gratitude. In the first reading, after being cured of his skin disease, Naaman returned with his followers to offer a gift in thanksgiving. Elisha basically told Naaman, the gift was not necessary. Naaman, however, was so thankful for being healed, he wanted to take some dirt home from the Holy Land of Israel where his healing miracle took place. It was a way for him to remember being cured and to be close to the God of Israel, the God of his healing.
And in the Gospel, we hear about the healing of the ten lepers. From a distance they called out to Jesus, asking for pity. After being healed, out of the ten lepers, one returned to express gratitude. Sometimes we look at the other nine former lepers and give them a bad rap. Jesus told them to present themselves to the priests, that way they can show that they were healed and no longer ritually outcast. In other words, that they could rejoin the community. They did what they were told. But, the one who returned was a Samaritan, an outsider, not part of the Israelite community. He returned not only to say thank you, the gospel tells us that he shouted for joy and he fell at the feet of Jesus.
Both of the cured people, Naaman and Samaritan expressed gratitude. They also understood that gratitude is more than saying thank you. Living thanks is more important than giving thanks. More important than saying thank you, they showed a desire to be closer to God. We see this when Naaman took dirt back with him to his homeland and the Samaritan fell at the feet of Jesus.
When we say thank you, I imagine that it is more than just an exercise of muscle memory, or more than just another task we do as part of our social etiquette. We say thank you as a way to demonstrate that being connected, being valued, being a friend to one another is important to us. We desire to be in relationship with others. With every expression of gratitude we send, we are saying that we are close to them in our hearts and in our spirit.
We are all longing for connection, of being together with others, a sense of belonging. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic we went into isolation, cut off from one another. Many died alone. And we’ve made progress. There are more opportunities now for people to interact, to reconnect, to be part of each other’s lives again. With each and every friendship and day we are gifted, we remember that gratitude is more than saying thank you. Living thanks is more important than giving thanks. So why not live thanks and go for that coffee together with the friends you haven’t seen in while? Live thanks with your family by going on that hike you’ve been talking about. Living thanks with the people you know is one thing… But, how might you, in the days and weeks to come, be that Samaritan we hear of in the Gospel, realizing that we have been blessed, and live thanks with Christ present in the strangers and people you pass by in the streets?
We have many blessings throughout the week. Some days are easier than others, but each day we wake up is a gift. We receive blessings even when we don’t see them. Gratitude is more than saying thank you. Living thanks is more important than giving thanks. As we conclude one week and welcome a new week, we remember these blessings and gather together as a community to worship at this beautiful liturgy. In a few minutes we will celebrate the Eucharist together, which we believe is the ultimate prayer of thanksgiving. Like the Samaritan, and in our desire to be closer to God, we bring ourselves, our whole selves, to the foot of Jesus, to the altar. And like Naaman, after having been fed, we take with us, as we return to our daily lives and all the places we inhabit, the hope of another day and the blessings of a new week. Show your gratitude by living thanks.
Originally published at http://bridgingourworlds.wordpress.com on October 9, 2022.