Luke 17: 11-19 (Wednesday, November 14, 2007)

God has given us so many gifts. Our very existence is itself a gift from God. Sometimes we fail to show appreciation for what God has done for us. We whine and complain and we always want more, without stopping to say “thank you” to Jesus. Only one of the lepers in the gospel of today returned to say “thank you” to Jesus. The others just walked away. Our appreciation can come in different ways. While it is an excellent and praiseworthy thing to thank Jesus in prayer, it is also important that we thank him in our actions. We can show our appreciation to him by giving back our service to the community. Jesus did not despise the lepers in the gospel of today by holding to the claim that either their sin or the sins of their ancestors brought them that predicament. That was a common belief at the time. Rather, Jesus loved them and healed them. We too must love the poor and the less privileged around us and we must generously share of our gifts to them without despising them or accusing them of laziness.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, give us the spirit of generosity that we may generously share the gifts you have given us with others. Help us to recognize that true appreciation comes from sharing of what you have given to us with others in need. All these we ask in Jesus name.