Thanksgiving Day
(Sirach 50:22-24; I
Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke 17:11-19)
Thanksgiving is
America’s favorite holiday, hands down.
Forget about the Fourth of July.
Forget about even Christmas. For
Thanksgiving more Americans travel great distances to be with their family
than any other holiday. Most everyone eats turkey. Many watch football on television. Increasingly
popular is a communal morning run.
One thing Americans
are having trouble doing in recent years on Thanksgiving is giving thanks to
God. Skepticism has taken root in many
places. People are having have
difficulty recognizing a Supreme Benefactor.
They become a little like Bart Simpson in his mealtime prayer, “Thank
you for nothing. We paid for all this
food ourselves.” Most foreigners do not
have this problem. At a Thanksgiving
meal they will not only thank God but also name the gifts they are thankful for. They are much like the Samaritan leper in
today’s gospel.
This leper is a
foreigner also. Only the desperation of
his disease allows him to share company with the Jewish lepers. This condition, however, is not necessary to
stand before Jesus. Jesus welcomes
everyone. It’s the Samaritan’s return to Jesus that truly distinguishes him
from the others. He wants to express gratitude
to God before the instrument of God’s healing.
For this reason Jesus declares him saved. The others may obey the law but are not yet given
access to eternal life. Americans may
enjoy a lot of blessings. But they likewise
are not saved unless they give gratitude to God.
