So what do we have to be thankful for in November of 2020? Things are dark with the virus raging out of control, family gatherings cancelled, hospitals starting to be overwhelmed, and our lives put on hold again. There is the news that even though vaccines are on the way, they are still many months off from reaching the majority of the population.
A few people are actually happy that they don’t have to sit at the table with the proverbial drunk uncle who spouts off about politics every year! Not sure if he exists for most families, but if it is my family, I’m the uncle, just not drunk and just not talking politics at table! My family has made the good decision to cancel our gathering, so the uncle will not be at any table this year. At any rate, it will be a bit of a lonely holiday trying to find new ways to give thanks.
Some time ago I read an article on the fact that expressing gratitude, even when you don’t think there is a lot to be grateful for, will actually not only make you grateful but happier. The article also said some people are more naturally grateful than others, which comes from having a particular gene. We can actively choose to practice gratitude and that very fact will make us happier. The brain takes that grateful attitude, even when you can’t see a lot to be thankful for and processes it into happiness. Choosing to focus on good things makes you feel better than focusing on the bad. It also brings out the best in others around us. There is one downside however. In some people gratitude can make you fat…you begin to crave sweets! Careful on the pumpkin pie!
How do we make gratitude a routine, something that is part of our everyday living? We start with interior gratitude which then becomes exterior expressions to others. The author concluded by saying he felt gratitude because I read the article.
Gratitude is the main point of the gospel on this Thanksgiving Day. This gospel story only appears in Luke as he stresses the theme of universalism. All can be saved which was not the belief of the Jews at that time. Luke has already told the parable of the Good Samaritan. Remember how Jews despised Samaritans as not being really faithful. Now there is another good Samaritan. This one is good not so much for what he did but because he realizes what God has done and he responds in gratitude.
The lepers at that time were outcasts. Their sickness was considered punishment for sin. They were expelled from the community. In effect they had to quarantine far from others, similar to what we are seeing today with COVID. However, their illness was never over in fourteen days, it was often for life. The only way to return was to have a priest certify they were well. When Jesus healed it was not only the physical cure but also the return to the community, which was equally important. Those healed from COVID today know exactly what that feels like.
Notice how Jesus treats the ten lepers as if they were already healed, simply sending them to the priests to fulfill the law. They act in obedient faith. They asked Jesus for the healing, so they must have had some kind of faith he could do it. Yet, he only tells the Samaritan, the one that Jesus’ hearers would not have expected, the foreigner, the one who came back to give thanks, “your faith has saved you.” It seems that Jesus is speaking about some other blessing other than the cure. He seems to be speaking of the next level, faith leading us to salvation.
Ten were healed but the story tells us one was saved. The incident is about how the healing gratitude became the moment of salvation. Samaritans were not considered saved like Jews so the story shows how powerful gratitude can be in a life. The grateful Samaritan took action to believe in Jesus and returned to give thanks. This saved him. Luke wants us to see how Jesus’ mission was to all, even those not like us.
Thanksgiving is at the basis of faith in God. It is the profound realization that all I am and have is from God and my whole life must be lived as a response to that in order to win my salvation. When you really think about it, we all have so much to be grateful for. We are incredibly blessed.
The story is very clear. To be saved is to acknowledge God for blessings received and to respond in faith and action. There is a difference between healing and salvation. Salvation is me taking healing to a deeper level where it is not just about me. When we reach that point we can then respond with a continuing relationship with God and thus with my sisters and brothers. That is when we truly are happy.
The Good Samaritan now becomes the Grateful Samaritan. The other nine did not see in the healing the coming of the Messiah. The Samaritan came to faith in Jesus as Messiah, which was remarkable for a non-Jewish person. Jesus recognizes his faith and his gratitude. One can be healed without coming to faith and thus being saved. The experience of healing does not necessarily save. It can move us to faith, which expresses itself in thanks. Those who have recovered from COVID or any other serious illness should take note.
To be thankful is to be a person of faith, because we recognize where everything comes from. It is expressed in how we live our lives, in how we recognize God’s gift to us and we become gift to others.
I have been asked by many people who have been affected by COVID or other serious health issues to pray for their healing. I always assure them I will and add them to my prayer list each morning. They always are grateful which is the movement towards salvation. That is certainly worth praying for!
Thanksgiving is essential to the life of a Christian. Giving thanks is giving of ourselves, is putting our gratitude into action. In Spanish today is “Dia de Accion de Gracias.” Notice the word “accion,” which indicates giving thanks is doing something, taking action, living that thanks. How do you live your thanks?
The Eucharist is the ultimate moment of giving thanks, when we actually experience in a real way God’s presence and Jesus inside of us. These months where many have not been able to physically assist at Mass and receive communion have been very difficult. Missing the Eucharist has made us appreciate what a great gift we have in the Body and Blood of Jesus offered at each Mass. Those who are attending Mass can make a point of reflecting on what you are grateful for each time you are there. As we leave Mass we are called to take that thanks everywhere we go.
Live a Eucharistic life. It will be a life of thanks. It will be shown in the action of giving of yourself. If you do, you will know you are happy.
Fr. David Garcia is a retired priest from the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, where he served for 44 years. During that time, Fr. Garcia was instrumental in the effort to have the Old Spanish Missions recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also oversaw the multimillion-dollar restoration of San Fernando Cathedral. Fr. David served as pastor for several parishes in San Antonio, including the historic Mission Concepción. He also served as Senior Advisor for Clergy Outreach at Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian and relief agency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.