First Reading: 2 Kings 5:14-17
Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of Elisha, the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean of his leprosy.
Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.
On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,
“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel.
Please accept a gift from your servant.”
Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;”
and despite Naaman's urging, he still refused.
Naaman said: “If you will not accept,
please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth,
for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice
to any other god except to the LORD.”
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-13
Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
NAB
Making my way through a dark time in my life, days seemed heavy and full of the pain of regret, loss, and heartache. Painstakingly putting one leaden foot in front of the other was the only way I could make it through each day.
At some point in the midst of this storm, a grace-filled idea came to me: count your blessings. So I took up pen and paper, at the end of every day, and I searched out those blessings—despite it being difficult at first to recognize them—and gave thanks to God for those moments when His love was still managing to shine through.
This practice became easier as the days passed. Rejoicing in these singular moments of grace, I desired to see more of them and was better able to recognize His loving care woven throughout my days. My hope returned. The recognition of His presence in my life lifted me from the fog of despair and back into the light of hope.
In today’s Gospel, only one of the ten who were cleansed returns to give thanks for the gift of his healing. Jesus recognizes this man’s graciousness as a result of faith.
The gift of faith gives us eyes to see God at work in our lives. An attitude of gratitude allows us to stay present to His Presence.
Jesus leads us by example at the Last Supper: "And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”(Luke 22:19, RSV) The Eucharist, instituted in this moment, comes from the Greek word, eucharisteo, which means “to give thanks.” Therefore we can recognize Christ’s presence in the Eucharist as a continual “giving thanks” to God.
Maintaining a spirit of gratitude draws us closer to Him. It is an antidote against despair, hopelessness, greed, bitterness, discouragement, and a host of other temptations and sins. In all things, sisters, GIVE THANKS!
An attitude of gratitude allows us to stay present to His Presence.Click to tweet
Take a moment at the end of the day to reflect on the blessings you have witnessed throughout your day. Thank God for these gifts in your life.
Laurel Muff is a creator and appreciator of beautiful things. She resides with her husband and daughters in Northern California. You can find more about her here.
Walk With Us this Advent
Get Your Prayerful Planner
