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."
REFLECTION
"Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?
It is easy to judge the nine lepers who were ungrateful for their miracle. Can you imagine yourself seeing them? How would they look? Full of oozing pustules and probably smelling bad as well. Why would Jesus want to approach them? Why cure them? Why did only one come back when he realized he was cured?
Maybe it is the same when we go and confess our sins to a priest. Our souls are nasty and disgusting, until we show humility, repent from our sins, and confess them. Then by the power granted by Jesus to the priest we are absolved of these sins. Our souls are clean again. Do I show gratitude to God for His mercy, or do I go on with the motions of life?
Sometimes I do forget that when I am drowning in mortal sin, I am actually already in hell. It is not until I truly repent and confess that Jesus snatches me (again) from the depths of the abyss and brings me back to life in Him.
It is very easy to criticize others for their lack of gratitude, especially modern teenagers, but I do have to question myself if I don't take for granted everything God does for me. Pope Benedict XVI has a great encyclical Caritas in Veritate, where he explains to us at large on how modern man thinks he has created himself, and views life in an utilitarian way.
Exactly 14 years ago today Pope Benedict XVI on his general audience recalled psalm 126, when God brings back the people of Israel from the Babylonian exile and they exclaim: "The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced". We need to keep in mind that everything we have is thanks to Him. The good Pope reminds us that: "As we pray this Psalm, may we echo the song of the Virgin Mary by rejoicing in the great things which the Almighty has done for us."
Let us spend a few minutes meditating on this psalm, and praise God for His goodness towards us:
A song of ascents.
I
When the LORD restored the captives of Zion,
we thought we were dreaming.
Then our mouths were filled with laughter;
our tongues sang for joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD had done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
Oh, how happy we were!
Restore our captives, LORD,
like the dry stream beds of the Negeb.
II
Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy.
Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed,
Will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves.
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