28th SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME
The one who said thanks was a Samaritan.
Auschwitz survivor, Eli Wiesel offers this
insightful reflection on the subject of
gratitude: ‘no one is as capable of gratitude
as the one who has emerged from the
kingdom of the night’. It is indeed the one
who has been sick who appreciates health;
the one who knew poverty who treasures
wealth; the one who was incarcerated who
values being free. Today’s Gospel extract is a
case in point. We hear of the Samaritan leper
who said thanks when he was healed by Jesus.
The despised foreigner, the untouchable
outsider shows gratitude. Could it be that his
suffering opened the door to thankfulness?
We pray for thankful hearts always,
believing, in the words of American self-
help author, Melody Beattie that ‘gratitude
makes sense of our past, brings peace for
today and creates a vision for tomorrow’.
Gratitude turns what we have into enough!