Thanksgiving Is Not An Added Extra

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, October 13, 2013

In the time of Jesus, lepers were seen as persons under a sentence of death because there was no cure for their diseases. They were often regarded as unclean and impure to be part of the human society. As such, they were ostracized from their families, friends and from the human society. No one dared to come near them; and no one would touch them or handle anything they had touched. The rule laid down in the Old Testament is that: “The leprous person shall wear torn clothes, and let the hair of his head hang loose, he must cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean, Unclean.’ He must also live outside the camp away from others” (Leviticus 13:45-46). Lepers were not allowed to come to synagogue or Temple to worship. They were forbidden to work, so they begged. Lepers were the most lonely persons, the most rejected, dejected and discriminated people. This was the condition and situation that the ten lepers in today’s gospel found themselves. 

But then Jesus came around! He was traveling through Samaria and Galilee. As soon as he entered a village, ten lepers ran after him, but still maintaining the legal distance they must keep between themselves and those who do not have leprosy, they raised their voices and shouted: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Folks, these lepers were dead men walking. They had been written off by everybody. They were dead physically and socially, but not spiritually. When they saw Jesus, they saw hope. When they saw Jesus, they saw the end of their affliction. When they saw Jesus, they saw a man who can turn their lives around and heal them. When they saw Jesus, they saw a man who can bring restoration of those years of locusts. They saw a man who can restore them back to the human society. They saw a man who can give them their dignity back. Because of leprosy, which is not fault of theirs, they have lost so much. But in Jesus, they saw restoration of all they have lost. In Jesus, they saw God and saw a new beginning. Their greatest desire was healing and restoration, to return back home to a normal life. That’s all that they were asking for, another chance to just be like other people. 

During the time of Jesus, sickness like leprosy was regarded as a punishment from God. That these ten persons had leprosy meant they were guilty of great sin. They were shunned and avoided by all. When “healthy” people looked at them, they saw sinful people. But when Jesus saw them, he saw something else. He saw their pain, not only physical pain but also the psychological pain of being isolated from their families, friends, neighbor and familiar environment. The Lord saw their pain of being shunned and avoided by everyone, he saw their loneliness, their anguish, their homelessness, their joblessness. He saw human beings’ inhumanity and injustice against their fellow human beings. He saw that those who needed more help from the human society weren’t getting it. Everyone saw the ten lepers as living corpses, but Jesus saw them as God’s living children and he decided to do something about it: “Go show yourself to the priests.”

On their way home, they were cleansed and healed. Nine of them went on their ways, but “One of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.”

We often praise the ex-leper who came back to thank Jesus and criticize the nine for not coming back to thank Jesus, but they only obeyed the command of Jesus who said to them “Go show yourselves to the priests.” One reason why we often criticized them is that they were all too ready to accept what the priests would offer them: their old lives. That’s why they were sent to the priests. The priests would certify the cure, and then they could return home and have their old lives back.

Confronted by misfortune, we usually yearn to have our old lives back. When we are confronted by tragic events, by sudden reversal of fortune, by the death of a beloved one, by the loss of jobs or homes, by sickness or advancing years, we want our life back. This one Samaritan, healed from leprosy perceived that with Jesus, something more, something better, something new is being offered to him, which is more important and far greater than simply having his old life back. The healed man realized that his old life is not sufficient for the life of discipleship. That’s why we praise him for coming back. He came back to thank Jesus and to also accept him as his Lord and Savior. The gospel says on coming to Jesus, “…he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” The prostration is a symbolic act of surrender to Jesus.

Jesus was surprised that it was only one man, a Samaritan that returned to give thanks. Our society is becoming more and more like this scene, when fewer and fewer people come to the Eucharist, which means “Thanksgiving” every week to give God thanks. Our prayer has been reduced to asking and asking without giving thanks to God for the blessings we have already received. In times of need, we desperately pray with intensity asking for God’s help. But as time passes, we also pass God by and we forget God. God has given us so much; he gave us his Son Jesus Christ, and often we never even give him a word of thanks. But Psalm 103:2 says: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits.” Psalm 107:1 also says, “Give thanks to the Lord for his good, for his love endures forever.” Thanksgiving is not an added extra. It’s absolutely central to the life of a Christian. Showing gratitude sincerely and always helps us persevere in our relationship with God. If we are thankful to God and God is essentially part of lives, it becomes difficult to walk away from him. Thank the Lord in good times and in bad times. Thank him in season and out of season. Praise the Lord in the morning, noon and night. Praise and thanksgiving should be what we do as Christians.