thanksgiving

With God we can experience sorrow and still be thankful.

They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” (Lk 17:12-13). They raised their voices and asked Jesus to have pity on them. Did the ten seeking a healing all call in unison? Did one shout out first and then each, not wanting to be left out, all call out? Did their calling reach a fever pitch? Luke is not specific as to how they called out but that all of them did. Jesus then healed the their leprosy with his word, they began to praise God and may have walked away in even a more joyful raucous than their calling for their healing. Yet one, a Samaritan, after realizing he was healed, returned to thank Jesus.

It is a good practice to spend some time each day to reflect on what we are thankful for. To see where God has entered our lives and provided assistance. At times when we feel a bit down and out, or in a bit of a funk, often the reason may be that we are focusing, on what we do not have instead of on what we do have. There is a quote, I am not sure of the source, that goes: “I cried because I had no shoes, and then I came upon a man with no feet.” We can be so bombarded by the mass appeal to the material, that we forget the truly important realities of this life and the many blessings that we have been given.

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., unless you are reading this the night before. Thanksgiving is a time of family coming together, which hopefully will be as joy filled as those lepers walking away realizing that they are healed. But with the promise of such gatherings, there is all the cleaning, setting up and the prep for the big dinner, clean up and breaking down, the travel, unresolved issues, as well as the wonderful gifts of diverse personalities and points of view. Making time to periodically stop and take a few breaths can make a big difference in how the day is played out. A moment of quiet may help us to be like the Samaritan leper who when realizing that he was healed, was thankful. Slowing down a bit, might just help us to appreciate each other a bit more and grumble a little less.

As Jesus reminds us, we do not know the time or the hour. Life is finite and fragile in the best case scenarios. We will not be here forever nor will the ones we love. November is a time in the Church when we remember those who have joined the communion of saints as well as those on the way. This is especially true for those of us today who have lost a loved one. And since becoming a priest, I have been blessed to walk with around forty who will no longer be celebrating Thanksgiving this side of heaven. My prayer is that they and JoAnn are now home with God.

May each of us remember those who have gone before us and be thankful for the time that we have had together, while at the same time, appreciate those still in our lives. May we allow the warm embracing arms of our loving God and Father to embrace us in a moment or two of silence so that we can remember that we are never alone, that God cares for each and every one of us, and as we grow closer to him, we grow closer to each other.

Life is a precious gift that God has given, and it helpful to appreciate every moment. May we be thankful for our lives and the lives of those near and far that we are blessed to call family and friends. May we also remember and pray that the Holy Spirit may provide comfort and aid for those who are alone, struggling, or without family, food and/or a home this day.

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Photo: One of my favorite pictures at my maternal grandparents for Thanksgiving. I miss all three of them and am grateful for our time together. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Link for the Mass reading for Thursday, November 27, 2025

“Your faith has saved you.”

“Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine” (Lk 17:17)?

Jesus makes this statement to the Samaritan who fell at his feet praising God and thanking him for his healing. The other nine received the same physical healing. Some of them may have seen this man turn back and go to Jesus, yet each one of them continued on their way to see the priests as Jesus had directed them. The purpose of this was so that they could be pronounced clean, and so re-enter the life of communal worship and living among their people. I am sure they were ecstatic to do so.

Jesus healed all ten of their leprosy without even saying a word of healing. The catalyst to receive this miraculous healing was their obedience to Jesus’ command to show themselves to the priest. They did so without hesitation and as they walked they all experienced healing. Yet, one of them sensed something deeper still.

Could the others have experienced something similar? If so, many were probably so excited about the healing that they did sense anything beyond the healing. Others may have sensed something but dismissed it, and a few, may have noticed the Samaritan turn back to Jesus, but could not or would not change course to return to say thank you.

The Samaritan that comes to Jesus in gratitude experienced something deeper than his physical healing. He recognized God’s activity in his life and so praised God at Jesus’ feet. He then also praises Jesus, placing Jesus on the same level as God and opening himself to a relationship and communion with him. Jesus acknowledged this step of faith. This man heard an invitation from within, in the quiet of his heart, and resisted any distraction that may have tried to dissuade him. Jesus then said, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you” (Luke 17:19).

In following the gratitude that welled up from within, this man received more than just physical healing that day, he received salvation, “your faith has saved you.” This means not just that his body was restored and made whole again, but that the separation from his relationship with God had been reconciled.

God invites us in so many gentle and small ways in the silence of our hearts to be more engaged: in a relationship with him, in our own lives, and the lives of others. We too can crowd out the invitation by keeping ourselves busy, distracted, and/or diverted. We can hear the whisper but discount it outright for many selfish reasons, we can also be led astray by the cacophony of mind noises that is fed by our fears, prejudgments, or apprehensions. Yet, we can also be like this Samaritan. We can hear and experience the invitation of God, act on his lead, surrender to Jesus, and be saved.

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Painting: “Jesus With the One Leper Who Returned to Give Thanks” by William Brassey Hole

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, October 12, 2025

May we be thankful for God, and those who have been and are still in our lives.

They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” (Lk 17:12-13). They raised their voices and asked Jesus to have pity on them. Did the ten seeking a healing all call in unison. Did one shout out first and then each not wanting to be left out all joined in calling out? Then did their calling reach a fever pitch? Luke is not specific as to how they called out but that all of them did. Jesus then healed the their leprosy with his word, they began to praise God and may have walked away in even a more joyful raucous than their calling for their healing. Yet one, a Samaritan, after realizing he was healed, returned to thank Jesus.

It is a good practice to spend some time each day to reflect on what we are thankful for. To see where God has entered our lives and provided assistance. At times when we feel a bit down and out, or in a bit of a funk, often the reason may be that we are focusing, on what we do not have instead of on what we do have. There is a quote, I am not sure of the source, that goes: “I cried because I had no shoes, and then I came upon a man with no feet.” We can be so bombarded by the mass appeal to the material, that we forget the truly important realities of this life and the many blessings that we have been given.

Today is Thanksgiving Day, unless you are reading this the night before. Thanksgiving is a time of family coming together, which hopefully as joy filled as those lepers walking away realizing that they are healed. But with the promise of such gatherings, there is all the cleaning, setting up and the prep for the big dinner, the travel, the unresolved issues of life, and there are the wonderful gifts of diverse personalities and points of view. Making time to periodically stop and take a few breaths can make a big difference in how the day is played out. A moment of quiet may help us to be like the Samaritan leper who when realizing that he was healed, was thankful. Slowing down a bit, might just help us to appreciate each other a bit more and grumble a little less.

As Jesus reminds us, we do not know the time or the hour. Life is finite and fragile in the best case scenarios. We will not be here forever nor will those we love. November is a time in the Church when we remember those who have joined the communion of saints as well as those on the way. I know too many who have lost those close to them. And since becoming a priest, I have walked with eleven more who have journeyed from this life to the next.  My prayer is that they and JoAnn are now home with God. May each of us remember those who have gone before us and be thankful for the time that we have had together, while at the same time, may we appreciate those still in our lives.

My thoughts and prayers are with you who are reading these words this day. May we allow the warm embracing arms of our loving God and Father to embrace us in a moment or two of silence. In these quiet moments, may we remember that we are never alone and that God cares for each and every one of us and our loved ones here with us, and now preparing for us in the next life to come.

Jesus, please help us to remember that life is a precious gift that you have given us, and may we appreciate every moment. Help us to be thankful for our lives and the lives of those near and far that we are blessed to call family and friends. May we also remember and pray that the Holy Spirit may provide comfort and aid for those who may be alone, struggling, or without family, food and/or a home this day.

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Photo: Was not aware that this would be our last Thanksgiving together. A reminder to not take the time we have together for granted. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, November 28, 2024