gratefulness 2 - 28th Sunday C 2013

In our gospel today the ten lepers shouted to Jesus their plea, Jesus have pity on us; Master, have mercy on us.  To ask for mercy is more than just to beg for a feeling of compassion.  Mercy is not just heartfelt sorrow, mercy is not just an empathy for the suffering.  Mercy goes further.  Mercy seeks to remove suffering.  When a person asks for mercy he is asking that his suffering be taken out, that his suffering be removed.  A merciful person shares in the suffering of another and he will do everything in his power to take away the misery of the other, even to take it upon himself.  This is what the ten lepers begged from Jesus.  By saying, “Lord have mercy,” they were begging Jesus, they were begging God to remove their pain.  Only God can dispense mercy, and mercy can be asked only from God, for only God can remove suffering. 

In our first reading when Naaman asked to be relieved of his suffering he went to Elisha the prophet.  Here he was the great Syrian general, but Elisha would not even meet him face to face.  Instead the prophet sent a messenger to instruct Naaman what he will do to be healed.  For Elisha dispensing mercy was the realm of God and not his.  When Naaman was healed he wanted to give a cartload of treasures he brought with him to thank Elisha the prophet, but Elisha would have none of it.  Again to Elisha it was clear, mercy was not within his power to dispense but God’s.

Elisha knew that he can only feel pity for Naaman, he can only feel empathy towards his suffering and pain but only God can be merciful to Naaman because only God can remove suffering.

And this is my point.  Naaman is not the example of gratefulness even if he was willing to donate, to give as a gift a cartload of treasures in thanksgiving.  No, the example of gratefulness is Elisha.  Why?  because Elisha knew his place, he did not feel entitled.  He does not go out of his tent to tell Naaman, “you owe it to me that you got healed of leprosy.”  No.  He will not even accept a gift for bringing about the healing of this great Syrian general, for God alone can take away suffering, not Elisha.

The enemy of gratefulness is the feeling of entitlement to something. I deserve this, why should I thank you?  You owe it to me, why should I be grateful?  Entitlement is the enemy of gratefulness.

In our gospel today it is emphasized by Luke that it was a Samaritan who came back to thank the Lord.  The nine were Jews.  The nine were the chosen people, the nine were the privilege class, the nine where especially loved by God.  But here is a Samaritan, a hated Samaritan, an outcast Samaritan who was healed with the nine Jews, who, on the way to show himself to the priest became conscious that his was just a free ride. 

Come to think of it, there are many instances of the same thing in my life, and perhaps in your life, things we didn’t deserve, things we have not really worked for, things we have not earned but is really ours for free.

That is why we come frequently to mass, to celebrate the Eucharist.  Eucharist means thanksgiving.  In reality there is no such thing as a thanksgiving mass, for every mass is a thanksgiving and people who celebrate it often are probably conscious that there are so many things in their lives that are undeserved, that there are so many things in their lives that comes solely from the mercy of God, who alone can take away our suffering.