The national holiday of Thanksgiving is an important tradition in our country. Families, friends, and loved ones get together to share a meal and to celebrate community, faith, and giving thanks. The lepers in our Gospel today ask Jesus to have mercy on them. They want to be healed. They want to be made whole. They recognize that Jesus has the power to cure their leprosy - they have faith in him. So, why did only one leper give thanks? What keeps so many of us in the modern world today from showing thanks and gratitude? If we look at our hearts, if we ask the Holy Spirit to help us look at what we see inside of ourselves, we might see those things that are keeping us from giving thanks. Maybe we see anger, or discontent, or a sense of entitlement. Maybe we take the gifts God gives us for granted. Maybe we want to be in charge and not let God lead us and guide us. All those things might keep us from giving thanks and for being grateful. How can we break out of those things that are holding us back. How can giving thanks to God be a more integral, active part of our lives. The 12th century Abbot and theologian Bernard of Clairvaux said this about giving thanks: “There is no one who, with a little bit of thought, cannot but discover many reasons for being grateful to God. . . . Once we have come to an appreciation of all he has given to us, we will have abundant cause to give thanks continually. We wish all of you a blessed thanksgiving today. And we give thanks that you came to mass as a part of your observance of this national holiday.
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