I have heard some of the Catholic faithful say that they are not hearing a lot about the Jubilee Year of Hope in our parishes, but we here at Holy Savior and Immaculate Conception have been mentioning the Jubilee throughout the year in different ways. This Jubilee year calls us to be “pilgrims of hope,” to bring hope into the world where it is most needed, to look for ways where we can have a personal encounter with Christ, and to work toward a more just and peaceful world as we proclaim God’s kingdom here on earth. We can be pilgrims of hope through living out our faith in everyday life and through works of mercy. Many of the faithful are going on pilgrimage to shrines and holy sites either locally or throughout the world to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope as well.
There are many people around us who lack hope and do not know where to find God. We can see this in the ten lepers in today’s Gospel. Their incurable disease not only destroyed their bodies, but it destroyed their lives and made them outcasts in their society. They were cut off from their families, their personal relationships, and their communities. They were not allowed to worship God in the synagogues and in the Temple. They were isolated and suffering. There was nowhere to go for help.
Jesus met ten lepers on his journey; they all begged to cured. After Jesus has compassion on them and cures them from their infirmities, only one leper responds to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to him, returning to Jesus to give thanks. Jesus was amazed that only one leper expressed his gratitude. All ten lepers were graciously given this opportunity for a whole new life. I am sure all ten lepers appreciated this gift of healing. But only one returned to thank the giver of the gift.
How can we grow in the virtue of gratitude? Going to prayer can be a big help. If we are struggling to find gratitude in our hearts, we can take this matter to prayer, asking the Lord for more graces to recognize the blessings we have in life, even blessings in the midst of trials and tribulations and struggles. Prayer and dialogue with God can help us overcome whatever is holding us back from being grateful.
Also, we need to surround ourselves with people who are grateful on their journey of faith. The virtue of gratitude flows from our humility. “If souls are humble, they will be moved to give thanks” asserted St. Teresa of Ávila. Rather than desiring the perfect things that are portrayed in social media, perfect thing that are mostly an illusion, we can give thanks for the blessings we have, no matter how imperfect and ordinary they are.
Anxiety, worry, and the lack of forgiveness can be obstacles to the virtue of gratitude. In his letter to the Philippians, St Paul advices us: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Refusing to forgive can leads us to hardening our hearts. We need to forgive those who have offended us, to forgive those who are keeping us from joy and happiness in life. We are to seek to heal and mend broken relationships.
Pope John Paul II wrote this when looking at the dawning of the new millennium in the year 2000: “Remember the past with gratitude … live the present with enthusiasm and … look forward to the future with confidence.”
In an article I was reading on gratitude, the author, Jenna Kandas, wrote that when she was seeing the #Blessed in social media posts, she was seeing people mostly give thanks for material things that they saw as blessing in their lives. She was not seeing posts about blessing related to gifts of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we recognize those blessings within us, but don’t really post such things on social media. We need to truly look at gratitude as an essential aspect of how we live out our faith. Gratitude is more than being thankful for the material blessings that we have. It is a mindset in the way we approach life and approach our faith. May we take a step back on our journey to be grateful for the relationships, the deserts and the valleys, the Exodus journey, and the many different gifts and blessings which the Lord has given to us.
Like the one leper in today’s Gospel, may we approach life in gratitude.
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