October 25, 2010
Year A: Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Reading I: 2 Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16a.
Reading II: Romans 6: 3-6, 8-11
Gospel: Matthew 10: 37 -32
On GRATITUDE
THANKSGIVING:
As I was listening to the evening news last week, I was reminded that THANKSGIVING is just around the corner. They showed images of women and their little children lining up outside a Salvation Army store. I can bet that probably half of them were single mothers. Why at Salvation Army? They had come to sign up for a thanksgiving meal –a turkey they could not afford. This is a grim reminder of poverty in our communities.
THANKGIVING! It is a holiday. What do we celebrate on this day? Why dedicate a day and make it a national holiday?
Without even digging through history books, anyone can obviously guess what the significance of this holiday is. Can’t you? But I suppose you don’t even think about it because it is something you have grown up with.
But for me, a visitor to this country, it always intrigues that there is one day dedicated to GIVING THANKS. I always kid with people when they ask me: “Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Uganda?” I am like, “Well, everyday is Thanksgiving Day for us.” But don’t you think there is some truth to that? Why not show gratitude every day?
When you wake up in the morning, do you ever imagine how many people didn’t make it through that night? How many ended up in a hospital because of a stroke, an accident, or cancer? OR when you retire to bed in the evening, does it occur to you, how many people got laid off from work? How many people are crying over broken relationships? How many people or children are going to bed without food, those sleeping in the cold on streets of our cities, or those going to bed without the warmth of a loving parent?
When we look into our lives, how are we being grateful for what we have? Grateful for the simple things in life
Elisha’s Gratitude
“Can something be done for her?” Elisha asked. Yes, answered the servant. “She has no son and husband is getting really old.” Elisha appreciated what the woman had done for him. Her kindness, her care, her compassion, her hospitality were unmatched. In showing gratitude, he promised her a baby son. He was grateful. She was rewarded.
“And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one these LITTLE ONES to drink – he will surely not lose his reward”
Isn’t Elisha one of these little ones Christ speaks about in the gospel?
Christ’s lesson in LUKE 17: 11 – 19
We have a famous story – Jesus heals/cleanses ten leapers (leprosy). “And one of them realizing he was healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.”…. Jesus said in reply, “ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
What set him apart? He came back to show gratitude for the marvelous miracle of restoring his health. We are so diligent in asking for what we need, to run to God when we are in trouble. But often we are not so good at going back to him to show our gratitude.
PSALM 89
“For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord”
“The promises of the Lord I will sing forever, through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.”
Thess. 5:18: “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
PHIL 4:6: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, make your requests known to God.”
COLLOSIANS 3:17
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
PSALM 92:1
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High.”
PSALM 50:14
“Offer praise as your sacrifice to God; fulfill your vows to the Most High.”
US as the LITTLE ONES in the Gospel
It may be easy to see the mothers standing in line at Salvation Army as the little ones. But can we ever see our own littleness in our lives? Us who are healthy, educated, spiritually advanced, have more than enough bread on our table, who are in leadership positions in society. Well, please join me on a journey as we explore the little ones inside each and every one of us.
Children – Parents:
You and I have one or both parents; or have had both parents at some point; or have guardians.
We are the little ones: since we were still inside our mothers’ womb, we were nurtured and nourished by our parents. They have loved us, cared for us, taught us morals, introduced us to culture, and customs. We have been the little ones. We have been the recipient of constant acts of kindness and hospitality. They feed you. We think, ‘they are supposed to do it”
Our Gratitude: Question for us today is, how often do we stop by or call to say, “Mother, thank you for your tender love, care, and all the great things you have done for me.” OR “Father, I am very grateful for your guidance and correction. It is because of you that I have become the great priest I am today.”
Employee-Employer
At one point or another, we have worked for someone. In most cases it is for a salary. In other cases it could be a voluntary service.
We are the little ones: yes, we paid for our college education; Yes, we work under a contract and get paid for our services. However, does it ever occur to you that, when you applied for this job, there were more than 50 applicants, and you were chosen?
How about that secretary and the troubles she goes through to take your calls, make coffee, staff envelops, maintain your calendar, etc? How about the laundry ladies in the monastery? The housekeeping gentleman and lady we walk by everyday in the hall ways? The janitors who clean our bathrooms? The men and women working in seminary dining or monastery dining – do we stop to say THANK you for their service every day?
“A Day Without A Mexican” 2004 movie
One morning California wakes up and all the Mexicans are gone. The state is in state of chaos. There is no one to pick those apples, tomatoes, or vegetables. No one to collect the garbage or mow the lawn! Latinos are not there to wash dishes or flip burgers. The whole city stinks.
Restaurant Owner: “I came into the restaurant this morning and no one was there. There’s no food, no clean dishes… no customers! I have to risk my life to get Tomatoes! And I have to wash dishes”
Senator: “As he arrived to the Capitol building, Senator Abercrombie promises to find people to work on the fields for five times what they were paying Latino workers”
My brethren, this is the moment when we wake up to a bitter realization how these seemingly insignificant people in their lives are so essential to their well-being.
We are the little ones: yes, they [Mexicans] work for money. But our lives are so dependent on their services. We have to show some gratitude for the little things people do to make our lives comfortable.
Seminarians and Professors:
You and I here at seminary have a privilege of not worrying about tuition.
We are the little ones: Our bishops and superior cover most of our needs. We are dependent on them for our seminary training. We may not realize it, but our vocations are also dependent on the prayers of our bishops, superiors, confreres, our parents, friends, and the faithful in the diocese.
Professors:
To get to where we are today, there has been numerous teachers and mentors who have shaped us into who we are. How often do we stop by at end of class or end of the semester to say THANK You for sharing your knowledge and experience with us?
Gratitude: Yes, Fr. Pat’s check goes to the monastery and he is supposed to be there to teach us. Yes, we have sat through those grueling exams: Prophet Elisha came to __ (blank) in the year ___ (blank, blank), and met a woman who urged him to __ (blank, blank, blank). But do we take a moment to appreciate the extra effort he makes to explain things or Fr. Emmanuel for sharing his pastoral experiences?
Fellow Seminarians:
Do you ever stop to think about how your seminary experience and the nurturing of your vocation is dependent on our fellow seminarians? Or fellow students in the college? Maybe, you will not walk to his face to say THANK YOU, but when you are alone in your prayers, do you take a moment to say to the Lord, “thank you for my classmates. When Tri asked that question in Sexual Ethics it helped me to understand this issue much better.”
Fellow students motivate us and give us a renewed sense of vocation. When Francis walks up to you and says, Matt, you did a great job on that homily or presentation, it makes our day. It is a reaffirmation that we are maybe where we are supposed to be – candidates for priesthood.
EUCHARIST PRAYERS (EP)
Christ knew how gratitude was important. In a moment we will be celebrating our Eucharistic meal.
Dialogue and Preface
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
All: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
EP II: “Father, it is our duty and salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.”
In Calling upon the Holy Spirit in Eucharistic Prayers (EP)
EP I: “We come to you, Father, with praise and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ your Son. Through him we ask you to accept and bless + these gifts we offer you in sacrifice.”
EP 1: “The day before he suffered he took break in his sacred hands and looking up to heaven, to you, his almighty Father, he gave you thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:”
EP 1: “When supper was ended, he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said: “
Challenge for us today
The challenge for us today, my dear brothers, is to remember that each and every one of us, regardless of our status in life, just like the poor, the sick, or the oppressed, we are the “little ones” Christ speaks of in the Gospel.
Walking out of here today, we may think of ways to show genuine gratitude not only to God but also to people in our daily lives who make life easy for us because of their mundane gestures of kindness and hospitality.
Be grateful like Elisha. Be grateful like the one leper who came back to thank Jesus. Be grateful like the Psalmist: “forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.” Be grateful in all circumstances as Paul tells us.
I will leave you a quote to ponder from Melody Beattie, author of over 17 books once said, ”Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”– Melody Beattie