Today's Sermon in a Nutshell:

Today's Sermon in a Nutshell:

In today’s gospel ten lepers come to our Lord asking to be healed, yet only one returns to thank Jesus after the fact. When Christ asked, “Were not ten healed? Where are the other nine?” this was not meant as a type of mathematical problem, but rather a show of disappointment and an indictment to the fact that the majority did not give thanks.

In chapter three of his second letter to Timothy, St. Paul describes what people will be like near the end of time, and one characteristic is ingratitude. Pride, arrogance, and selfishness will become so prominent that we will forget about God and become convinced of our own supremacy, considering all we have as the just reward for our own efforts. We will forget to honor, respect, thank…or even acknowledge God’s part in our life.

Ingratitude towards God is not so much a cause of evil but a result of it. Therefore, once we have hardened our hearts to the point that we no longer see God as the source of all gifts and blessings, nothing is off-limits. We become a law unto ourselves, a religion unto ourselves, and a god unto ourselves.

As we prepare for the “greatest gift” coming to us, born in a tiny village called Bethlehem, let us all acknowledge that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from Thee the Father of Lights” (James 1:17). Let us give the gift of “thanksgiving” for all we have been given and receive from God.

Fr. John