Experiencing God 221 Remembrance Day

"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

Gospel of Matthew

On this remembrance day, we have just heard the Gospel story about the healing of the ten lepers. This group that met Jesus on the road were composed of both Jews and Samaritans. The companionship of those who are usually considered bitter enemies indicates the desperation of their condition, a condition which led them to depend on one another. So this group, who largely depended on the charity of others for survival, shouted after Jesus at a distance. Jesus’ response to them is a single command. They were told to show themselves to the priests whose responsibility it was to judge whether a leper was permitted to return to society. They obeyed Jesus’ instruction, and were healed of their affliction.

The jarring part of the story is that only one of them returned to express gratitude, even though all ten were healed.

And even more shocking to the people who witnessed this event is the fact that one who returned was a foreigner, a Samaritan.

Why did only one leper out of the ten return to show gratitude? Without passing judgement on the nine who continued on their journey, let’s take a look at the one who returned. It is said that he was filled with gratitude for what had been done for him.

If we look at gratitude or gratefulness, we discover that it is related to grace. Gratefulness means “the release of loveliness”. It is the quality of the heart which responds with graciousness in expressing an act of thanksgiving.

I just finished a book by Caroline Myss called “Invisible Acts of Power”. This book is full of stories of people whose lives were transformed, changed forever, because of a small and often invisible acts of kindness performed by someone to a person in need.  Some were given money when desperately broke. Others were given encouragement when filled with despair. Others were challenged to pursue a gift or talent. These small invisible acts were received with overflowing gratitude because it gave witness to something much greater than the act itself. I was loved, I was accepted, even during the time when I was unable to love and accept myself; at the time of my greatest need.

The Samaritan approached Jesus with reverence, and gave praise to God. He was able, through grace, to recognize, to appreciate the mercy and love shown to him, given to him, as a free gift, during a time when hope was lost. Are we able to recognize those times in which we should be filled with gratefulness as well?

St. Paul showed this depth of gratitude when he wrote in Titus: "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy and love.
The faith of all the lepers led to their physical healing; and who knows, perhaps it was more than this for the others as well; but for the Samaritan, at least, the healing brought salvation through wholeness and a proper relationship to God.

In the book “Invisible Acts of Power”, it was the people who received their unexpected gift with “gratefulness” that were changed and transformed. They in turn, began to “release their loveliness” on those around them. Where ingratitude easily leads to a poor return for kindness received, intolerance towards others, discontentment and grumbling; gratefulness leads to the opposite. It seems that it is the grateful who wish to fight the objects of despair, darkness and poverty they see around them with a release of their own loveliness upon those they encounter.

It is from this that we can better understand John MacRae's poem, "In Flanders Fields".

Take up our quarrel with the foe; 

To you from failing hands we throw the torch: 

Be yours to hold it high. 

If you break faith with us who die we shall not sleep, 

though poppies grow in Flanders fields.

Remembrance day is not just a time to fast and mourn. It is not just a time to remember those who died in war. Still less, is it not a time to say that war or fighting in war is good and honorable. But it is a time to show gratitude to those who, through no desire of their own, chose to confront the despair, darkness and poverty they saw, that threatened the hope and freedom of those they loved. It is a time that we in turn commit ourselves in the struggle against despair, darkness and poverty, the things that lead to war, so that war will not happen again.

This Remembrance Day, like the leper healed of his affliction, we return to show gratitude. We share a hope, a freedom, a gift of life made possible through the love and sacrifice of those who have acted on our behalf. And through the grace of our gratitude, we are urged to participate in the ways that lead to peace.