Reflect on the blessings you have received from God

Thanksgiving is in just a few days.  It is arguably the most under-appreciated holidays.  I would like to reflect a bit on Thanksgiving by looking at the healing of the 10 lepers by Jesus recounted in Luke 17:11-19.
In the story Jesus encounters 10 lepers as he is travelling through Samaria.  Now, there is a lot to reflect on in this passage that is not central to what I want us to ponder.  For example, the lepers stay a “distance” from the Lord.  These lepers were not favorites of the Jews, in fact there was great enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans.  
But for this reflection, I invite us to focus in on verse 15, “And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice.”  Wait a minute…did the other 9 not even realize they were healed?  Maybe they went back to their leper colony and re-contracted the dreaded disease.  Perhaps they knew they no longer had leprosy, but did not realize they had been healed by Jesus.
Whatever the answer, we can clearly see that the prerequisite of gratitude is realizing a gift or blessing has been given.  If I do not realize that I have received a gift it is impossible for me to give thanks for that gift. 
Perhaps we should take some time to reflect and perhaps inventory (by writing it down) a list of the manifold blessings we have received from God.  In addition to being the first step to giving thanks it also helps our own disposition.  I don’t know about you, but I am good at throwing pity parties for myself.  We all tend to fixate on the things that are not going well, or that I need to do better.  This can lead us to becoming hyper-focused on all of the bad things in our lives.   In those times we can break out that list and read it.  I bet that if we do that, we will realize that we have a great deal to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
— Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected] 
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