And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. 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?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” (Lk 17:11-19)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112422-thanksgiving.cfm
How important it is to give thanks. In the story of the lepers, all 10 were healed, but only one was save, the one who returned to give thanks. The very center of our faith is the Eucharist—when we celebrate the meal that Jesus left us to remember him. Eucharist is the Greek word that means “to give thanks.” We give thanks for all that Jesus did to save us. And on this Thanksgiving Day I give thanks to God for all of you, my family and my friends, and especially for those who have gone ahead of us to the Kingdom.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Thanksgiving Day
