BE GRATEFUL… IT PAYS!
INTRODUCTORY RITES
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Laughing when we are happy and crying when we are sad are natural responses but saying “thank you” must be learned. That’s what parents always do with their little children: teach them to say “thank you”.
The word Eucharist means “to give thanks”. Today it would be good to recall the many blessings we have received in our lives and thank God for each of them.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have not been grateful to God and to one another, we ask for forgiveness.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you had compassion on the lepers and healed them:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you offered salvation to the foreigner who returned to give thanks to God:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you gave thanks to the Father for revealing his secrets to the little ones:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: O God,
our life, our health, our salvation,
look with mercy on your people.
Stir up in us a saving faith,
that believing, we may be healed,
and being healed,
we may worthily give you thanks.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 2 Kings 5:14-17
Psalm Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
Response The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Reading 2 2 Timothy 2:8-13
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
In all circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Gospel Luke 17:11-19
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are journeying with Jesus through Samaria and Galilee. What are your thoughts and feelings when the ten lepers approach him and ask him to have pity on them; when only one (“this foreigner”) returns to thank Jesus?
Sunday Snippets
I came across two studies on the effects of gratitude.
One study examined the effects of writing letters of gratitude. The results indicated that writing such letters increased participants’ happiness and life satisfaction; it decreased depressive symptoms.
In another study, participants were assigned to one of three groups: problem-listing, gratitude-listing, and neutral life events. They kept records of their moods, health, and life appraisals. The gratitude-outlook group exhibited heightened well-being across several outcome measures.
The bottom-line: being grateful has emotional benefits; gratitude pays.
This evidence from experimental psychology confirms evidence from scripture! The first reading and the gospel are stories of the healing and gratitude of two lepers.
Acting on the word of Elisha, Naaman is cured of leprosy. He returns to give Elisha thanks and takes back some earth to build a shrine to the Lord. He recognises not only the healing but also the healer.
Acting on the word of Jesus, ten lepers are cured. Only one, a Samaritan, returns “glorifying God in a loud voice” to thank Jesus.
The gratitude of both “foreigners” is more than a simple act of politeness; it is a deep profession of faith in the saving power of God.
Giving thanks is far more important than we think! Grateful people are well equipped to face the disappointments of life: they can (like the healed Samaritan) “stand up and go their way” with enthusiasm and energy. Ungrateful people or those who take everything for granted progressively journey to loneliness, isolation, and bitterness. Perhaps there is a connection between the words “miser” and “miserable”!
The anecdote at the end! A man stumbled upon a barn. He discovered that this was the devil’s seed storehouse. Curious, he began exploring. Most of the bins were labelled “discouragement seeds”. Just then one of the devil’s helpers arrived to pick up a bin. The man asked him the reason for the abundance of discouragement seeds. The helper laughed and replied: “They are very effective and they take root quickly.” The man asked: “Do they grow everywhere?” The helper said in sullen disgust: “No! They never grow in the heart of a grateful person.”
This is just a story, but it points to a pay-off: grateful people are seldom discouraged.
Am I grateful to God (and to his mediators) for his numerous blessings and graces? How do I manifest gratitude to God and others? For whom and for what am I grateful today?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Which do I think God uses more often to communicate with me, extraordinary signs or ordinary ones? Explain.
Reading 2: Paul says: “I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus.” How would this work? Is Paul saying that my suffering is linked to the salvation of others? How?
Gospel: Does God offer his generous love regardless of a person’s origins or accomplishments? Do I give of myself or my goods when there is ingratitude?
Do I take note when God pours grace into my life? How do I express my gratitude to God?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: My sisters and brothers, let us turn to the Lord with our needs and the needs of others, and in gratitude for the many ways in which he has already blessed us, as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may be a people filled with gratitude for all the blessings and gifts which we receive each day, we pray…
R: For the world: that we may see all people as children of God and never judge them according to their race, religious background, education, or social standing, we pray…
R: For all who are excluded and marginalized by society: that they may experience welcome and acceptance by the Christian community, we pray…
R: For all who are ill, particularly those with long term diseases: that they may know the renewing and comforting touch of God, we pray…
R: For greater stewardship: that all people may learn to respect creation and care for it as a gift of God, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may be open to the ordinary ways in which God touches us and works in us through the people and events in our lives, we pray…
L: Hear the prayers of your faithful and grateful people, O Lord, and bring to completion your saving work in us. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
Naaman rushed back to Elisha to give thanks
and offered a gift in thanksgiving.
This was a very healthy and normal reaction:
when people feel loved, their heart goes out to the giver
and their soul wants to give gifts in return.
The Samaritan too returned to give thanks to you.
As maturity grows in people,
they want to give back instead of only receiving.
Lord,
help me to be a mature individual:
let me thank you for the many blessings you bestow on me
and let me share myself with my sisters and brothers.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
give us thankful hearts.
May all we say and do,
and all of our lives
be a gift to those around us,
and an act of gratitude to you.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
