How do you Give Thanks?

There are so many ways to say thank you. You can call. You can send a card or email. You can Facebook it. You can even Tweet it! But what’s the best way to say thank you to someone who has given you more than you ever imagined? How do you say thank you to that special person who gave you life? And I’m not talking about your mother.

How do you say thank you to God for everything He has done for you? Is a card enough? Is it enough to list your Facebook status as “thanking God today for my blessings,” which I must admit I read almost every day? In the Gospel of Luke we hear of 10 men who were healed by the Lord of a horrible disease. Jesus commanded them to “’Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.” (Luke 17.14) By showing themselves to the priests, according to the Law, these men were to offer an offering (sacrifice) of thanks. From the ancient times of the Old Testament (affirmed by our Lord in this story) offering a sacrifice of thanks to God for healing was considered an integral part of the healing process.

But there was more thanks to be given. “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.” (Luke 17.15-16) The Lord blessed Him for this while asking, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17.17) This is the complete and total gratitude that is blessed by God.

We may not have Leprosy, but we have been blessed by our Lord. Why not choose to offer God the thanks He deserves? If you really want to offer thanks to Him for your blessings, you will hear this Gospel and follow the example of the one single man. Bring your offering of thanks to the Church in your weekly Stewardship and then stay and worship Him. By living this way you will hear the words of our Lord directed at you, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17.19)