Our gratitude opens our hearts to his greater gifts
Of the ten lepers Jesus healed on the border of Samaria only one, a Samaritan stranger, returned to thank him. Perhaps the other lepers thought that they deserved to be healed. Only a stranger could see his healing as a free gift of Jesus’ love. The Samaritan leper is a test of our self-knowledge. If after thinking about the matter we cannot identify with this leper there may be a blind spot in our spiritual vision.
St. Paul recognized that down deep all human beings are aliens. Without the help of God we are estranged from God and one another, cut off as the lepers were. All human beings need the healing of Jesus’ love. No human being deserves his outreach. Jesus wants us to appreciate what he has done for us because our gratitude opens our hearts to his greater gifts. He intends nothing less than to raise us to divine life. This is much greater than being healed of leprosy or of any other affliction.
Prayer:
I return to thank you, Lord, for all that you have done for me, full of confidence that you plan much more. You have touched me and made me whole. I am yours to lead where you will.