During his general audience, Pope Francis reflected on the importance of gratitude in prayer. Jesus’ healing of the ten lepers is an example.
By Vatican News staff writer
Continuing his series of catechesis on prayer, Pope Francis, in his general audience this week, reflected on the importance of gratitude in prayer, which he said improved the world and brought hope.
The ten lepers
As an example, he took the healing episode of the ten lepers in the Gospel of Luke. The ten suffered not only physically, but also social and religious marginalization. “However, Jesus did not return from their meeting. Sometimes, he exceeded the limits imposed by law and touched, embraced and healed the sick person. However, in this case, there was no contact.”
He heard their prayers, their cry of mercy, and sent them to the priests appointed by law to certify their healing and bring them back to normal life. But on the way, when they woke up healed, only one returned to thank Jesus and praise God before going to the priests. That man was a Samaritan, a kind of “heretic” to the Jews of that time. And Jesus comments, “Has no one been found to turn and praise God but this stranger?” (5:18 p.m.).
Grace precedes gratitude
This episode, the Pope said, “divides the world into two: those who do not give thanks and those who give; those who take everything as if it were due to them and those who receive everything as a gift, as a grace. The catechism says, “Every event and need can become an offering of thanksgiving.” Therefore, the Pope said, the prayer of thanksgiving always begins with the recognition that “grace precedes us.” “We thought before we learned how to think; we were loved before we learned how to love; we were wanted before our hearts conceived a desire ”. “If we look at life this way,” he said, “then” thank you “becomes the driving force of our day.”
The gift of life
Pope Francis then explained that the word “Eucharist”, the most essential Sacrament, derives from the Greek word, which means thanksgiving. And Christians, like all believers, bless God for the gift of life. “We are all born because someone wanted us to have life. And this is just the first of a long series of debts we incur while living. Debts of gratitude. “According to God, educators, catechists and others” looked at us with clear eyes and fulfilled their roles beyond what was required of them. They challenged us to be grateful. Even friendship is a gift for which we should always be grateful. ”
Love gives birth to gratitude
Continuing his catechesis, the Pope said that this “gratitude” increases in the encounter with Jesus. Jesus often brought joy and praise to God in those he met. We too are called to participate in this immense jubilee, as the episode of the Ten Lepers points out. They were happy to regain their health, which allowed them to “put an end to that endless forced quarantine that excluded them from the community.”
The joy of meeting Jesus
However, only one of them experiences “additional joy” in his healing. “She is glad to meet Jesus. Now he is sure that he is loved “. And that is the essence of the problem. It is the discovery of love as the driving force of the world, the Pope said, quoting the Italian poet Dante. For Christians, the Pope said: “This means that we have a home, we live in Christ and, from this” home “, we contemplate the rest of the world that seems infinitely more beautiful to us.
Therefore, the Holy Father urged Christians to seek to remain always in the joy of meeting Jesus, never forgetting to give thanks. “If we are grateful,” he said, “the world itself will get better, if only a little, but that is enough to give a little hope.” “Everything is united and connected and everyone must do their part wherever we are.”