In this month of November, we in the United States think of thanksgiving and realize that Thanksgiving is not just a day but a way of life forever. "Give thanks to God the Father always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph 5:20).
Do we understand who is supposed to be thanking Whom? The message of today's Gospel reading is that any lack of thanksgiving may be more than an oversight. Possibly we think we are lords who should be thanked, rather than slaves (see Lk 17:10) who should give thanks. When we give God thanks, we acknowledge Him as not only our Source of blessings but primarily as our Lord. When we give thanks, we acknowledge gratefully that we are lowly handmaids and slaves of the Lord (see Lk 1:38). Therefore, giving thanks is not merely being polite, but having faith in the Lord, loving Him with all our hearts, and serving Him in privileged submission.
If you prayed all day, would you think you've done God a favor? When you go to Church, do you think you deserve a pat on the back? If you gave a lot of money to the Lord's work, are you being generous or merely just? "Say, ‘We are useless servants. We have done no more than our duty' " (Lk 17:10).
| PRAYER: | Father, may the fear of You be the beginning of giving thanks to You (see Prv 9:10). |
| PROMISE: | "The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them." –Wis 3:1 |
| PRAISE: | Before surviving a traffic accident, Joseph did not thank God as much as he did afterward, many times a day. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College