And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. – Luke 17:15
How can we thank God for all that He has done for us? What could we possibly have to offer Him? Our first reading and Gospel passage offer us two parallel examples to consider. Naaman, who was healed from leprosy, wanted to give Elisha a gift of thanks. When he refused the gift, Naaman offered something even more precious; he offered worship: “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord” (2 Kings 5:17). He wanted earth so he could worship God properly from “Israel.”
In our Gospel passage, Jesus cleansed and healed the ten lepers. Notice that while all of them were healed of their physical disease, only the one who realized that he had been healed and returned to give Jesus thanks was “saved” (Luke 17:19). Our salvation is caught up in how we respond to the Lord. We must recognize, accept, and give thanks for it. The one who returned to give thanks offered worship: he offered Jesus loud praise and fell at His feet. When we respond and sing during Mass, we offer our voices to God. When we genuflect and kneel, we fall at His feet. These are our offerings of thanksgiving.
We too can offer our worship to God as an act of thanksgiving. Consider making a list of just some of the ways that God has blessed you this week and month. How has He provided for you? How has He healed what is broken? How has He consoled you? Consider too how Jesus has saved us from eternal death through His own life, death, and resurrection. Next week when you return to Sunday Mass, bring your list with you and review it beforehand. Thank God specifically for all these good things when you encounter Him in Mass. Offer your worship to Him as a sacrifice of praise: “Through him, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
Jesus, thank You for saving me! You came to teach and suffer and die for us–for me. May my joyful worship be an act of thanksgiving each week.