Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 25, 2021
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
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.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
How often do we forget what Jesus has done for us?
My wife and I have been married for 37 years, raised 4 children, and have seen the healthy birth of three granddaughters. We have successfully relocated from North to South and East to West over the years, and during the 2020 pandemic, I was ordained a Deacon.
How many times have I forgotten to thank Jesus for the many gifts, graces, and blessings he has provided? Just like the nine lepers, in the excitement of the moment, I have moved on with my life as if Jesus was not part of it.
When I look back over the years, I recognize the influence Jesus has had on me and how he helped me during many challenging seasons. For me, it is often easier to recognize him in my rearview mirror than when he is standing in front of me, beside me, or holding me in the palm of his hand.
Today, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us take time to look back on our lives and thank Jesus for all he has done for each of us. Sit in silence and recognize those quiet graces. Be like the leper who returned—glorify Jesus in gratitude today!
Prayer
Ten lepers called on you to show them mercy, loving Savior, to free them from that terrible curse of slow and steady decay, separation from family and friends, life in a desert wilderness waiting for the end. But out of that number only one returned to give thanks to you. Lord, how good you have been to us, how often you disregard our failures and encourage us. Help us live lives of thanksgiving to you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
The U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is not a liturgical celebration, nor is it on the Catholic Church's universal calendar, but there are significant parallels between this holiday and the Catholic Mass.
The word “Eucharist”—a term that describes both the Mass itself, and the consecrated body and blood of Christ in Communion—literally translates to “thanksgiving.” In a way, Christians have been celebrating thanksgiving every day for 2,000 years.
It is no coincidence that both the Thanksgiving holiday today and the Mass involve a meal. Sharing a meal might not be the first association we may make when we think of going to Mass, but at its heart, liturgy gathers people together around the Lord’s table.
There are other parallels between the Mass and the Thanksgiving feast we celebrate today. In both cases, (in normal times) people gather from far and wide to share community together and to build bonds of connection with one another that cross geographic or social divisions. One significant way this happens is by telling stories from our shared past—at Thanksgiving we reminisce about family lore over a glass of wine, and at Mass, we read from the Scriptures to remember what happened to those who went before us in the journey of faith. Both Thanksgiving and the Mass send us back to our lives and into the world emboldened in our identity as members of the same family.
In the Gospel, when Jesus feeds the 5,000 and when he gathers with his disciples at the Last Supper, he makes four key movements: he takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and shares it. The same pattern happens at Mass—the bread and the wine are taken, blessed, broken or poured, and shared. So are we who gather to celebrate together—we are taken from our homes and our places in the world, and we are blessed by approaching God together in prayer. We are broken when we prayerfully join Jesus’ gift of himself in love on the cross. We are shared with the world when we are sent forth from Mass to display the love of Christ in our neighborhoods and families.
In whatever way we are able to celebrate today, let us attend to the ways that we are taken, blessed, broken, and shared with one another. Let us give thanks for the gift of God’s presence among us in the person of Jesus Christ, and in the love we share with those around our table. And let us remember to extend our fellowship and love to those who have no table or community to gather around.
This Thanksgiving—and at every Mass—let us give thanks and share our love with those who need it most!
If you are in need of a Thanksgiving prayer to share at your table today, you can find several from Notre Dame to share from our prayer card site—try this Prayer of Thanksgiving or browse other prayers of gratitude here.