20-second Summary
“Thank you, Lord, for a good day.” Our family ends the day with this prayer, without fail. Some days it is VERY hard to give thanks to God for that, after everything that happened that day:
Death. Sickness. Pain. Broken hearts. Unruly children, and hurt that our children suffer that we cannot do much to salve.
Recognizing God’s infinite Goodness and thanking Him for it is also very hard to remember to do. In our fallen state, we tend to think how wonderful we are when we accomplish or experience something good. How often do we thank God for this stuff?
Maybe one in ten times, like the lepers in the Gospel. Maybe it takes seven experiences like Naaman in the Jordan.
Shouldn’t we always be thankful, even in our suffering?
This week we read of these and Paul’s suffering, and learn why bad things happen to good people.
And there’s some wisdom in here that deals with that question directly Why does a Good God make bad things happen?
See if you know the answer…
Catechesis At Home – Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
Give Thanks
First Reading
Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of Elisha, the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean of his leprosy.
Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.
On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,
“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel.
Please accept a gift from your servant.”
Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;”
and despite Naaman’s urging, he still refused.
Naaman said: “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.”
Responsorial Psalm
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Second Reading
Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.
Gospel Reading
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In all circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers 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.”
Mass Readings are presented verbatim from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) web site in good faith accordance with its “Web and Other Digital Media Usage” guidelines. All Rights are reserved to the USCCB.
Give Thanks
REFLECTION – Give Thanks in All Circumstances
“In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) – This week’s Gospel Acclamation.
Can I give thanks for my suffering? Why is there suffering, hardship, poverty, sickness, and grief? These are hard questions that many people ask and cannot understand one probable answer – God has allowed suffering in order for His Goodness to be known. God does not cause bad things to happen, but He does allow them to happen. The Book of Job explores this concept in detail, which has been our daily Mass readings for the last week or so.
Would we look to God for help if we never needed anything? Would we remember that all good things come from Him? How often do we recognize and give thanks for the things we constantly use and have (those things we take for granted)? Do we give thanks for the things we accomplish “on our own”? Do we recognize God’s presence, His gifts, His sacrifice?
The word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek word for “thanksgiving”. At each Mass we celebrate a feast of Thanksgiving. We are thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and for giving us His Body and Blood for our eternal nourishment. We also give ourselves in thanksgiving – at the offertory we present our gifts, our very selves, to Him. “For this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus,” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) as we hear in the Allelui before the Gospel proclamation this week. When we present ourselves – good, bad, and ugly – to God, He will transform us, like He did the lepers. He will heal us and make us fit to the work that He has planned for us. Can we be like the one leper who remembered to come back to the Lord to say, “Thank you?”
This is what it means to give thanks “in all circumstances”.
DISCUSSION – Give Thanks to God for He is Good
This week discuss the following with your family and friends:
When was the last time we said, “thank you,” to God? When has it been difficult to thank God? When have we forgotten to thank Him? Do we live in a way that others see our thankfulness? Or do we complain about our lot in life, or on the flip side, are we self-important or proud of our accomplishments, without giving God the glory and thanks He deserves?
ACTIVITY – Chain of Thanks
Make a thankfulness chain. On strips of paper write down something you are thankful for each day. For small children, you might write “Thank you, God for” and then let them draw a picture or tell you what to write down for them. Link the strips together in a chain that grows longer each day. Display your chain in your dining area. At dinner each evening pray for your blessings and thank God for His goodness, exemplified by your chain.
DIG DEEPER – Other Give Thanks resources from Holy Owned and Operated:
Page: Spirit in Life: The Fruits of the Spirit
TWMWU: Fourth Week of Advent: Promises Fulfilled!
TWMWU: The Lord Has Revealed to the Nations His Saving Power
TWMWU: Third Week of Advent: Rejoice!
Podcast: The Mass Dismissal – Episode 79
Podcast: The Sacrament of the Eucharist – Episode 109
How do you Give Thanks to God?
by Beth & Kristofer Cowles
HOO™ Co-Founders
Other Help on HOO
Lust And Love – Episode 133
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:04 — 24.0MB)
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What is the difference between lust and love?
During this “season of Valentines” Beth and Kristofer cover this (often unknowingly) confusing and vitally important topic before we dive headlong into the pink and roses and hearts and whatnot.
Beth and Kristofer share how to tell the difference between lust and love, and how to teach that to impressionable minds and hearts.
And they do this in the context of Mortal Sin and Theological Virtue: Lust and Love, respectively.
They also, right out of the gate, point to Nick’s seven-part series about Love as a great resource on our web site for this discussion, which is linked to in the show notes.
Living in this world, but not of it, is difficult, and Beth and Kristofer offer us some pointers on how to do that, particularly in this day and age.
And, no, there is no inappropriate or “parental discretion advised” content in this episode.
But they do get attacked by a tree!
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