As we continue to reflect on the Gospel of the men healed from leprosy, we hear how one of the ten turns back to find Jesus. He is profoundly grateful to have been healed, and that experience of gratitude causes him to want to change.
There is more here than just a physical turning back to find Jesus. There is an experience of "metanoia", - which means a transformative change of heart or spiritual conversion. He turns away from his old life towards a new way of living.
The healed man has received a new lease on life: Not only has his body been cured of a painful, debilitating, and deforming disease, he no longer
needs to be separated from the community. He can be reunited with his family again and have the dignity of earning a living. He will no longer be considered an outcast and a pariah.
The deep gratitude that the man experiences at having his life restored by Jesus is evident in his turning back, praising God, prostrating himself in a physical act of thanksgiving and surrendering his
life.
I invite you to think about the transformative power of deep gratitude in your own life. I recall an experience when my younger sister almost died in the process of having open heart surgery and the joy and relief when, finally, the surgeon was able to assure us that she was out of danger. I felt moved to desire to live and love more intentionally to express my gratitude for this great gift.
St Ignatius always speaks of gratitude as fundamental. Sin, he says, is always rooted in ingratitude. When we are grateful, we recognise the gift and the Giver, and we naturally desire to live in a way that recognises and honours God. Like the leper who was healed and turned back, when we are genuinely grateful, our hearts turn towards God, the Giver of all good gifts, and our lives change.
When have I felt most deeply grateful?
What is there to be grateful for in my life right now?
How does the experience of gratitude change me?
