Gratitude

Father Andrzej Wyrostek
The 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 12, 2025

My dear friends, gratitude is at the heart of the Gospel today. Gratitude to God for his divine gift, for his divine blessings. And yet, in many ways when we think about our encounter with Christ, with God, we find ourselves in the moments that are perhaps at odds with our hopes and dreams. The moments when we look at this world and say, “This world cannot really answer or address my needs,” and so we look for the divine. We look beyond this created world and we begin to remember or encounter Christ in a different way, on a different level. 

Faith is a beautiful gift given to us, but faith only goes so far, it does not create the desired outcome as a source of life. What really happens when we encounter God, we are also invited to recognize God’s blessing, and as when we recognize it, to make that blessing alive in this world. To share the goodness of God in our life. That is the beautiful way that we can allow others to be encouraged or to be renewed in their faith — when they see the joy or when they recognize the blessing that God is in our life. 

How can we make God’s blessing alive in the world and in the life we live? The answer is gratitude — the joy of saying thank you Lord, thank you God. Returning to God and recognizing his presence in our life and sharing that presence of God in our life through the works of goodness that we share with others. 

Ten were cleansed but only one returned and that only one is remembered now in the Gospel story reminding us that gratitude is required for our full relationship with God. 

“Go in peace,” as Jesus says to the Samaritan. “Your faith has healed you, has saved you.” 

But he can hear these words only after he comes back to Christ and gives thanks to him so are we invited to do the same. This very eucharistic celebration is a way of giving things to God. Of praising him for his blessing that he is in our life and for his presence in our life. But now comes the challenge and opportunity to all of us to make this thanksgiving alive in our own witness. We can do that in a variety of ways. When we are kind and merciful to others. When we are generous to those in need. When we look for an opportunity to praise God in our prayer, in our faith. When we are not scared to tell others, I believe. I believe in the goodness of God who is present in my heart. 

My friends be kind, be merciful, and be generous. In those ways you will be able to make the presence of God in your life alive for others to see and thus encourage them in their pursuit of hope, in their pursuit of encouragement in their life, and in their pursuit of true love and joy in their life.