11-11-2026, Wednesday of Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours
Tit 3: 1-7; Ps 23: 1-6; Lk 17: 11-19
In today’s Gospel passage, as Jesus travels toward Jerusalem, entering a village on the border between Samaria and Galilee, He is met by ten men afflicted with leprosy. Standing at a distance, they raise their voices and cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Upon seeing them, Jesus gives a simple command: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they go, they are miraculously cleansed. Yet, out of ten men restored to health, only one, a Samaritan, turns back, glorifying God in a loud voice, and falls at Jesus’ feet to give Him thanks.
Luke describes the men as leptroi (lepers). In the ancient world, leprosy was not merely a physical disease; it was a living death. It isolated individuals from family, community, and worship. When Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests, they are cleansed (katharisthēnai), a word implying ritual purification and a restoration to wholeness. One of them, a Samaritan, when he saw that he was healed, returned back, showing a deliberate, complete reversal of direction. Spiritually, he decides to leave his sinful past, and comes to give doxa (glory) to God (Jesus). He fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet, eucharistōn (giving thanks). True gratitude is not a polite afterthought; it is an act of total self-surrender, worship, and recognition of divine grace.
WISDOM TO LIVE
Gratitude transforms our relationship with God. When we cultivate a “Eucharistic” heart:
1. We recognize our spiritual poverty: Like the lepers shouting from a distance, we acknowledge that apart from Christ’s mercy, we are spiritually dead and isolated.
2. We break down barriers: The only one who returned was a Samaritan. True gratitude transcends tribalism, pride, and self-sufficiency.
3. We move from healing to salvation: Physical blessings are temporary, but a heart posture of continual thanksgiving anchors us in saving communion with God.
WISDOM FROM THE TREASURY OF THE CHURCH
“Nothing is so pleasing to God as a soul that is thankful and mindful of His mercies.” – Saint John Chrysostom
“Thankfulness is a secondary part of justice, whereby man repays a favor done to him, according to the measure of his capacity and the other person’s dignity.” – Saint Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae)
WISDOM FROM THE CARMEL
“In the darkening of our desires and earthly attachments, the soul learns to sing a song of solitary thanksgiving, recognizing that every good gift flows downward from the Father of lights.” – Saint John of the Cross (The Ascent of Mount Carmel)
“Jesus is pleased to show me the only way which leads to this Divine Love; it is the way of childlike surrender, the way of a little child who sleeps fearlessly in its father’s arms… To render thanks for everything is the true secret of peace.” – Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (Story of a Soul)
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