November 19, 2025

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

I thought I would again mention a few things about being a grateful person this week. The month of November is all about gratitude. Just today I received an invitation to join a family – friends of mine – for Thanksgiving Dinner. So today I again thanked God for all my friends. I have many and I constantly know how blessed I am. As a pastor over the years, I remember the many wonderful parishioners and the many wonderful families I prayed with and were part of their lives, and they were all my friends. I continue to be truly grateful to God for them all.

The importance of gratitude is the subject of the Gospel reading at one of the morning Masses this week. This reading is the story of Jesus’ healing of 10 lepers. This Gospel reading is often used at the Mass on Thanksgiving Day. In this story, Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem. We know now that this will be the last time Jesus travels to Jerusalem. The Gospel tells us that on the way to Jerusalem Jesus enters a village. There 10 lepers approach him, crying out “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us.”

As the story goes on – we are told that Jesus immediately sends the 10 to the priests. It was the responsibility of the priests to decide whether lepers could return to their community after they were healed. As the 10 lepers go, they then realize that they were healed. One of them stops and immediately returns to Jesus. This man expresses his gratitude and gives praise to God. Jesus is deeply impressed and says, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Jesus knows that this man is a Samaritan. Jesus is impressed by his gratitude – even though he is Samaritan. This story should challenge us; you and I must learn to be grateful constantly for all that God has done for us as followers of the Lord.

Each time I read this Gospel story, I take time to pray that I have remembered to turn often in gratitude to God each time something special has happened for me – each gifts from the Lord. Someone taught me ages ago that in faith I should be aware that each day for everyone of us they are all miracles. God transforms us all in so many ways – little ways, yet important ways, ways that give meaning to our lives – yes, truly miracles. So, today, I again want to take this very opportunity to again offer my prayers of gratitude to our God for these many miracles – God has touched me.

One more thing today, yet probably the most important blessing of the Lord for which I am grateful: Our faith teaches us that God is constantly ready to forgive us our sins. How often I read in the Gospels that Jesus was constantly spending time with sinners; the Pharisees were always upset that Jesus associated with sinners, that Jesus ate with sinners. Personally, I know that I am a sinner, and I long to realize that Jesus is constantly reaching out to me in forgiveness, especially through the Church. I pray often that I will never forget that God forgives, that God comes to me in love and peace to show me the way, that I must take time in prayer and repentance and that I may change my life again and again. I am intensely grateful to God, who has never given up on me.