In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom talks about a time in her life that taught her to be grateful to God for everything. During the Second World War, Corrie and her sister had been hiding Jewish people in their home to keep them from the grasp of the Nazis. At one point, the Nazis discovered this and arrested them and imprisoned them at Ravensbrück, a concentration camp for women located in northern Germany.
Their barracks were extremely overcrowded and infested with fleas. One day, while reading the Bible, they read that they should rejoice in all things.
Corrie’s sister, Betsy, said, "Corrie, we've got to give thanks for this barracks and even for these fleas."
Corrie answered, "There is no way that am I going to thank God for fleas!" But Betsy was convincing, and, in the end, they did thank God for the fleas.
During the next several months, they discovered that the guards pretty much ignored their barracks and they were free to study the Bible, talk openly among themselves, and even pray together. It was their only place of refuge from the atrocities of the camp. Quite some time later, they learned that the reason the guards never entered their barracks was because of those pesky fleas!
Gratitude is an easy thing for us to forget, especially in a culture that seems to tell us that we deserve everything. Listen to how many times advertisements tell us that we deserve whatever it is they are trying to sell.
Our Gospel passage today shows us both gratitude and a lack of gratitude. The Samaritan leper recognized that his healing was a gift from God and came back to praise God and give thanks for this new lease on life. May his sense of thankfulness be an example to us that we should give thanks and praise to God for all that we have and all that we are. +
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