Though it is a quote about prayer made in the 13th century by a German Dominican priest, theologian, philosopher and mystic, I find it to one of the most powerful statements about the root of faith no matter what generation hears it. Meister Eckhart said: “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” It is true that gratitude is the center of our life of prayer, but more importantly it is the foundational way that we relate to God.
Gratitude . . . thanksgiving . . . or giving thanks is to acknowledge and show appreciation for a blessing, gift or act of kindness that has been received from another. As the faithful . . . as a follower of Jesus . . . this points us towards God who is the “giver of all good things,” a phrase that comes from the Book of James, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17, NIV) Our whole lives are to be based on the simple act of giving thanks to God who is present in all things in our lives . . . we are to live lives of gratitude. Something we should be doing from the moment we recognize God’s presence in our lives.
In the story from our reading this morning. Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem on the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he is approaching a village, he encounters ten men with leprosy. As they are mandated to do, the ten stand at a distance from Jesus, crying out to him to have pity on them. Seeing them he blesses them and tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. Jesus has healed them of their leprosy. No longer would they be outsiders. No longer would they be ostracized from the community. They have been given a place at the table. They are included.
Now remember that there were ten. In the story only one returns . . . in fact, he returns before the group even gets to the priests. He returns, falls at the feet of Jesus, and gives thanks. It is at this point that we learn that he is a Samaritan . . . a foreigner. Even Jesus acknowledges this about the man. Jesus affirms the man and his faith for his simple act of giving thanks.
In saying thank you, the one acknowledges God’s presence . . . acknowledges the blessing that has been received . . . gives praise to God. Missing from the story at this point are the other nine but let us not go ballistic on them. Though Jesus sees that they did not return to give thanks, they have done nothing wrong. They have done exactly what they had been told and expected to do . . . they went to the priests to be confirmed in their healing. Jesus does not condemn the nine, he only notes that only one . . . a foreigner—a Samaritan . . . returned to say, “thank you”. He also acknowledges the Samaritan’s gratitude as the key to his healing . . . as the foundation of his faith.
Now we can look at the undercurrents of this story . . . the fact that Jesus welcomes those who are on the outside looking in . . . encountering the unwelcomed and welcoming them into the family. We could look at the fact that of the ten only the one who was not of the same people . . . a Gentile, a foreigner, a dreaded Samaritan . . . is the only one who pauses to offer thanks for the blessing he has received. We could note that Jesus makes a hero out of this despised person, more or less an untouchable political and religious enemy. We could look at the irony of the whole story, but the point here is not any of that . . . the point is that the man recognized God’s presence in his life, recognized God’s role in his healing, and understood that he needed to say “thank you”. He needed to acknowledge God’s presence in it. Because he did it made him well.
Now “well” in this situation is not talking about his physical body. Jesus had already taken care of that earlier. No, what Jesus is referring to here is the man’s spiritual body. Here Jesus affirms that the man’s gratitude and thanksgiving has made him “whole”. He has entered into the realm of “wholeness” or “holiness” . . . his mind, body, and spirit are aligned and in relationship with God. He has discovered “peace” . . . Shalom.
We begin to enter into this “wholeness” or “holiness” when we start to live our lives in such a way that it is based upon giving “thanks” . . . giving thanks for the blessing that God’s presence is in every aspect of our lives . . . good and bad. God is there. Acknowledging it is the key. Acknowledging it in the words that we speak and the actions that we take. It is embracing our relationship of love with God and others . . . all that they bring to the table of our lives . . . and, saying, “Thank you!”
Saying “thank you” is such a simple act. We can all do it. We can all say “thank you” to God . . . we can say “thank you” to others. It is as simple as that. As Meister Eckhart says, “. . . it will be enough.” Enough to acknowledge our gratitude for our relationships with God and with others.
We are entering into the season we have set aside as a nation to “give thanks”. This is a good and worthy holiday . . . to pause and give thanks. It is also a good reminder of what we should be doing all the time . . . giving thanks. Each and every day . . . every moment . . . it an opportunity to give thanks because God is all around us like the air that we breathe. It is not about the turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and all the mythological symbols . . . it is not about the eating. No, it is about pausing and giving thanks . . . thanks that there is food to eat, people to break bread with, and a God who is present through it all. Giving thanks is what the holiday is about. It is a reminder of what we are to do each and every day . . . to say, “Thank you.”
Giving “thanks” this year might be a little more difficult . . . a little more cumbersome . . . as we deal with the restrictions placed upon us due to the pandemic that is still raging across the world. It is not the same song and dance as it has been in the past. There won’t be the big gatherings of family and friends. There won’t be the big parades taking place. And, yet, the opportunity is there.
We can still acknowledge God’s presence because God is here with us . . . always with us. God never abandons us. Therein lies the blessing . . . the gift. We can still acknowledge the presence of others in our lives whether they are in the same room with us or in a virtual room found on the Internet. We can say “thank you” for God, others, and our lives. Not only on Thanksgiving Day, but each and every day. We can show gratitude. In our gratitude we find “wholeness” and “holiness” . . . we discover the foundation of our intimacy with God and others . . . we discover our faith. Our faith will make even the darkest hours, the most divisive moments, and craziest times bearable . . . bearable because we realize the blessing in not being alone. God is with us. We are with one another.
As we are reminded in our moment of pausing this coming week, we are blessed. What simpler or better way is there to express our gratitude than by simply saying, “Thank you!” It is not just a beginning . . . it is enough. Amen.
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