Be grateful!
Some years ago, during our annual 13-kilometer Walk with God to Manaoag, a couple asked me to bless their little baby who was very sick. They were carrying the child to the shrine to beg for his healing. Some years later, a couple with a little boy in hand approached me and told me that this was the little boy that was healed, and they have been doing and will continue to do the walk every year to thank God and the Blessed Mother. From begging to thanksgiving!
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In today’s Gospel, (Lk. 17, 11-19) Jesus cleansed the 10 lepers, but only one returned to glorify God and to give thanks. Jesus went on to say: “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Jesus says these words also to you and to me. We can never thank God enough. We owe Him all our praise and thanksgiving.
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May we not forget to return to God, and keep on returning to Him as we journey on. Let us not stay too far and too long away from Him. May the lures and pleasures of this world not make us forget who we are, what our purpose in life is, and our final destination!
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“Till I find to my wonder, every path leads to thee … All that I can say is please, stay with me, stay with me.” I borrow this last line from the theme song of the movie “The Cardinal” to remind us that God is our constant companion and our final destination.
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To return to God does not only mean coming back to the right way, but also giving back to God what is due Him. Payback time! “How can I repay the Lord for His goodness to me?” (Ps 116, 12)
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We all are indebted to God. May we not forget that all we are, all we have is from Him, and all we do are made possible by Him. But, all too often, we are not only forgetful but also ungrateful people. “Is this how you repay the Lord, O foolish and senseless people? Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you?” (Deut. 32, 6)
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Gratitude is the best attitude. The key to gratitude is humility. A humble person knows how to be grateful, truly grateful. A grateful person also knows how to be generous. I am edified wherever I encounter people who, out of the generosity of their hearts, give without measure, without fanfare, without expectation for recognition or reward. Mabuhay po kayo!
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All throughout the pandemic, I received a constant supply of rosaries personally made by a lady and her maid. I have shared those rosaries far and wide, especially with our missionaries going to their foreign mission assignment. God bless those who quietly and sincerely show their love and gratitude to the Lord and the Blessed Mother!
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“A Plate to Educate.” The Arnold Janssen Catholic Mission Foundation Inc. helps in the education of school dropouts, nonliterate youth and adults through the Department of Education program ALS (Alternative Learning System). Help support ALS through a dinner benefit on Oct. 23, 2022, at the Grand Hyatt, BGC. For particulars, please contact Ms. Lara Jean Aguilar at 095077200195.
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Think about this: “Whoever is generous to the poor, lends to the Lord, and He will repay Him for his deeds.” (Proverbs 19, 1)
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A moment with our Lord: Lord, help us to live full, beautiful, and grateful lives. Amen.
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