When we hear the words of Luke in todays Gospel, telling of the 10 lepers that were healed ….. and the one (and only one) who came back to thank God for the healing, we can easily dismiss the other 9 lepers as being insensitive, ungrateful. And maybe just a product of the society that they lived in, and the abuse they had been subject to.
Yet, I suspect that two thousand years later, of all of those healed, about 10% making an effort to come back to say thanks is not too far from our present day reality. For if we are honest with ourselves we can likely see that most of the time when we talk to God, it is not to say thanks. It is to ask for something. When we are ill, or one of our family is ill. When we are struggling and need hope. When we really need a job, or a friend … these are the times we put our petitions to God, that God will in some way make things happen in the way we want things to happen.
Look at our own personal experience of prayer …. how many times when we talk to God, do we just say thanks. How many times are our prayers just a simple prayer of gratitude? Maybe 1 time out of 10? I rest my case….
It’s not that we aren’t thankful or grateful. It’s just that we can get so busy with our lives that we forget to be grateful. And, let’s face it, we live in a world that all too often in known by its ingratitude. It comes from being surrounded by people – and a society – that believes itself to be self-sufficient. Who believe that the world, and other people, are there for their use, or for their exploitation. Who believe that increasing stature, wealth, and power are the only legitimate ends of social and economic policy. And this ingratitude we see in society is not simply a failure to say ‘thanks’ – rather it is a way of existing, a way of viewing the universe, a way of perceiving ourselves, and a way of acting in society.
Ingratitude does not see the larger picture of our place in the universe, the larger picture of our place within Creation, the larger picture of our relationship with other human beings, or to try to look beyond the universe
in order to see the source of the universe.
So, a good question on this Thanksgiving weekend could be to ask ourselves how we can foster the habit of being thankful in our lives. How do we find a new way of seeing those in need, of perceiving human society, of sensing our place in the world; and discovering our role as believers in the creating goodness and generosity of God
Well, as with any habit, we foster it by practice.
And one of the best ways I know to help me practice that habit I took from the Jesuits. It is called the Examen, and while it can take many forms, it can be as simple as 1-2-3.
At the end of the day, find a few moments of quiet and solitude, so that you can reflect on the day that has just passed, and then
- ask yourself the question …“God – where did I see you today? Where did I sense your presence today?” Then take a few moments to reflect on the events and encounters of the day, and you will begin to see where God had been encountering you in that day’s events. And then, say ‘thanks’ to God for those moments, those encounters.
- Ask God to reveal to you the times and places in the day where you missed seeing God’s presence, or when you failed to be the person God created you to be. Take a few minutes for those moments to be revealed. Then ask for forgiveness for those times when you were blind to Gods presence; or failed to be all that God created you to be.
- Ask God to help you be more aware of God’s presence, and God’s guidance, in the following day.
And perhaps, end the encounter with your favourite prayer, or hymn, or psalm, or saying.
It really is as simple as 1-2-3. The beauty of the Examen is that it opens us up to become so much more aware of how God is truly and really present within our lives. And that increased awareness changes us, and changes the way that we see the world. It helps us discover God’s love and activity in and through creation, of which we are a part.
In a word, when we make a habit of doing a daily examen, we become more grateful people. And at sense of gratitude results in us having a new way of seeing those in need, a new, more expansive way of seeing human society, a new way of being and living in the world. And it all begins with taking a few minutes toward the end of each day to examine our day. To ask God to reveal where we encountered God today, to ask God to reveal where we missed seeing God, and to ask God to help us be more aware of God’s presence tomorrow. 1. 2. 3. Each day. Every Day.
Becoming more grateful transformed the life of Naaman. It transformed the life of the Samaritan Leper in today’s Gospel. And weaving this small but important spiritual practice into your daily life, will transform your life too.
- Where did I see you God.
- Where did I miss seeing you God.
- Help me be more aware tomorrow.
It really is as easy as 1 2 3