Jesus asks the healed Samaritan: "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?" (Lk 17: 17) I think we can detect some hurt feelings on Jesus' part. Remember that Jesus is fully human. Certainly, he possessed extraordinary attributes of healing, prayer and teaching yet his feelings could be hurt. He never asks for money or any other recognition. In fact, in the Gospel of Mark, he discourages people from telling others about what he has done for them (eg. Mk 1: 44). Yet, we see time and again that he is angered or hurt but a lack of gratitude, especially on the part of his own people, and their hardness of heart (eg. Mk 3: 5, Mk 6: 6, Mtt 9: 4 and Mtt 11: 20-24, etc). He expresses frustration at people's lack of faith: "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you" (Mtt 17: 17) and "And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?" (Lk 18: 8). Today he asks: "Was none of them (the lepers) found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (Lk 17: 18) Jesus longs for us to respond to his love as he did with the people of Jerusalem: "How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (Mtt 23: 37) We should always remember the love that God has for us and use this to prompt us to loving conduct towards others as well as going to Mass on Sunday to offer God thanks, praise and worship. Saint Paul wrote: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender hearted and forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Eph 4: 30-5: 2)
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