The Ungrateful Man Who Does Not Thank God Remains A Spiritual Leper

Church of Romania

On 19 January 2014, the Orthodox faithful are on the 29th Sunday after the Pentecost. In all the Orthodox places of worship the evangelical pericope of Saint Evangelist Luke, 17:12-10, was read at the Divine Liturgy, referring to the healing of the 10 lepers.

The Gospel on the healing of the 10 lepers is a model of gratitude for all the boons received – showed the Patriarch of Romania in his sermon delivered at the chapel of the Patriarchal Residence.

The man grateful to God for the good done grows spiritually

“This Gospel on the gratitude of a single man and ungratefulness of nine men shows us what Christ, our Lord, means: namely that the grateful man who thanks God and his fellow beings for the good done grows spiritually, and enriches himself in the relationship of love with God and his fellow beings, whereas the one who does not thank is impoverished and grown cold, namely he diminishes the communion with God and his fellow beings and so he dehumanises himself. The soul of the man who thanks God and his fellow beings for the good done is much more beautiful than the soul of an insensitive, ungrateful man who does not thank and quickly forgets the good done”, His Beatitude also said.

We must thank God for all the gifts received

His Beatitude has also urged us to thank both God for all the gifts received from Him, and those through whom God works in our favour.

“Very significant is the fact that the Church understood this Gospel of gratitude or of thanksgiving so well that at every Eucharistic or thanksgiving Liturgy we glorify God and thank Him: We praise Thee, bless Thee, and thank Thee. Then we pray Him to send His grace over us and over the gifts presented to make them the Body and Blood of Christ. This state of praising God and thanksgiving is the stage necessary for spiritually growing. If we thank God we receive more gifts, but if we do not thank His gifts are no longer operational because they come across an insensitive soul, who does not thank, so that only when we receive gifts and thank God for them other gifts are added, so that we may edify ourselves and spiritually grow in the relationship with God and with the fellow beings. We must thank God first of all because the world, the sky, earth, sun, water, and the air exist, and everything that supports our life. We must thank God for all the gifts received and especially for the gift of life and of good health, for the help given in various difficult circumstances. We must thank Him and those through whom God works in our favour, our biological parents who gave birth to us and grew us up, the spiritual fathers, the priests who baptised us or are our father confessors, the professors, educators and all those who helped us and help us grow spiritually and be useful to the community we live in, to our Church and people”, the Patriarch of Romania said.

“Through only one question of Jesus “But the other nine, where are they?” this Gospel becomes a programme of life, namely the programme of gratitude, the gratitude as state of justice and dignity of the humans. When we begin the great thanksgiving prayer to God during the Divine Liturgy we say: With worthiness and justice we sing to Thee, praise Thee, bless Thee, and thank Thee everywhere your reign is. With worthiness and justice can be translated as it is worthy and just to thank You, so that if it is worthy and just to thank God for the boons received, it means that it is not worthy and just to forget to thank God and our fellow beings for the good received”, His Beatitude also said.

Next Sunday, the 32nd after the Pentecost, the Gospel fragment relation the Saviour’s encounter with Zacheus, the tax collector will be read.

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