Thanksgiving Day
It is said that gratitude is an act of memory. Remembering who we were, how we were before receiving the gift leads the soul to thanksgiving. The one who receives a coat remembers his life in the cold before receiving it, and he is grateful. The leper in today’s gospel remembers his life of shame and pain before his healing, and he rushes to Jesus’ feet to thank him.
Bringing to memory all the gifts received produces a grateful heart. Today is a good day like any other to look through our memories and to name gifts, remembering the part they’ve played in shaping our lives as we now know them. Who knows? Maybe even those things that once seemed dark and painful can now be lifted up as gifts, for without them, we wouldn’t be who we are today.