C-19 Reflection #54: The Deeper Healing of Gratitude

C~19 Reflection (#54)

Theme: The Deeper Healing of Gratitude

Scripture Reading: Luke 17:11-19

Reflection: 

“My immobility after the fall and during recovery showed me clearly how close God was to me. Previously, I was often so active that I didn’t realize this closeness. God waited until I was ready to listen to reveal his patient and gentle presence. I realized how everything I had taken for granted had actually been given to me, and it was God who took the lead. I realized afterwards that it was God who caught me. I discovered compassion and acceptance, not judgment. I realized it was a paradox: I was fundamentally fragile but gifted, and always held in God’s love. Just as with the prodigal son’s journey home, I was given multiple second chances and offered extraordinary forgiveness. Part of being injured was a process of purification: waiting in the silence and the darkness of the long nights, wondering if recovery would ever happen. Alternating between doubt and hope meant praying out of a deep need. Mostly it was about purifying my faith, though, shaking off complacency, shedding expectations, and coming to new understandings.”

~Brendan McManus, SJ

Reflection Questions:

1.How would you describe the nature of the healing process that this person experienced?         

2. Can you relate to this person’s insight? How is this unique time in your life and schedule offering you a deeper healing?         

3. Think about Luke’s story of the leper and Brendan together. Why does gratitude have the capacity to offer us a more complete healing?