In today’s Gospel, Jesus cures a man with leprosy and then orders him not to tell anyone. We’re encouraged by St. Ignatius to find God in all things and yet, in this moment so clearly filled with God’s love and grace, the cured man is expected not to shout from the rooftops about this wonderful miracle. To me, this opens up one of those wonderful challenges — how else can the cured man show his gratitude for this gift of new life? In some ways, shouting for joy and praising the Healer is easy and allows us to feel like our task is complete when we finish saying, “thank you.”
As we find God in our daily lives, aren’t we also called to show gratitude? With Christmas just two weeks behind us, have we found ways to continue celebrating Christ’s presence in our world? Or did we stop on December 26th because the holiday was complete?
—Molly MacCready is the Partner Program Coordinator for Charis, a Jesuit retreat ministry for young adults in their 20s and 30s. Molly is also the Executive Director for CROSO, a nonprofit providing college scholarships to former street children in Uganda.