“A Heart That Turns Back to Say Thank You”

At a Thanksgiving dinner, Grandma asked everyone to name one thing they were thankful for. There was silence, until little Lucy said, “I am thankful that Uncle Bob didn’t burn the turkey this year!” Everyone laughed, but Lucy had done what Jesus longs for us to do, “notice a blessing and say thank you”.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 17:11–19), ten lepers cry out for mercy, and Jesus heals them all. Yet only one of them, a Samaritan, comes back to thank Him. Jesus asks, “Were not ten made clean? Where are the other nine?” Gratitude matters to God, not because He needs our thanks, but because it keeps our hearts open to grace.

On this Thanksgiving weekend, we are invited to be that one who returns, to pause, to notice, and to say, “Thank You, Lord.” We give thanks for family, for food, for the harvest, but also for the quiet blessings: the strength that carried us, the faith that sustained us, the peace that surprised us in hard times.

Gratitude transforms ordinary moments into prayer. It reminds us that everything we have, our health, our home, even our next breath is a gift.

So, before we reach for another slice of pie, let’s turn our hearts to Jesus and whisper the simplest, sweetest prayer we can ever say:

“Thank You, Lord, For Everything.”

Your Priest,

Father Charles Enyinnia