Gracious Living

Discourse seems to grow more and more ugly as candidates for presidential nominations come forward. One tries to remember better conversation and exposition as our many local newspapers fill their columns with harsh and critical letters to the editor. Along with this election commentary, it seems impossible to humanly and respectfully find resolution about our national and local immigration issues. Whatever happened to gracious living? Remember when people engaged in conversation and debate could still respectfully share their view points and listen to the other person in the conversation. There was a time when even friends could agree to disagree. Dialogue was a common event when each side was enriched by the mutual sharing.

This past Sunday’s gospel about the leper, healed of his disease, noticed the improved health on his way to the priests, and returned quickly to thank Jesus in a dramatic and intense way. He fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He noticed that Jesus was a source of mercy and healing. He asked to be healed and was in fact moved in a healing process. The other nine, perhaps, even excited in their encounter with Jesus and on presenting themselves to the priests, failed to take notice of what had happened. Their failure to give thanks is more understandable, since they were distracted from the wonder of the present moment.

Thankfulness and Transformation
The leper who returned with thanks found his life transformed. Surprisingly to the Jewish community of his epoch, this Samaritan man came with faith to share in the covenantal relationship of the Father’s mercy encountered in Jesus. That was Luke’s point in mentioning the context of the story as when Jesus and his disciples were traveling through Samaria and Galilee. One culturally would not have expected such a wonderful blessing to happen in these barren and unimpressive places.

The man’s leprosy also denoted a vacuum, where one would not expect God to happen. Lepers were excluded from societal life. They were the living dead, and contact would render one unclean in the encounter. Ordinarily, one would have looked among the living for such a blessing.

Into these empty worlds God’s mercy was shown. The Samaritan leper notices Jesus and the possibility of a cure and makes his request. Request granted, the man is sent on his way with seemingly nothing happening. On the way he notices that God’s actions have healed his deformed body. Because he notices, he was able to return and thank Jesus.

Here the story could have had an expected happy ending, but thanksgiving brings transformation beyond the physical and Jesus welcomes him to a relationship of faith. The leper became a believer, not because of the miracle, but because of his encounter with Jesus.

Thanks and Gift Recognition
Recognizing the gift and thanks belong together. Gracious living begins with noticing the giftedness of our challenge, and all--every person--are gifts. We have the possibility to discover God in our brother and sister. We, likewise, can offer God’s presence from within ourselves and communities to one another. To be moved to thankfulness, the gift needs to be recognized. The contrary to giftedness is to speak and live in the world of entitlement, privilege, control and power.

Henry Nouwen, a spirituality writer, years ago spoke in a book of the same name about a metaphor of “With Open Hands”. The image was the gesture of open hands extended to receive gifts, blessing, and our brothers and sisters. The counter image was clenched hands or fists, closed to gift reception and capable of inflicting violence and harm. Thankfulness is found and invites open hands, much as when we pray the Lord’s Prayer at the Eucharist. Sinfulness is when we close ourselves off from one another, when we push one another away, or, worse, when we hurt and war against each other.

Our worlds, like so many of our human gestures and actions, can either be gracious or violent. Gracious living invites dialogue and respect. Words and conversion are able to offer an embrace to another person. Our verbal attitudes can gather gifts around us or shower gifts on others. Our sharing in the Eucharist each Sunday reminds us that we are People who give thanks; that is, we are People aware of gifts and God’s actions in our lives. Such Eucharistic living has the possibility of transformation.

Remember when gentlemen and gentlewomen were a gift to each other. Their worlds and their hearts opened up a world of possibilities. The challenge of our times is to move beyond the ugly and divisive worlds, beyond the encounters which seek to control and be secure. Our human discourse and conversation is challenged to be graciously that God acts in every person. As we see each person, as we speak with gentle words, as we listen to another, we can be transformed into God’s People. Our worlds may yet become the way to God’s Kingdom among us.

CDH