“His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
October 8 – 9, 2022
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
11 Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem He was travelling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to meet Him. They stood some way off 13 and called to Him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ 14 When He saw them He said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. 15 Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice 16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 This led Jesus to say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? 18 It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ 19 And He said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’
Do you know why the Good Lord gave the gift of healing to the ten lepers? Because they asked for it and because He loved them. He made them out of love and sustained them out of love. When they asked for the gift of that love to cure them, He didn’t ask if they had tithed, given to the Priest Retirement Fund, or volunteered at the church. He gave it to them freely because He loved them and He wanted to show His love. One of the lepers was a foreigner. . .a Samaritan who the Jews hated. But love gives without regard. Love gives outside of itself never seeking reward. Our Lord blesses us with so many gifts when we ask for them and even when we don’t. Some of those gifts are very good and some are even better. In some, you recognize the good and in others not so much.
Do you remember Bishop Fulton Sheen? He was that very handsome man on television with grey hair. Bishop Sheen was very photogenic . . . the camera loved him. He had a series on television, he was a wonderful speaker, and he was very talented. He had two doctorates – I mean the guy was a genius! He was really blessed. But do you know what his diet consisted of? He lived on boiled chicken, milk, and soggy graham crackers. That was his diet because his stomach was so bad that was all he could keep down. That was all he could eat, but you would never know it. That was one of God’s gifts to him, and it was a blessing because it kept him small. Indeed, some of our crosses are our greatest blessings. It kept Bishop Sheen humble and relying on God. I say that because he’s about to be canonized as a saint.
The same thing is true with all the gifts God gives us. There are so many gifts beyond counting. While you are saying your nightly prayers and the Act of Contrition, it is a good spiritual habit to think of at least five or ten gifts God has given you. And the next night, think of new ones. Also think of the gifts that are your crosses and infirmities. He gives us those so that we can share in His Passion and become more reliant on Him than on ourselves. They are a great blessing because they keep us humble and small. They may seem like a punishment for our sins. . . and they could be. I’m not God, and I don’t know why God allows it, but He does. It’s also a chance for us to give gifts of love to others and to God. We can offer them for sacrifices and penance for our sins and those of others. Through our sufferings we can reach out to others who are suffering and give them the same hope we have. As Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” We join our sufferings with Him on the Cross. Those sufferings can be His greatest gift to us. Our sufferings can be not only physical ailments but also mental and spiritual sufferings. We all have them. Usually, the most gifted people have the most crosses so that God can keep them humble.
God does not give us gifts because we have earned them. Do your children have to earn your love? You still love the ones who have gone off the reservation. It happens in every family. You don’t give your children gifts because they’ve earned them. You give them gifts because you love them. That’s what God does for us. God loves us and He will never stop. He hopes that these gifts of love will cause people to turn their hearts back to Him. That’s what God does. He will always give us blessings, but His blessings can have many forms.
How will you apply this message to your life? _______________________________
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