There is an old story about a little boy who was playing on a dock and leaned over too far, lost his balance, and fell into the lake. He could not swim – a man nearby saw what happened, kicked off his shoes and dove in. A few tense second but he pulled the boy up coughing and sputtering – but alive. A few minutes later the boy’s mother came running, out of breath and in tears. She hugged her son tightly, then turned to the man and said, “oh thank you – you saved my son. “The man smiled and said, “I’m just glad he is safe.” Then the mother looked at her son from head to toe and said, “Wait a minute…. where’s his hat?”
It is a funny story, but it hits home. Sometimes we do the same thing with God. We receive blessings, grace, forgiveness, healing – and then we look around and say, “But Lord…what about that other thing? Where is my hat?”
In today’s gospel, Jesus heals ten lepers. Ten! Yet only one comes back to say thank you. And notice, Jesus does not say, “You are welcome.” He says, “Where are the other nine?” He is not angry – he is saddened. Because gratitude is the natural language of faith. It is how love recognizes love. Ten were blessed but only one was truly changed. Gratitude did not just clean his skin; it changed his heart.
His body was cured, but his heart was awakened. Gratitude made him see the bigger picture: not just what he got, but who gave it. Gratitude opens our eyes to see that life is not something we earn, but something we receive. Every breath, every sunrise, every act of kindness is a gift.
We live in a world that has trained us to notice what is missing. The news tells us what is wrong, commercials tell us what we lack, and social media shows us what we do not have. And before long, we start to live like that mother – blessed beyond all measure yet focused on the missing hat.
But gratitude flips that script. Gratitude turns our eyes from what is wrong to what is right. It makes us aware of the quiet miracles we often overlook – the people who love us, the meals on our tables, the breath in our lungs, the gift of faith that brings us here today. As one writer said, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough – and more.”
So maybe today’s Gospel is inviting us to stop searching for the missing hat and start noticing the saving grace. To thank God for not only for what God has given – but for what God spared us from. To see that every moment of life is a gift that deserves a “thank you.”
And when we learn to live with grateful hearts, we stop keeping score, stop comparing, and start rejoicing. Because the grateful person does not have more things – the grateful person simply sees more blessings.
So here is your homework for the next week: find one person you have never thanked before – and thank them. It could be the person at the checkout, the neighbor who takes in your trash bins, or the friend who always listens. You might be surprised how those two simple words can change someone’s day – and maybe even their life.
“Thank you.” Two small words that heal, that bless, that make the world a little kinder. And maybe when we stand before God someday, the first words we will want to say will not be a long explanation or a list of excuses – but simply, “Thank you, Lord.”