Active Membership Pillar: Regular financial support of the parish

In today’s Gospel we hear the story of the ten lepers healed by Jesus. All ten received the gift of health, but only one turned back, fell at the feet of Christ, and gave thanks. That detail matters. The miracle is not only in the healing, but in the heart that recognizes the Giver.

The Samaritan leper shows us that gratitude is more than a passing feeling—it is an act of faith. His thanksgiving led him to worship, to proclaim God’s goodness, and to live differently.

The other nine… they received their blessing and moved on. How often am I exactly like them – eager to accept God’s gifts, but slow to return in thanksgiving? Too often. It is easy for me to pray when I am in need, and just as easy for me to forget when my prayers are answered.

Yet the Gospel reminds us: true healing is completed not in the gift itself, but in the gratitude that flows back to God!

And gratitude is not simply words spoken, it is shown in how we live and in our daily actions. Every Sunday we gather for the Eucharist. Almost exactly like that one leper, we come back to the feet of Jesus. We glorify God in prayer, in song, and in our presence. And then we are sent forth to live that gratitude in the week ahead.

We do this by offering back to God the very gifts He has given us: our time, our talents, and our treasure. These are not ours to hoard, but ours to share. We need to give them back to the Lord. We do so for the good of Lumen Christi, the Catholic church, for the service of others, and for the gratitude of receiving these gifts from God in the first place. To be grateful is to be generous.

Through a commitment to regularly contribute financially to LC, we can boldly exhibit the gratitude and generosity of the ONE leper who returned to give thanks!