“One of them … returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” This person, of course, is the 10th of the lepers Jesus healed. We also hear this Gospel about the cleansing of the lepers on the Votive Mass for our U.S. Thanksgiving Day. Glory is a familiar word in our liturgical and prayer life. We sing the “great Gloria” at Sunday and Feast Day Masses, and “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit” is the “lesser Gloria.” To glorify God is to acknowledge God’s greatness, especially in comparison to us. In the psalms especially, God is contrasted with us mortal people, “grass of the field that withers and fades,” who are likely to live only to 80 if we are lucky. God’s power over nature, the mighty work of God, is also prominent in Scripture — wind and storms and other forms of nature “glorify” God. That’s why when Jesus calmed the sea, the disciples realized he was much more than a mere but mighty prophet. Bottom line — the purpose of the miracles Jesus did was to inspire people to put aside their self-, turn their hearts and minds to the mighty Lord, author of all life, and praise (glorify) him. We might not get healed today from leprosy, but I bet lots of other good things will come our way. These are not just accidents but the result of God’s amazing creation, with its laws and dynamics, bringing us and fortunate events into the same moment of time. So let’s say “Glory to God” often today!
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia; photo by Unknown Author, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND