The idea is that religion can too often be merely a matter of the outward of observance of rituals and rule, while the word spirituality in the use we are going to give it is about a relationship with God, which is at its heart, gratitude.
So: The nine lepers had religion. Jesus told them what to do—go show yourselves to the priests—and they did it, obediently, maybe even with a considerable excitement. They did what they were told to do and that was the end of the matter for them. They are only a shadow of the Samaritan (the archetypal outsider) who came back and threw himself and Jesus feet, totally overwhelmed with gratitude. He had spirituality.
"Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell, spirituality is for people who have been there."
Thinking of rules and obligations and duties, and fearful of facing honestly the hell our lives really might be, we too often settle for religion. The secret hell of our lives is fear. So much of what we do or fail to do is based on fear, and fear makes us keep secrets
This day, a day for giving thanks, is a day for getting unsettled with mere outward and obedient religion, and finding a spirituality of gratitude. We can find some real help with that the 12 Step program first given our world through AA. In particular, the 10th Step of the program zeroes in on practical help for people who want spirituality, not mere religion. The 10th Step, like the 10th leper in the gospel today leads us into ongoing honesty and gratitude.
Please find the insert in your bulletins with the picture of Jesus and the 10th leper on it. On the back is some information on the 10 Step. The 10th Step says,
We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
1 Corinthians 10:12
"If you think you are standing firm, be careful you don't fall."
We learn about H.A.L.T.
We don't become too: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. [This material is found at the website: www.12steps.org]
We need clear out our minds and souls of the garbage of our lives regularly. Every day things happen that will prompt us to do or say inappropriate things. We may develop a grudge or resentment, all based on fear. And the more fear we have, the less gratitude we feel or express.
Here is how 10th Step works: at the end of each day, before you go to bed, you take the time to inventory your day. How did your day go? Look at the pluses and the minuses. Don’t worry about any of it, don’t beat up on yourself, but just be honest. Ask God to forgive you for what you did wrong or regret, and thank God for what went well. Turn it all over to God and you will experience gratitude and you will sleep in peace. Some One greater than yourself will take care of things—and tomorrow will be a new day! Thanks be to God!
That daily moment honest reflection and confession is the seed of what Sunday morning is supposed to be. The great act of the Church is Holy Communion: In all our liturgical books Communion is called, The Great Thanksgiving. And often in church circles we call Communion, the Eucharist from the Greek word that means, giving thanks. Not outward religious show, but the spirituality of gratitude is the heart and soul of everything. Call it the Eucharistic Way of Life.
Maybe you could begin a gratitude list by listing what you’re thankful for around the picture of Christ and the leper, and by that be reminded that Giving Thanks Sunday is about the lifelong spirituality of the Eucharistic Way of Life, based on the gift of God given us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ is our liberator from fear of sin, death, and the power of evil. By our baptisms we were knit together with him and adopted into a relationship with God that gave us all the forgiveness, love, acceptance and spiritual power we will ever need. We cannot exhaust it, because it comes from God, not ourselves. It is the source of all true spirituality, and it is that which allows to see the whole creation, and certainly our very existence, as a gift.
"Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell, spirituality is for people who have been there." The Eucharist Way of Life is the spirituality of the Great Thanksgiving, and of the 10th leper, expressed not only in church on Sundays but every day of the week for a lifetime. Amen.