From a Word from Becky, my monthly newsletter to my readers
Dear friends,
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! Whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving today or not, I hope today is a day you can pause and thank God for the gifts of your life.
I keep praying with “The Ten Lepers” in the Gospel of Luke 17:11-19. It was the daily Gospel two weeks ago, and I prayed with it that morning. Later, I went to see my spiritual director, and our conversation turned to this story again focusing on the one leper who returned. That afternoon, one of my Ignatian Ministries team members brought this same Gospel to our team meeting for prayer. At that point, I knew God really wanted me to pay attention to this Scripture—three times in one day!
In true Ignatian fashion, I continued to repeat praying with this Scripture for the last two weeks. Jesus encountered ten lepers who need healing. The one leper that is spoken of in this Scripture is my holy teacher. This one leper who notices he is healed and chooses to return to Jesus in thanksgiving offers us a model we can embrace today on our day of gratitude.
Pause & Notice:
The one leper paused and noticed he was healed. He did not continue to rush along his way. He stopped and noticed that something was different.
Return:
The one leper, after noticing he was healed, returned to Jesus, the healer. He returned to the source of his healing. He went to the source of his gift.
Thank God:
The one leper “returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” When he returned to the source of his gift, he proclaimed his thanksgiving! He let God know he was thankful.
Go!:
The leper after returning was sent forward by Jesus. “Stand up and go: your faith has saved you.” The leper took the gift he received from God and went forward. He stepped into new life with a heart of gratitude.
Let’s Pray Like the One Leper Today:
I invite all of us to pray today like the one leper who was healed. Let’s pause and notice the gifts we have. Let’s return to the source of the gifts. Let’s thank God for what we received. As we thank God, let’s commit to moving forward from this day with a renewed sense of life and gratitude.
I hope that not only can we pray like this today, but we can invite our family and friends to join us in this model of thanking God for the gifts of our lives.
Know I am pausing to thank God for the gift of each of you in my life today! Happy Thanksgiving!
Peace,
Becky
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
Becky Eldredge
November 28, 2025