This week's readings teach us how to respond to grace. We certainly need to be taught! Left to ourselves, we naturally incline toward pride, presumption, and forgetfulness. Pride tells us that we are self-made men who need help from no one. Presumption tells us we deserve help because of our innate goodness or some other status, such as belonging to a particular tribe or having suffered some sort of wrong. The forgetful man considers grace to be cheap and not worth a second thought.

But we have better examples.

In Ruth we see a tenacious loyalty. Whatever it was that Ruth experienced in her brief time as a member of Naomi's family, she held onto it for dear life. 

In Psalm 111, the Psalmist considers the way in which God has acted and is so moved by God's work that he cannot help but sing and give thanks. 

In Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to take strength and encouragement from God's grace. Knowing that God is for us because of Jesus, and not because of anything we have done, spurs us on to endure suffering for the sake of those whom Jesus has called his own. 

Finally, the lone Samaritan leper, keenly aware of his unworthiness, throws himself at his Lord's feet and simply gives him thanks. We are no more worthy of mercy than he was, and yet we, too, have been made clean. Let us praise God with a loud voice and give him thanks. IL