You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with

 

 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."

 

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two  sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."  

 

And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

- Matthew 20:17-28 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard:  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen." 

 

 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  My study Bible comments that Christ's repeated prediction of His Passion is meant to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they would face (note that now Jesus is going up to Jerusalem).   According to Theophylact, it's as if Jesus were saying to them, "Think on all these [words and miracle], so that when you see me hanging on the Cross, you will not imagine that I am suffering because I am powerless to do otherwise."

 

 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two  sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."  My study Bible comments that this question for temporal power and glory is unfitting for a disciple and it shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  Here, St. Matthew tells us that this is the mother of Zebedee's sons who is requesting this honor.  But John and James' own involvement is revealed in the Greek of the original text, as "you" is plural in Christ's response, "You do not know what you ask . . . " as well as in Mark 10:36.  Note here also that Christ calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  My study Bible explains that the Cross is a cup because Jesus drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is baptism in that He was completely immersed in it -- but it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  Christ's prophecy regarding the future participation of John and James Zebedee in the same cup and baptism portrays the life of persecution and martyrdom they would lead after Pentecost (John lived a long life of persecution and exile during the worst of the persecutions of the Church; James was the first apostle to be martyred; see Acts 12:1-2).  My study Bible further explains that Christ declaring that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give does not mean that He lacks authority.  What it does mean is that they are not His to give arbitrarily.  In other words, these will be given to those for whom God has prepared them.  My study Bible asks us to note also that with regard to sitting as equals on the right and left hand of Christ in His Kingdom.  It cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that no one could possibly occupy such a position.  Regarding the highest places of honor that can be given to human beings, the icons of the Orthodox Churches universally depict the Virgin Mary (most blessed among women; Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (greatest born of women; Matthew 11:11) in these places.  

 

 And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  Again, Jesus emphasizes service over claims of greatness; His power is that which does good.  For many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."  My study Bible comments that He corrects the disciples by first comparing them to the power-hungry Gentiles, whom they themselves considered to be an abomination, and contrasting them to Himself.  Christ serves us even though He is the Lord of all.  

 

Once again, Jesus is preparing the disciples for what is going to happen in the final week of His earthly life.  This takes place at the beginning of Christ's final journey, as Jesus sets His sights for Jerusalem and takes the disciples on the road which will lead them there.   This is His third prophesy to them of what will happen when they reach Jerusalem.  As the disciples do not clearly understand what is to happen there, they likely still believe and expect that Christ's Kingdom will be manifest as an earthly kingdom.  So, once again, this expectation leads to a question about greatness and position in Christ's kingdom (as in this reading previously).  Earlier, such a demand to know position in His kingdom led to Christ's lessons on humility and the treatment of the "little ones" in the Church, leading to His prescription for mutual correction in the Church.  Here, the issue of power comes up once again, and Christ contrasts the notion of leadership in the pagan Gentile world they know (and already abhor) with His sense of power and authority.  Christ shares His power with His disciples, His gift to us all through Baptism is the Holy Spirit.  He does not compel anyone to return His love.  So we must learn of Christ's authority and power, and even today, we are in this same spiritual struggle to take on His yoke and learn from Him (Matthew 11:29-30).  Of course, we know from their histories in the tradition of the Church that James and John both served Christ in the ways that He prophesies here.  As said above, James was the first apostle to be martyred, and John would go on to a long life of persecution, protecting and caring for the Theotokos, the Mother of God, Mary, Jesus' mother.  He would give the Church substantial literature, contributing to the Bible one Gospel, three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation, and so guiding and steering the Church even today!  Perhaps there is no greater lesson to us all than this consideration of James and John Zebedee and their own transfiguration through the Holy Spirit, their lives of service, and their unimaginable and, frankly, incalculable gift of their lives and works of faith for the Church, for us all.  Let us seek to be like their example, and cherish what they have done in service to us all.

 

 

For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him

 

 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  Therefore He said:  "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.  So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business until I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'  And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, "Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'  Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'  And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  (But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')  For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"

 

- Luke 19:11-27 

 

Yesterday we read that, going on the road toward Jerusalem, Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."  Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

 

 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  Therefore He said:  "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.  So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business until I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'  And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, "Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'  Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'  And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  (But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')  For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"  In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells a similar parable, but using talents (a much larger currency) rather than minas.  Both talents and minas were weight measures for silver or gold, and this is the way that currency was calculated in the ancient world.  A talent in Christ's time was worth twenty years' work by a laborer.  A mina was worth less than a talent, but it was still a considerable sum.  According to one estimate, one mina at Christ's time was worth approximately one fourth of a year's wages for an agricultural worker.  My study Bible comments that the parable illustrates the use of gifts given by God.  Each single sum of money represents the goodness bestowed by God on each person.  The amount each receives is based on that person's abilities, my study Bible says (Romans 12:4-7).  The wicked servant could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent; my study Bible says that idleness is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.  To put the money in a handkerchief is symbolic of burial in the ground (a 'handkerchief' being suggestive of a burial shroud) is symbolic of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits, without spiritual value.  The bank is the Church, where there are other faithful people to whom this man could have turned to help him invest his capabilities wisely.  Since help was available to him there, he has no excuse.  

 

As Jesus and the disciples travel toward Jerusalem, Jesus prepares them with this parable.  It's important to note that what the text tells us here is that they all expected the kingdom of God to appear immediately.   One thing is clear that Jesus teaches in this parable is that something is being invested in them, in preparation for the future which they will have a stake in.  The rewards of the future -- those things the king will give as rewards -- will depend upon the work that is done while the king is away.  That is, the question becomes, what will be produced as profit by those to whom the nobleman has entrusted his money?  Jesus Himself, after His Passion and Resurrection, will be going to a far country in order to receive a kingdom, and return.  Not only that, but there will be a judgment, a reckoning that happens when the nobleman returns.  Even those who are his good servants will receive a reward commensurate with what they have earned for him while he is gone away, and has left his gifts in their charge.  For the one who spends his life only in fear of the nobleman, assuming the worst, there will be a reward commensurate with his negative expectations.  Jesus explains the rationale to the reward:  "For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me."  The ones who have rejected Him are outright excluded from this Kingdom, and will not inherit the eternal life of its promise.  Today's parable invites us to think about what talents and resources we're given, and what we plan or seek to do with them during the times of our lives -- before Christ's kingdom, and judgment, arrives.  It's interesting to look at the language in the parable.  In the Greek of the text, the man who makes ten minas is said to have "begotten" them in some sense, while the one with five "made" them.  The man with ten is given authority, but the Greek word translated as such also contains the meanings of worth and value.  The man with five minas is put "over" five cities.  All told, there are several layers to this parable, layers of meaning in terms of how faithful each was, what they created and did not create, and then again, those who rejected the nobleman as king.  It tells us a story about merit, faith, a depth of effort and commitment, those who care, and those who don't.  The man who, out of fear, simply hid his mina, wound up with less than that, with nothing.  But even the man with ten minas is said by the master to have been faithful "in a very little" -- but in the Greek this word corresponds to the "least" he could do.  All in all, results are exacting, and not at all concerned with equality of outcomes, but rather each person's use of their faith and their efforts in serving the master.  And, as Jesus tells us, "For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  As for those who reject his rule even before He journeys away for a time, John's Gospel tells us they have already rejected life in that Kingdom (John 3:18).

  

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

- Luke 17:11-19

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  Leprosy was a dreaded disease of its time.  For the Jews, not only was it a disease of terrible physical suffering, but it also meant total ostracism from the society in both social and religious terms.  So tied with stories of the Bible, leprosy is also a symbol of our sin.  A priest would have to give a certificate that authorized a return to the society.  My study bible suggests that showing the priests would be tangible proof that Christ is greater than Moses.  Moses prayed for his sister Miriam to be healed, and she was healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15), but Christ's healing is immediate and done by His own authority. 

 And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Regarding His question, Where are the nine? my study bible tells us that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity.  And yet, only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.   And so we may understand that "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson for us, says my study bible, is that worship is the number one priority.

What does it mean to be grateful?  It's significant for Jesus' early followers that the one who was grateful happened to be the foreigner, the hated Samaritan.  What it tells us is about how we see, how we perceive.  Perhaps those who come to Christ with "new" and open eyes are the ones who realize best what a gift they have.  Certainly it would seem to be the outsider, the Samaritan, who could appreciate what he had been excluded from before.  Perhaps it tells us about entitlement:  the notion that we come to take for granted gifts that we have already understood as given.  Perhaps, like the servant (see yesterday's reading) above, who feels they are doing something special when they're really doing their duty, so we also conversely take as our due that which is given as a gift or an inheritance.  But God asks us to see afresh the great gifts we are granted.  One of the points of worship and prayer is particularly this kind of mindfulness of what we are about, what gifts we have, what opportunities are present to us all the time.  A "foreigner" can see so much better than an insider can just what gifts and blessings the insider really has.  I truly believe that the relatively quick "success" of the gospel message has to do with a world that was hungry and grateful for what it found in Christ's message.  Christ opened up for the world what had been available to the Jewish people; His ministry "for the life of the world" gave blessings that, as He said Himself,  prophets and kings had hoped to see but did not (Luke 10:23-24).  In this understanding is also contained the meaning of Christ's parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24), recently given, in which it is those outsiders from the highways and hedges who are welcomed to the banquet when the first invitees make excuses and say they are busy with their own affairs.  What we need to understand is that our own tendency to take for granted what we're given, to sense a feeling of entitlement, gets in the way of our own awareness of our lives and their potentials and meaning.  The true energies of God are those that are available to eyes that see and ears that hear, to reference a frequently used expression by Jesus.  God's mercy and love belong to those for whom the gift is known and understood with awareness, one that always fills us with joy.  Let us understand what life might be like without it. 

Your faith has made you well

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

- Luke 17:11-19

Yesterday, we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  Leprosy separated people from their communities; it was a cause for complete banishment from society.  It was a disease of terrible suffering, and in some sense, symbolized sin.

And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  This sort of cry from afar reminds us of the way we may call to Christ through prayer, although -- particularly when we feel stuck in some sinful behavior or a kind of evil situation -- we may be "far away" from Him.  To be admitted back into the society (including participation in worship) required a certificate from a priest.   We have read of a similar healing earlier in Luke's Gospel, of a single leper (see this reading).   When Moses prayed for Miriam when she was afflicted with leprosy, her healing was partial and came after seven days; these healings would by such standards be considered astounding.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  My study bible says that the question, "Where are the nine?" is very significant.  It says, "Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Thus, 'many are called, but few chosen' (Matthew 20:16)."   The lesson here is that worship is the first priority.

The practice of gratitude is today widely touted as a way to counteract all kinds of depression and other seemingly modern ailments.  Outside of faith practice, this exercise of gratitude -- counting our blessings -- comes outside the understanding of gratitude to a particular person, including Deity, God.  Popular recommended practices of writing lists of the things one is grateful for come as a sort of pop culture psychological practice, a way of being mindful of things we have in life that are "good" -- but without necessarily attributing them or our gratitude to any "one" else.  It becomes a vague feeling of understanding that our lives are not all depressing and bad, we're not only "without."   As the common expression goes, it's a way of seeing the glass half-full as opposed to half-empty.  That's a sort of mindfulness that is helpful, but only partially on the way toward a relationship without any awareness of  the object of our gratitude at all.  We have a practice that we know is helpful, but there's no why or wherefore except as a sort of self-contained exercise.  It doesn't build community, and it doesn't build love, but it may help to counteract gloom and nihilistic thinking.  Gratitude, on the other hand, doesn't really seem to be fulfilled or even meaningful without an object of that gratitude.  We may express gratitude for what we have, but the word doesn't even really make sense unless we know also to whom our gratitude is directed!  Think about it, whom do you thank?  Does it make a connection or relationship?  Is it an expression of friendship or love or community?  What is the point of "gratitude" without someone to be grateful to?  So much of our modern understanding of charity as a good practice, of gratitude for what we do have in our lives as also a good practice, even of community building as a social good, come to us originally from faith.  But without faith, without an object of that gratitude, without an understanding of something that unites us in love and not just in social relativity, without a fullness or depth of the components of all these practices, the meaning and impact diminish.  We remain isolated, autonomous in the sense that we are without a power of love that goes beyond our understanding and invites us to growth in that understanding.  Without the joy of knowing love as a gift that is available to anyone and everyone, how do we receive the fullness -- the true fullness within ourselves and in our communities -- of these practices?  I can feel wonderful by helping someone else.  Couple that with the deep knowledge of relatedness that I have in God's love that connects me with doing something good or beneficial for another there is not the same deep joy, and there is not the same deep gratitude for being in a place where I am in a position to do some good for someone else.  There is a depth of peace that is given "not as the world gives."    And there is truly the joy that is complete.  Without a depth of relationship to the One who loves beyond our understanding, and teaches us to learn love more deeply, we are not really fully involved with gratitude or mercy or the love that is the object of all such practices.  We are not fully included in community that has a depth of sense and meaning to it.  Our efforts are missing a communion in love that is not dependent on results, but rather on the object of unification with that Source of all things, with a Person who loves beyond our comprehension but Whose love we nevertheless can know even when we are objectively "alone."  That is the mustard seed Jesus speaks of, for example, in yesterday's reading.  We are made to be united to Someone, to something so far beyond ourselves that it includes all of Creation in community.  Until then, our joy may not be complete, nor our peace what it can be in this love relationship.  Let us remember the ten lepers standing so far off, and calling for mercy, locked outside community by their affliction.   Only one realized the fullness of community, of relatedness, in his gratitude.  He was a Samaritan, a real outsider -- but love (real love) knows no limits.  What do we understand by this example?   Which of the ten do you suppose has more joy, more fullness, more peace, and true guidance in their lives to come?  Which one do you suppose is most mindful of his own reality?