Today, Canadians are celebrating Thanksgiving. We gather with family and friends to give thanks to God for the abundance of the harvest and for many other blessings we have received. At times such as these, we are also mindful of many others who are nowhere near as fortunate as we are.
For most of us, it is not difficult to recognize how fortunate we are, but it might be a bit more of a stretch for some to extend our gratitude into service of others. Perhaps it is fitting that Saint Luke's gospel proposes the encounter between Jesus and a scholar of the law who sought to test him (cf Lk 10:25-37). He recognized that he was indeed fortunate to have learned the law very well, and even to have applied it to some extent, but when Jesus challenged him, it was evident that he still had some room for growth and maturity of his understanding.
Have we dared to ask Jesus: Who is my neighbour? (Lk 10:29) and if we have, have we ever been surprised by the answer? Jesus is always ready and willing to stretch us, just a little at a time, in order to open our eyes, our hearts and our spirits so that we can learn to see and to appreciate the many blessings we have received, and to share the bounty of what we have received with others who are in need.
Have a great day.
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