Eucharist is a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving.” 

And the Gospel for Sunday, Oct. 12, the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, contains the essential elements of the Holy Mass; Mass readings: 2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19. 

Ten lepers (symbolizing us) have gathered, and Jesus comes near as he passes on his way. 

We do this in every Mass: We gather, and the Lord draws near. 

In the person of the priest, who is the sacrament, the sign of Christ’s presence, Jesus walks the aisle of our church just as he walked those ancient roads. 

The lepers cry out for mercy, just as we do at every Mass. Lord, have mercy! Jesus, Master, have pity on us! 

Jesus quotes Scripture and then applies it to their lives, just as he does for us at every Mass. 

(In saying, “Go show yourselves to the priests,” Jesus is referencing Leviticus 13, which gives detailed instructions on how the priests of old were to diagnose leprosy or its having been cured.) Yes, this is what we do at every Mass: We listen to the Lord Jesus, through the priest or deacon, proclaiming God’s word and then applying it to our lives. 

The Gospel relates that one of the lepers “fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” This is what we do during the Eucharistic Prayer: We kneel and thank Jesus; and along with him, we give thanks to the Father. Only Jesus can give perfect thanks to the Father, and we can only give adequate thanks by following Jesus’ command to “Do this in memory of me” — at Mass.

Finally, Jesus sends the thankful leper on his way, saying, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” We, too, are sent forth by Jesus at the end of every Mass, when he speaks through the priest or deacon: “The Mass is ended, go in peace.”

To give proper thanks to God, the right place is at Mass, where we join our meager thanksgiving to Christ’s perfect thanksgiving.