Vatican City - In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel of Luke which tells the story of the ten lepers who, after crying out to Jesus for mercy, were healed, with only one Samaritan realizing his healing and turned around “praising God with a loud voice” (Lk 17:15).

The Pope invited the faithful to reflect on two aspects of the Gospel: walking together and giving thanks.

The importance of walking together
Leprosy, Pope Francis noted, is a disease that isolates those ill from others, forcing those who have the illness to remain together on the “margins of social and even religious life.”

Walking together is a key cornerstone of the Church and is something we can ask ourselves: in our own lives within our families, our workplace, and where we spend our time, are we truly capable of listening and being open and inclusive to all “in the service of the Gospel,” the Pope asked the faithful.

In his homily, the Pope challenged us to “always be inclusive” in the Church and society, “which is still marred by many forms of inequality and marginalization.”

Furthermore, in off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Francis said the exclusion of migrants today in Church and society is "scandalous" and "criminal."

Learning to give thanks to God
In the Gospel, only one leper, realizing he was cured, turned back to praise God and show gratitude, with the others going along their way.

Pope Francis said it is the Samaritan who dares to go back to Jesus in order to enter into a relationship with him to “start a journey of thanksgiving:” Jesus Himself, the Samaritan realized, is “more important than the healing he received.”

This can be a great lesson for us, the Pope continued, as so often we fall way to the “nasty spiritual disease” of taking everything for granted, including our relationship with God.

The ability to give thanks rather, allows us to recognize the presence of God in our lives and the importance of others, of our families.

“So please, let us not forget these key words: thank you!”
-VN