Try thanking God

How many toys do you think you own? How many teachers have helped you learn something new? How many times have you fallen and hurt yourself, but then got better?

Everybody worries sometimes about what they don't have and asks for more. In this week's Gospel (Luke 17:11-19), Jesus reminds us to think about all the things we do have, and say, "Thank you!"

As Jesus traveled, He met ten men who had a skin disease. "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" they called. Jesus told them, "Go see a priest" -- and as the men were leaving, they saw that they had been healed! One man went back to Jesus, shouting his thanks to God. "Ten men were healed," Jesus said. "Where are the other nine?" Then He told the man, "Go, your faith has saved you."

When you see a commercial on TV for a new toy, all you can think about is wanting it. When you get hurt, all you can think about is feeling better. You'll beg your parents, God and whoever else you can think of to get what you want!

The men in the Gospel story were like that. They had a disease that other people thought they could catch, so they had to live by themselves. All they could think about was getting cured -- and when they heard Jesus could do that, they begged and begged Him!

Even if you're a kid, lots of good things have happened to you already: You're alive; you have people you care about in your life; you own toys and other things that not everyone in the world has.

What Jesus reminded the men He met goes for us, too: Say "thank you." When only one of the ten men He cured came back to thank Him, Jesus was disappointed. He wanted to hear from all ten, like God and people who give you things want to hear "thank you" from you.

Before you ask for anything more, try thanking someone for what you have. It makes people feel good -- even Jesus!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, teach me to say "thank you" before saying, "Please give me"! Amen.