Some people don’t know how to be polite. They request things by making demand, not even thanking others for them. We teach our children to be polite, to say ‘thank you’ for things, and when they ask for something, we teach them to always say ‘please’. People that are polite, thankful, and appreciative will get more out of life. Look at the leper from the Gospel reading today. When he met Jesus, he didn’t say: make me clean, help me, give me…. Nothing like that, but he simply said: “If you wish, you can make me clean,” but only if you wish. Jesus, you can do everything because you are God and there are no limits to your power; but only if you wish, you can help me. And what did Jesus say? He said: I do wish, I want you to be clean and healthy again. Today we are reminded to be polite and appreciative for what we have, not only grateful to God, but also to other people.
