And in my long life I became convinced long ago that many of the people who are alien to the Christian world are much more grateful than we, Russians and even Orthodox. I have seen and continue to see the most touching gratitude for my healing from Jews and Muslims – much greater than the gratitude of the Russians. It's hard. It was also difficult for the Lord Jesus to see that only the Samaritan had returned to thank Him, and the nine Jews were ungrateful.

But He only quietly and meekly rebuked, saying: "Have not ten been cleansed? Where are the nine? How did they not return to give glory to God, except for this foreigner? And to the Samaritan, who was thanking Him, He said, "Get up, go; thy faith hath saved thee" (Luke 17:17-19). He not only received healing from a terrible illness, he received eternal salvation for his faith, for his piety.

And we, the people of this age, are we not, are we not much more guilty before God of ingratitude? I dare say that if in that ancient time there was one in ten grateful people, in our time hardly one in a thousand can be found. For this is one of our spiritual wounds. And this ulcer is very severe. Why, why should we insult the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shed His Divine Blood for us on the cross, Who gave us His most pure Body for food for our salvation?

To insult Him with ingratitude—oh, how terrible it is! The ancient prophet spoke of ingratitude, spoke in powerful words, as strong as only prophets could speak. This is what the prophet Jeremiah says: "O generation! Hearken ye unto the word of the Lord, Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? Have I been a land of darkness? Why then do my people say, "We are our own masters; we will come no more to you?" (Jeremiah 2:31). If we don't come, we don't need you.

We will not give thanks, let us arrange our lives as we want, we no longer need Your law – leave with Your law. And the Holy Prophet Isaiah says: "Hear, O heavens, and hearken, O earth, for the Lord says: I have brought up and exalted the sons, and they rebelled against Me. The ox knoweth his master, and the ass his master's manger; but Israel does not know note 3, My people do not understand.

Alas, sinful people, a people burdened with iniquity, a tribe of evildoers, sons of perdition! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, and have turned back" (Isaiah 1:2-4). "The beasts of the field will glorify Me, jackals and ostriches, because I will give water in the wilderness, rivers in the dry steppe, to water My chosen people. This people I have formed for myself; he shall proclaim my glory.

But thou, O Jacob, hast not cried unto me, thou, O Israel, hast not laboured for me" (Isaiah 43:20-22). A new nation will choose God for Himself, a people more worthy than a nation that has no gratitude to God, that does not honor God. To our greatest shame, the prophet sets up an example for us to follow, an ox that knows its owner, a jackal and an ostrich, which are grateful that God gives them water and food in the wilderness.

He chose this faithful people for Himself, and rejected the unfaithful and ungrateful. Are you not afraid to hear that jackals and ostriches are set up for you by God Himself? So be horrified at what you have deserved this heavy condemnation of God – be horrified at ingratitude! From the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to Timothy we know that the closer the time of the Last Judgment is, the more and more ungrateful people will become, and not only ungrateful, but also bad in all respects.

"Know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud, haughty, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unfriendly, irreconcilable, slanderers, incontinent, cruel, not loving good, traitors, insolent, pompous, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God..." (2 Tim. 3:1-4). Do we not see many such people among us and around us?

It is terrible to say, we see a lot, but it should not be so: we must not incur upon ourselves the terrible apostolic words about the ungrateful. Where does ingratitude come from in people, what are its roots, what nourishes it? Delve into this, think about who is grateful and who is ungrateful? Do you not know that every wretched, unfortunate, having nothing, defenseless and helpless bows down to you and thanks you even for the small alms that you give him?

If a weak old woman falls in the street, won't she thank the one who will help her up? He will certainly thank you with a low bow. They thank the sick, the suffering, the unfortunate whom we help. They are always grateful, because in their sufferings, in their misfortunes, they have become humble. And the root of gratitude is precisely in humility – only the humble are grateful. And who is ungrateful? All are proud, devoid of humility.

A rich person, a person in power, who occupies a high position in society, is always set up in such a way that he is above all others, and therefore all the inferior ones must serve him. He considers all good deeds rendered to him to be due, only for granted, for his mood is such that, as the highest of all those around him, everyone should serve him. Such proud, devoid of humility, exalting themselves above all, never give thanks: they suffer from the grave sin of ingratitude.

Rich people, and especially those of some high rank, believe that they have little, but should have much more and stand higher. The great St. Basil the Great speaks about this in the following way: "Now many fall into the vice of wicked people, not respecting what they have, and desiring what they do not have. For, not thinking about those who are inferior to them, they do not express gratitude to the Benefactor for what they have, but on the contrary, when compared with what and who is higher than them, they calculate what they lack, and not having what belongs to others, they grieve and murmur, as if they had lost their property.

The slave is indignant that he is not free; brought up in freedom – that he is not of high birth; a nobleman by birth complains that he is not too rich; the rich grieve and lament that he is not the ruler of cities and nations; a military commander who does not reign; a king who does not possess all the sunflower, but that there are still peoples who have not bowed under his scepter. From all this it follows that the Benefactor does not receive gratitude for anything."