Although “utang na loob” is considered a Filipino value, ingratitude also runs deep in our culture. Many who sacrifice for others often feel unappreciated, overlooked, or even taken for granted.

We see this in many Filipino households. Parents who had worked tirelessly for their children, are often abandoned or neglected by them in old age. Brothers or sisters, who are suffering from serious sickness, receive no support from their siblings whom they had helped to finish college and succeed in life.

In government, citizens often find themselves wallowing in poverty or overwhelmed by disasters due to the negligence and ingratitude of the very politicians they entrusted with power. In churches, religious communities, and the corporate world, genuine acts of kindness are sometimes met with apathy, while gratitude is withheld out of pride or envy. Generosity is frequently repaid with suspicion, criticism, gossip, or thinly veiled resentment.

Some people quote these words of Jesus to justify ingratitude:“When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”(Matthew 6:3–4). They take this to mean that those who give should expect nothing in return, not even a simple “thank you.”

But Jesus’s words are addressed to the giver, not the recipient. Jesus focuses on the motive behind giving. He warns against performing acts of generosity solely to gain praise, as the hypocrites of His time did. With regard to the recipient, however, Jesus does not dismiss or downplay the importance of gratitude. When acts of kindness go unacknowledged, this fosters a sense of entitlement and apathy in the beneficiary.

This is illustrated in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to thank Him.Jesus asks, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17–18). This question reveals that Jesus expects gratitude. He praises the Samaritan who returns to give thanks, and implicitly rebukes the nine ungrateful lepers who, after being healed, forget the One who healed them.

The thankful Samaritan reveals a deeper truth about gratitude. Considered in Jewish society as an outcast for being a foreigner and a leper, he does not just express appreciation for what Jesus did. He reveals the depth of his faith in Jesus. His faith gave him the eyes to see that blessings are not meant to end with him, but must lead him back to the Giver.

Gratitude is vital in our everyday lives. It is only natural to hope that our good deeds are recognized, appreciated, and remembered. Gratitude affirms that our presence matters. When the simple words “thank you” are left unspoken, even the most generous people may stop giving, not because they no longer care, but because they have grown tired of being ignored.

Think of the teacher who stays late to help a struggling student, only to be forgotten years later. Or the exhausted and burned-out wife who works abroad to provide for her family, yet never hears a word of appreciation from her husband and children. It is tragic that those who most deserve gratitude are often the ones who never receive it.

Gratitude costs nothing, yet it has the power to change a life. A heartfelt text message, a phone call, or a few sincere words or gestures can lift a giver’s spirit. A simple expression of thanks can serve as a mirror, helping someone see their own worth, perhaps for the very first time.

So, if today you remember that you owe someone a “thank you,” say it now. Time passes quickly, and with it, the chance to say what matters. Unspoken gratitude too often becomes a shadow that lingers in the heart. Don’t wait until it is too late. “I wish I had told them” is a heavy burden to carry to your grave.