Living a Life of Thanksgiving

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Introduction: The month of November does boast of various themes we can reflect on, like the saints due to All Saints, or the faithful departed due to the All Souls, or the on the service of the veterans due to Veterans’ Day, but I decided to reflect on the also regular theme of Thanksgiving due to the yearly celebration of Thanksgiving Day in November. It is a theme everyone can relate to and need to think of always.

 

It is interesting that in the prayer priests and Deacons are mandated to say daily, there is the constant Psalm that is said every morning. This is Psalm 95, A Call to Praise and Obedience, which truly reflected its theme. For instance, if one looks at the first 5 verses, it reads of singing joyfully to God for the great things he has done. We read: “Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; cry out to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out our psalms. For the Lord is the great God, the great king over all gods, whose hand holds the depths of the earth; who owns the tops of the mountains. The sea and dry land belong to God, who made them, formed them by hand” (Ps 95:1-5). The question is: Is thanking God to be reserved only when he has done great things and we are happy? Shouldn’t our thanksgiving and appreciation to God and others be a constant, consistent and a daily way of life?

 

Now, let us first think of why we should praise God.

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Why we should praise God: Bl. Solanus once said: “Gratitude is the first sign of a thinking, rational creature.” (Bl. Solanus Casey). As it is, we do not need to look far to realize that we have received numerous blessings and gifts daily and still, which calls for our appreciation. Think of our family and friends, think of our salvation from sin as Jesus died on the cross for us, think of the sacraments given for our nourishment and sustenance. Think of our environment, of the air we breathe, etc., our material power, talents, wealth, health, etc. Hence, we read: “Tremble before him, all the earth; the world will surely stand fast, never to be moved” (1 Chron 16:30). And St Paul would say: “In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:18). St. Augustine said: “O my God, let me remember with gratitude and confess to thee thy mercies toward me” (St. Augustine of Hippo). St. Teresa instructed: “In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks” (St. Teresa of Avila). And finally, for St. Ambrose, “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” (St. Ambrose). The reasons why we praise God are certainly countless. .

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When do we give thanks: Since God is always doing something in our lives, the clear answer then is that the best time to give thanks to God is every moment of our life. St. Gianna Molla said: “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and thank God for all that he, in his goodness, sends to us day after day” (The Wisdom of the Saints, 73). Again, we recall that St Paul said: “In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:18). He equally stated to the Philippians: “I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil 1:3-5).

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Ways to thank God. We thank God by voicing our thanks to him in prayer, singing and music. We read: “Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name; make known among the peoples his deeds! Sing praise to him, play music; proclaim all his wondrous deeds! Glory in his holy name; let hearts that seek the Lord rejoice” (Psalm 105:1-3). We also read: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thes 5:16-18). Again, we read: “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds. I will delight and rejoice in you; I will sing hymns to your name, Most High. When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before you” (Ps 9:2-4).

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Also, by giving, and serving others, making use of our time, talent and treasure in benefiting the society, are expressions of thankfulness to God. And when we thank people, we thank God: “for the administration of this public service is not only supplying the needs of the holy ones but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:12). Also: “Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God” (2 Cor 4:15). Doing good and obeying God’s commandments are true ways of expressing our thankfulness. St Thomas would say: “O God, grant that whatever good things I have, I may share generously with those who have not, and whatever good things I do not have, I may request humbly from those who do” (St. Thomas Aquinas). Finally, St Louis IX would say: “Be kindhearted to the poor, the unfortunate and the afflicted. Give them as much help and consolation as you can. Thank God for all the benefits he has bestowed upon you, that you may be worthy to receive greater” (The Wisdom of the Saints, 102).

 

God gives more to the appreciative one since to give is to open up one’s hand: Psalm 146 affirms this generosity of God, attesting to the truth that it is in our giving to others and in making sacrifices for others’ benefit, that we are truly actualized as a person; and that is where true happiness lies, which is the heaven that starts here. Thus, we should internalize the words and content of the Psalm, which says: “The maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, who gives bread to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free; the Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord raises up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects the resident alien, comes to the aid of the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the way of the wicked. The Lord shall reign forever, your God, Zion, through all generations!” (Ps 146:6-10). It affirms that the Lord provides for the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, those bowed down, the righteous, the resident alien, the orphan and the widow, through all generations, since they mirror a life of generous kindness and sacrifice even amidst their own needs. As they give kindly and generously, their hands are stretched out. Thus, their outstretched hands become ready to receive more.

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God is more generous than we can be: As we thank God through our kindness and generosity to others, we must recall that he is more generous that we can be. Once, Jesus told his disciples about the widow that gave to the treasury all of her livelihood (Mk 12:41-44). She employed her talents, gifts and all in a selfless service to God and neighbor, knowing that God is more generous than we can ever be and that God replaces what we give out in his own ways, when our generosity is sacrificial, as he also did for the widow of Zarephath (1 Kg 17:16). In the case of both widows, we can attest that their names and actions remain alive from generation to generation.

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Think about the story of King Amaziah of Judah, who, while waging a war against the Edomites was recruiting the armies of Isreal (Ephraim) when a man of God dissuaded his recruitment (2 Chr. 25:1-11). Amaziah did ask as we read: “…But what is to be done about the hundred talents that I paid for the troops of Israel?” The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that” (2 Chr. 25:9). Amaziah did complied and went on to defeat the Edomites with a huge conquest.

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So, God replenishes what we have given when we thank him through our generosity. As Jesus the Son of God died by sacrificing himself once for all our sins, he will come again to take those that have maximized their given gifts in thanksgiving by cooperating with the grace of God in their lives (Heb 9:24-28).

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Happiness of Here and the Hereafter: The spirit of thankfulness ensures happiness and joy here and, in the life to come. When one is innocently generous, there is inner joy and peace, which foreshadows the glorious joy of the blessed in heaven. Hence, we read: “Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God” (2 Cor 4:15). Again, we read: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the odor of the knowledge of him in every place” (2 Cor 2:14). And: “Recall the wondrous deeds he has done, his wonders and words of judgment, You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen one!” (Ps 105:5-6). St. May Euphrasia would say: “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.” (St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier). And finally, we recall St Gianna’s saying again: “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and thank God for all that he, in his goodness, sends to us day after day” (The Wisdom of the Saints, 73). 

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A Story: There is a story about how God sent two angels to earth to listen to the prayers of humanity. One angel was asked to collect all the prayers in which people asked God for something. The other angel was asked to collect all the prayers of thanksgiving. The two angels descended on earth and began their task. They agreed to meet in a month with their findings. The angel collecting prayers asking God for something soon became extremely busy. The angel filled the basket with prayers that people had for worldly objects. The other angel travelled far and wide looking to fill the basket with prayers of thankfulness. One day passed, then two days and then the third, but no prayers of gratitude were heard. The angel visited the young and elderly, men and women, people of all countries, all religions and all classes. Still, not a prayer of thankfulness was heard. Wondering whether he was missing something, this angel contacted the other angel to ask whether his basket of prayers was getting filled. “Oh yes! I have not only filled one basket, but many more,” said the angel. “But I too have not heard any prayers of thankfulness,” he added. For the rest of the month, the two angels fulfilled their mission and were ready to return to God. The angel collecting prayers of request was laden with many baskets. The angel collecting prayers of thankfulness hardly had any. When God was presented with these findings, he sighed. “This is nothing new,” said God. “You now have a taste of what it is like being God. People are always praying for something from Me, which is all right because at least they are thinking of Me. But few ever thank Me.” (https://www.deccanchronicle.com/160105/commentary-op-ed/article/mystic-mantra-two-baskets-prayers).  -- Fr. Francis Chukwuma