Thursday, November 24, 2016

24 November 2016 - giving thanks



Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 

Let us realize the gifts we have from God. Let us be the one who returns to give him thanks. Even when God answers our most desperate needs we are all to ready to go our way and get on with life after that. We can scarcely be bothered to pause for a moment.

We ought to reflect on all that the LORD does for us. It is more than we can ever keep in our minds at any one time. There is the incarnation, the cross and resurrection, the Church and the Sacraments, and more, before we even get to the specifics of the individual favors, blessings, and protection God provides us.

If we really look we find that we "are not lacking any spiritual gift". We often feel like we're lacking but according to God we are not. We have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavens (see Ephesians 1:3). God says it so it must be true. Why don't we perceive it? Are we too busy thinking about the things we don't have to celebrate the blessings we do have? Are we so focused on what we want to be thankful for the blessings we are given?

Thankfulness is a skill. When practiced well it leads to contentment. This is because it shows us how we already have everything we need. It makes us learn that we can count on God for whatever we might need in the future. We are already "enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge". Thankfulness helps us to recognize this.

Thankfulness reveals that God's gifts aren't given because of our efforts. His gifts are given because he loves us. He fosters our growth from our mother's womb before we can do a single thing to please him.

It is a simple message today. We need to give thanks. But the payoff, as it always is with God, is surprisingly disproportionate. Just thanking him for what he does for us has the power to transform our entire lives.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.


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