By Leela Ramdeen
I received a lovely note from my friend whose husband died recently and with whom I have been praying, virtually. In her note she included a quotation from Albert Schweitzer: “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”
April 29 was celebrated by many as ‘Thank you Thursday’. It was originally inspired by the inspirational work of Jon Gordon, “a motivational speaker who has published multiple books on how to improve attitudes, morale, and the end result of doing so.”
On Gordon’s Facebook page he says: “Who are you THANKFUL for today? Take an intentional moment to acknowledge them. Give them a call, send an email or text, write a note, comment on this post and tag them, etc. Simply take the time to thank those who have impacted you in big or small ways. Let them know they matter and that you care.”
Para 2648 of our Catechism states: “Every joy and suffering, every event and need can become the matter for thanksgiving which, sharing in that of Christ, should fill one’s whole life: ‘Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess 5:18).’ ”
Last December, Pope Francis, in one of his weekly general audience at the Vatican, focused on the importance of thanking God and letting others see one’s gratitude. “He said that thanksgiving was a hallmark of an authentic Christian life, and that Catholics can change the world by being ‘bearers of gratitude…Above all, let us not forget to thank: if we are bearers of gratitude, the world itself will become better, even if only a little bit, but that is enough to transmit a bit of hope.
” ‘The world needs hope. And with gratitude, with this habit of saying thank you, we transmit a bit of hope. Everything is united and everything is connected, and everyone needs to do his or her part wherever we are…Let us thank the Lord for every grace received’.
“He reflected on Jesus’ healing of 10 lepers as described in St. Luke’s Gospel (17:11-19). He noted that only one of the lepers — ‘a Samaritan, a sort of ‘heretic’ for the Jews of that time’ — returned to thank Jesus for healing him…This narrative, so to speak, divides the world in two: those who do not give thanks and those who do; those who take everything as if it is owed them, and those who welcome everything as a gift, as grace” (https://angelus news.com).
Too often we fail to express gratitude to others. Today, think about ways in which you can show your gratitude to those who love you/whom you love, those who serve you, those with whom you work etc. Last week we observed Administrative Professionals Day. How many of you showed your appreciation for the commitment that your Administrative Professionals display in undertaking their various duties? Saying “Thank you” is often not enough – send a note expressing gratitude, give a gift, give a hug (not in this time of pandemic, though). Most of all, thank God for life.
As the Dalai Lama said: “Every day, think as you wake up, ‘Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.’ ”
I end with the words of Pope Francis: “To be able to offer thanks, to be able to praise the Lord for what He has done for us: this is important! So we can ask ourselves: Are we capable of saying ‘thank you’? How many times do we say ‘thank you’ in our family, our community, and in the church? How many times do we say ‘thank you’ to those who help us, to those close to us, to those who accompany us through life? Often we take everything for granted! This also happens with God. It is easy to approach the Lord to ask for something, but to return and give thanks…”
And during this Season of Creation, give thanks to God for all Creation.
(Leela Ramdeen is chair, Trinidad & Tobago Catholic Commission for Social Justice & the Archdiocese’s Ministry for Migrants and Refugees.)
Source: indcatholicnews.com