WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS

WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Now I invite you to consecrate this day and all that comes with this day….in your own way, in humble, simple, may be even inadequate words………..

Pray with me as you begin this meditation….

Thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart;

I sing praise to you before the angels.

I worship at your holy temple and praise your name
because of your constant love and faithfulness,

because you have shown that you and your word are exalted.

You answered me when I called to you; you built up strength within me.

All the rulers of the earth will praise you, Yahweh,
because they have heard your promises.

They will sing about your ways and about your great glory.

Even though you are exalted, you care for the lowly.

The proud cannot hide from you.

Even when I am surrounded by troubles, you keep me safe;

You oppose my angry enemies and save me by your power.

You will do everything you have promised me;
Yahweh, your faithful love endures forever.
Complete the work that you have begun. (Psalm 138)

Keep praying….

Thank you God, with all my heart for …….

Thank you God, you answered me when I called out to you….

Thank you God, You built up strength within me…….

Thank you God, you care for the lowly……

Thank you God, You keep me safe……

Thank you God, I know you will do everything you promised….

Thank you God, your faithful love endures forever…..

Thank you God, I know, you will complete the work you have begun in me……

Dear Lord, where would I be without the gift of my family and friends and all those reliable and dependable people who serve me daily? I thank you today for their presence in my life. I thank you for the gifts you have given to each one. I thank you for the many ways in which they touch my life. I thank you for their laughter, their encouragement and their support. I thank you for every experience I have shared with them, whether good or bad, happy or sad, their presence in my life has made me a better person. Thank-you!

Prayerfully reflect with me….

While there may be many things wrong in our world, many people unfaithful to their commitments, many projects incomplete and imperfect and so on, there definitely are many things right with our world, many people doing the best they can, many projects contributing to the growth and stability of our communities. We often take for granted things that work properly most of the time and people who live decent and virtuous lives.

So, the next time you are tempted to feel that things are bad, remember….

• there are some things that work very, very well
• there some people that work very, very well
• there are some things that are dependable, reliable
• there are some people who are dependable, reliable

Heavenly Father,

We praise You and thank You today for your abundant blessings.
Remind us to be humble in our abundance,

Help us remember the sacrifice of those who have gone before us.
Let their example remind us to always be thankful,

to always surrender ourselves to your plan and purpose for us.

We thank you, O Lord,

for Your gift of Yourself, for your gift of our life,
for your gift of our faith, our health, our family, our friends our Church and our country.

Prayerfully reflect with me….

While forgiveness heals the heart of old hurts, gratitude opens it to love. Gratitude showers many blessings. It dissolves negative feelings: anger and jealousy, fear and anxiety and so on. Gratitude deflates the barriers to love.

Gratitude creates joy, which is itself a blessing that heals and empowers. The great Taoist sage Chuang Tzu even went so far as to say that “When one reaches happiness, one is close to perfection.” When we are happy, we like to make others happy, and this fosters kindness and generosity. Gratitude is a gift to everyone. I believe, that is why Saint Paul urged us to “Rejoice always” and to “Give thanks in all circumstances.”

Like other attitudes, gratitude must be cultivated. We don’t have to wait for our fairy grandmother to shower us with gifts before feeling thankful. We can develop gratitude by reflecting on the gifts that are already ours. This reflection can be done for a minute, a day,

or throughout a lifetime. Most people celebrate their birthdays and holidays, but those who cultivate gratitude celebrate every day. We can be grateful because we are happy, but we can also be happy because we are grateful.

We tend to forget how very different the laws that govern the mind are from the laws that operate in the physical world. In the world, if we give a thing to another person, whether it be a toy or a diamond, we lose it and the other gains. Yet in our mind and heart the opposite is true. Whatever we intend for another person we experience ourselves, whatever we give we gain.

The words “As you give so shall you receive” are profound statements about the way our minds work. This is the basis of the prayer of St. Francis, “Grant that I may not so much seek
To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive.”

Gratitude brings light and warmth into our hearts, spreads joy and radiates positive energy into the world. The more we consciously and consistently grow in our practice of gratitude, the more blessings we will experience.

You cannot be grateful and bitter.

You cannot be grateful and unhappy.
You cannot be grateful and without hope.

You cannot be grateful and unloving.
So just be grateful.

Ever loving and faithful God, you have blessed us with a new day with new opportunities and possibilities. You have blessed us and graced us with food to sustain us, work to serve you by serving others, people to love and care for – we thank you. We know that you are a God of mindfulness – you keep us in your heart. Help us be mindful of your presence in us, deep in our hearts, among us and around us. In our joy-filled days, help us be grateful for your blessing and grace. In our difficult moments, difficult days, and difficult periods, help us remember that you are our refuge and our strength, our comfort and our safe shelter. Bless us, bless our day, bless our work, bless those we meet, bless those who love and serve us and bless those who do not love us. Grace us that we may live and grow in your love, gratefully, gracefully, faithfully and joyfully. Thank you, God. Amen.

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs