Gratitude and Grace
Reflection 4
When people in great numbers choose to practice, integrate, and embody gratitude, the cumulative force that is generated can help create the kind of world we all hope for and desire, for ourselves and for future generations.
Angeles Arrien
Opening Prayer
Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and God’s grace toward me was not in vain.
On the contrary,
I worked harder than any of them,
though it was not I,
but the grace of God that is with me.
Radical Gratitude
Radical gratitude begins when we stop taking life for granted. It arises in the astonishment at the miracle of creation when life is broken and we begin anew in the recognition of what we have rather than in what we don’t; in the acknowledgement of who we are rather than in the awareness of who we aren’t. Gratitude is the foundation of faith in God as the Creator of all beginnings, great and small. It awakens the imagination to another way of being, to another kind of economy, the great economy of grace in which each person is of infinite value and worth.
“Nurturing the Good”
Begin by settling into the body. Feel the breath, notice the environment, be aware of sounds, and connect with sensations in the body. Open to what’s here in the body and mind, with acceptance and kindness….
Now we invite you to appreciate yourself and the many ways that you are open to learn and grow.
Something in you is energetic and motivated to grow and deepen; it cares about your own inner life, your own happiness.
Feel the goodness of this impulse in you that brought you to this place in the first place.
A kind of faith in yourself and your own inherent goodness.
Feel it in your body. Notice its qualities and characteristics, this strength of mind/heart.
Open to it, let it grow in you….
Let yourself bring to mind other things you feel grateful for. How your body is still functioning right now, your heart still beating, your lungs expanding and retracting, your skin protecting your flesh.
Let yourself connect with gratitude for the presence of the people in your life, or someone who has been supportive of you in the past. Offer your gratitude to your companions and friends. Feel appreciation for your fellow Columbans – lay missionaries, ordained, students, co-workers and priest associates and the people in your ministry. Connect with the ways they were present for you and how they made a difference in your life….
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Now let yourself open to gratitude for the world around you, the Earth that is supporting you right now, the sun that shows up each day, the air that sustains all life, water, the stars, the oceans. Feel the gift of life that is pulsing through your veins now and let yourself feel thankful for it. Feel the gift of life that surrounds you every moment, everywhere you go.
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We can be grateful for what we have been given, but giving can also move us to gratitude. One of the best antidotes to feeling ungrateful for what we don’t have is to give to someone more in need. Remember in gratitude a time when you gave to someone more in need – someone in your ministry; a fellow Columban - lay missionary, ordained, student, co-worker or priest associate.
Feel this gratitude in your body. Let yourself be nurtured, strengthened by it.
And notice if there are any ideas arising about how you might create a wonderful present and future now, for yourself, those you care about and CLM.
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Adopted meditation teacher Kaira Jewel Lingo (from Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation)
Personal Reflection and Journaling
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How did you feel after the meditation? What enables you to experience gratitude in your life? What might prevent you from experiencing more gratitude in your life?
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Giving thanks. Take some time to reflect upon who and what has helped you as a Columban missionary. For whom, and for what, do you feel the most grateful in CLM?
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Giving can also move us to gratitude. Name one idea for the emerging future of CLM and what you can give to this emerging future?
Exercises
Pay it Forward
We can be grateful for what we have been given, but giving can also move us to gratitude. One of the best antidotes to feeling ungrateful for what we don’t have is to give to someone more in need. Give something to someone in need in the next few days and reflect on the experience. Pay it forward and see what that does for you.
Gratitude Tree
Make one gratitude tree in your RMU where LMs and LMLT members can draw or write their gratitude. A Gratitude Christmas tree!
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If you are open to experiencing a childlike sense of fun and wonder. You will need several one- sided blank space recycled (coloured if available) sheets of paper, string or ribbon, scissors, twigs or tree branches, some stones or marbles, a vase, and a sense of gratitude. Make one or more leaf cutouts to use as a template for your leaves. Trace leaves on your recycled paper. Cut out the leaves, punch a hole at the top of each leaf, and loop your string or ribbon through each hole. Put the stones or marbles in a vase and stick the tree branch or twig in the middle. Draw or write things that you are grateful for on the leaves. You can also use photographs if you’d like. Hang the leaves from the branches and behold your gratitude tree!
Closing Prayer: A Litany of Generosity
Response to each: Gracious God, give us generous hearts.
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to share whatever gift it is that you have given to us. . .
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to acknowledge you as the giver of all good gifts. . .
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to give without counting the cost. . .
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to share without expecting something in return. . .
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to be wise in the way of caring for ourselves and others. . .
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to hold all of our treasures and values with open hands. . .
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to have gospel priorities and to align our life, love and time in their light. . .
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to be gracious and unbegrudging in our giving. . .
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to recognize the abundance of blessings in each passing day. . .
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to know the freedom that comes with true generosity. . .
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to experience the heart of the widow giving her mite. . .
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to accept our talents, whether many or few, and to use them in service of the Kingdom. . .
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to grow in giving thanks for everything. . .
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to be happy with having what we need and to be wise enough to know what it is that we want
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and do not need. . .
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to fall more deeply in love with the God of all generosity so that our hearts are strong enough to give away freely whatever is asked. . .
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O gracious God, who so generously lavishes our lives with goodness, create in our hearts a deep
centre of gratitude, a centre that grows so strong in its thanksgiving that sharing freely of our
treasures becomes the norm and the pattern of our existence. Remind us often of how much you
cherish us, of how abundantly you have offered gifts to us, especially in the hours of our greatest
need. May we always be grateful for your reaching into our lives with surprises of joy, growth, and
unearned love.
Amen
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Joyce Rupp in Fresh Bread and Other Stories of Spiritual Nourishment