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Kiowa County, Ks —
I read a story the other day about a tourist who visited Mexico.
Hot springs and cold springs are found side-by-side in some parts of Mexico. Because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon local women often bring their laundry and boil their clothes in the hot springs; then rinse them in the cold springs.
The tourist, who was watching this procedure commented to his Mexican friend," I imagine these women think Mother Nature is pretty generous to supply such ample clean hot and cold water side by side for their free use."
The guide replied, “No, there is much grumbling because she supplies not soap.”
It is just a function of our human nature, I guess, that the more often and more regularly we receive a blessings, like good health or plenty to eat, safe shelter and steady employment, the less likely we are to be aware of it. What is continuously given, is easily taken for granted.
Helen Keller also had something to say about gifts taken for granted.
She wrote, “I have often thought that it would be a blessing if each human was stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time in their adult life. Darkness would make that person appreciative of light; silence would teach that person the joys of sound.”
Too often, unfortunately, it takes a serious THREAT to our blessings like illness or a job loss or a death to make us aware of them.
Thursday is Thanksgiving Day and contrary to popular opinion, Thanksgiving Day is about more than turkey, over-eating and going to Grandma's house There is a strong religious dimension to this holiday.
The Hebrew word "Hodah” as used in Sacred Scripture, is generally translated as "give thanks" but also means, "confess, profess or state publicly.”
Thanksgiving, Scripturally speaking then is: (1) gratitude directed to God, and (2) involves a public profession of God's action in our lives.
The first reading from the book of Isaiah is a good reminder of this, Isaiah says, "the favors of the Lord I will recall, the glorious deeds of the Lord. He has favored us according to his mercy and his great kindness. He is good to the house of Israel.”
There you have it from Isaiah, gratitude directed toward God and a pubic profession of God's action in the lives of the people of Israel in the time of Isaiah.
I read a story the other day about a tourist who visited Mexico.
Hot springs and cold springs are found side-by-side in some parts of Mexico. Because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon local women often bring their laundry and boil their clothes in the hot springs; then rinse them in the cold springs.
The tourist, who was watching this procedure commented to his Mexican friend," I imagine these women think Mother Nature is pretty generous to supply such ample clean hot and cold water side by side for their free use."
The guide replied, “No, there is much grumbling because she supplies not soap.”
It is just a function of our human nature, I guess, that the more often and more regularly we receive a blessings, like good health or plenty to eat, safe shelter and steady employment, the less likely we are to be aware of it. What is continuously given, is easily taken for granted.
Helen Keller also had something to say about gifts taken for granted.
She wrote, “I have often thought that it would be a blessing if each human was stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time in their adult life. Darkness would make that person appreciative of light; silence would teach that person the joys of sound.”
Too often, unfortunately, it takes a serious THREAT to our blessings like illness or a job loss or a death to make us aware of them.
Thursday is Thanksgiving Day and contrary to popular opinion, Thanksgiving Day is about more than turkey, over-eating and going to Grandma's house There is a strong religious dimension to this holiday.
The Hebrew word "Hodah” as used in Sacred Scripture, is generally translated as "give thanks" but also means, "confess, profess or state publicly.”
Thanksgiving, Scripturally speaking then is: (1) gratitude directed to God, and (2) involves a public profession of God's action in our lives.
The first reading from the book of Isaiah is a good reminder of this, Isaiah says, "the favors of the Lord I will recall, the glorious deeds of the Lord. He has favored us according to his mercy and his great kindness. He is good to the house of Israel.”
There you have it from Isaiah, gratitude directed toward God and a pubic profession of God's action in the lives of the people of Israel in the time of Isaiah.
When we thank God publicly we proclaim; Who God Is: our creator, redeemer, sustainer, and Who We Are: God's servants and what God has done for us collectively and privately. Gratitude at its HIGHEST, goes beyond just counting our blessings.
Gratitude at its best leads us first to: (1) a sense of thankful dependence on God but also (2) an awareness of our duty to others.
We are not truly grateful for our blessing, you see, until we make it possible for others to experience gratitude for blessings as well. Scripturally speaking, helping another in need isn't only act of charity but an act of justice as well.
In the book “Springs in the Valley” is the story of a man who found a barn where Satan keeps the seeds he plants in human hearts.
The man found that the seeds of discouragement were more numerous that the others and learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere.
But when Satan was questioned about these seeds of discouragement, he reluctantly admitted that there is one place in which he never got them to thrive.
"And where is that?" asked the man.
Satan replied sadly, “In the heart of a grateful person.”
Perhaps the next time we are discouraged, we might search out hearts for gratitude for all our blessings. Perhaps the discouragement then would not thrive. If we thanked God for all the good things in our lives, there would not be time to complain about the not so good.
Ellen Peters, Lay Pastor, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
