During the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter, we invite you to continue the traditional disciplines of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving till the Easter Vigil. Please remember that Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence. In our Faithful Witness Series, we offer a reflection on the consistent ethic of life. The Christian virtue of the week is the virtue of gratitude.
On Monday of Holy Week 2018, which was March 25, I was diagnosed with cancer. Those three words “you have cancer” unexpectedly and dramatically changed my life. I think it was providential that I got this news at the beginning of Holy Week. I experienced the memorial of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection with greater intensity than ever before. After the Noon Mass on Easter, we celebrated the Sacrament of the Sick so lovingly prepared by my colleagues. This beautiful celebration proved to be a source of so much grace during my treatment. I felt God’s presence so intently that I could focus on getting better without worry.
I was half-way through my treatment by the time of Pentecost. By then, I had lost all my hair and some weight. My face was bloated. I was very tired. And yet, I felt compelled to serve as Master of Ceremonies at Mass that day. As I looked over at the congregation, all dressed in Pentecost red, I was unable to fight back tears of joy. I felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being part of this amazing community. You prayed for me and with me; you brought me food; you sent me cards and flowers; you made me 1000 origami cranes; you power-washed my driveway; you built me a chicken coop; you took me to treatment and you made the time to sit with me during my infusions. You were a Godsent. You lifted me up during this very trying time in my life. Never before had I experienced such a sense of gratitude to God and to our wonderful community.
Gratitude is a rare virtue in our world today which is marked by materialism, entitlement, and self-absorption. As Christians we are called to be countercultural and to cultivate gratitude as a powerful antidote to the superficial qualities of our society.
The Christian Virtue of Gratitude
From a secular point of view, gratitude is the intentional practice of appreciating people, their kindness, and fortunate circumstances in one’s life. The importance of this virtue is argued by Cicero, the Roman scholar and philosopher, who described gratitude as the “parent of all virtues.”
Gratitude differs from thankfulness in that the latter is a fleeting emotional response to a specific event or gift, whereas gratitude is a deep and enduring attitude of appreciation for life itself which is learned over time.
For Christians, the virtue of gratitude is the recognition that all the blessings we receive and our very life itself are a gratuitous gift from God which we neither deserve nor gain. Christian gratitude fosters a deep trust in God’s grace in times of prosperity as well as in hardship. Gratitude changes our hearts, shifting us from feelings of entitlement to a place of humility as we acknowledge that everything comes from God.
During the Sacred Triduum we commemorate the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. The death of Jesus is not merely a historic event, rather, it is Jesus’ sacrificial gift that paves the path to salvation for us. The Christian response to the sacrificial love shown by Jesus on the cross is profound gratitude. In fact, gratitude is the foundational virtue for all Christians and the source of all gratitude. A grateful heart is the most prominent sign of a Christian life transformed by Jesus’ sacrifice.
Some Suggestions to Cultivate Gratitude
- Cultivate Gratitude: by reflecting on the Cross and nurturing a deep sense of gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
- Remind Yourself of God’s Mercy and Grace: by taking a moment at the beginning and the end of each day to recognize the many blessings you have received.
- Count Your Mercies: by actively focusing on mercies rather than dwelling on any misery that may come your way.
- Pray through Struggles: by asking God for help, cultivating trust in God’s goodness despite any pain or difficulties we may experience.
- Reverse Complaints: by rephrasing grievances into gratitude. Instead of “I hate Minnesota winters” try “I am grateful for a warm home.”