My homily this weekend focused on the idea of thankfulness, which makes sense since the gospel was about lepers that were rather ungrateful. Nine received healing and never went back to thank Christ whereas one, a foreigner, went back to thank him.
I think one of the ways we thank God is in the little things. The phrase "Thank God!" is used more in sarcasm than any other. I suggested that students could thank God after a hard test, that adults could thank God before and after a hard day of work and we could all take the time to Thank God when we turn on and off the TV. I thank God that I remembered to post my homily, even if it's just the summary version.
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So often we forget to thank God...really thank him. It's something I've been working on, both to combat pride when something goes well (lest I take the glory for myself), and in recognition of all the grace God gives us all that we take for granted.
I'm still not good at doing this, but it's getting better, and so I'm trying to make it a habit, even when something goes badly. For example, if I'm stuck behind slow drivers in traffic, I've had an exceptionally long day and my dog needs to be fed and taken out, and all I want is to GO HOME NOW...well, that's when I think I most need to see God's hand at work and thank him. Because there could be a reason for being stuck behind the Uncle Ike types on the freeway. How do we know God's will for us? It happens in every moment, and as it happens, we see that God intended it as such or is allowing it as such, all for our perfection. Why would we not want to thank Him for this?
And as I said...I'm not "there" yet, still working on it.
It's one thing to have the intellectual understanding...it's another thing entirely to have the interior conversion that allows us to be so docile and thankful when we are tried.
So, end of long story, I think of Mother Angelica; whenever someone says something wonderful that God has done, she says, "Thank you, Jesus." And whenever she was hit with catastrophe, she says, "Thank you, Jesus."
Our response to anything should always be that very phrase. "Thank you, Jesus".
And that's what you're saying now that I'm done.
:-)
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