The Practice of Gratitude

Our national feast of Thanksgiving reminds us to be thankful for what we have. From a faith or spiritual point of view, thankfulness, or gratitude, are signs of God’s presence and the touch of the Holy Spirit in our life. 

Thankfulness and gratitude are also deeply human experiences; they open us to the gift of life and to the gift of the people around us. A growing faith and spiritual practice in the country, I believe, is to cultivate gratitude in our life by periodically reflecting on what we are grateful for: in a given day, a certain period of our life, or just life in general.

The practice of gratitude can be done as an individual or as a family. As an individual, one can look over the day or the week and reflect on those moments of gratitude to God for the people, the events, the work, one’s family and loved ones, one’s own character and so on. Stay with and relish each awareness of gratitude. Notice the effect on you.

This can also be done with a family or a group. As you sit down for your Thanksgiving meal, let each person share what they are grateful for at this time in their life. Let each person share without criticism or judgment. It can be precious to hear what children share.

Focusing on things that we are grateful for removes our blindness to God’s presence and grace in our life, which is available to us always and in all circumstances, even though we may not recognize it. 

When we allow gratitude to grow in us, we gain a new perspective on life. We see it all as a gift. And we know gratitude is taking root in us when even our painful and stressful experiences lose their power to dominate our day and feelings, and when, despite life’s ups and downs, we can maintain a perspective of overall gratitude for our life and for the people, work and circumstances in which we live.

I remember a young man who had a difficult youth. He even spent time living on the street. But when he reflected on his life, he discovered that the gift that those years gave to him was resiliency. And that resilience was the one quality of his personality that gave him gratitude for his life. It changed his attitude and gave him a new perspective on those early years as well as hope for the future.

When I take time to look over my day or week, seeking the things that I am grateful to God for, it can change my attitude for that day or week. Where I might have only felt frustration, disappointment, or discouragement, I find people, events and circumstances that I am grateful for. I see the grace of God at work there. And it gives me meaning and peace that I otherwise would have missed, as well as gratitude for my life.

How do you plan to celebrate thankfulness and gratitude this Thanksgiving Day?

Blessings,

Father Frank

Fr. Frank Murphy, CSC
Coordinator of Spiritual Direction Training
Campus Ministry | University of Notre Dame