I have been reading the Sermons of St. Bernard of Clairvaux,
specifically on the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Without going into great
detail, one of the points St. Bernard makes, which has been made by many
saints, is that of gratitude.
In a Western society, where we are so use to thinking we
have gained the goods we have, or in thinking that we are entitled to goods, we
forget too easily that all good things come from the Hands of God.
The goods we have from God include spiritual blessings, as
well as material blessings.
The goods denied us are also blessings from God. As St. Bernard states, we must be
thankful for the sins we did not commit, for the temptations
from which Christ has shielded us. We are to thank God for each virtue we
receive and for each occasion of goodness He allows us.
I have been on retreat, which is always a treat which I do
not take for granted. For some of us, a yearly retreat is a great reason for
gratitude, and I thank God for my few days with Him and His companions in grace..
I am grateful for the Eucharist and the silence, the rhythm
of prayer and reflection and conversation with the other guests.
I am grateful for my entire life, which has been a blessing,
and it is not over, so there will be more blessings for which to thank the
Lord.
Here in the convent, I met a woman whose only child died of
brain cancer at the age of eleven. She has not only kept her faith, but is a
light to all who meet her.
The day after the funeral of her child, her husband filed
for divorce, leaving her alone in the world. I have met so many women who are
alone in the world, I am beginning to realize that any love is a reason for
gratitude.
The world has created an environment hostile to single,
divorced and widowed women. Why? I think because of the lack of gratitude. A
grateful man does not leave an older woman for a younger one. A grateful father
does not leave the mother of his child. A grateful man does not ignore his
widowed mother.
Gratitude is a sign of predestination. Gratitude from St. Bernard’s view is absolutely necessary to please God.
The ungrateful will not see God. They cannot even see their families or
brothers and sisters in Christ, so how can they see God?
In a community or in a parish, one must never take
friendship for granted. It is always a gift.
Thank God for your friends in Christ and be grateful daily.
Keep a gratitude journal and list daily things for which you are grateful. St. Bernard told his monks to remember all that God has
given them and all the dangers from which they have been spared. Be grateful
and rejoice in all things.
