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An attitude
of gratitude
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
The hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer are fast moving toward fall. It’s
been hot. The long dry spell has not been good for our farm brothers and
sisters, to say nothing of people’s gardens and flowers. Without water
at pollination time, there isn’t much in the way of a crop come fall,
and with commodity prices stuck at Depression levels, that can make for
a long and very cold winter. The weather is a constant reminder of how
little control we have over basics. As people of faith, our challenge is
to have a constant attitude of gratitude. Whatever the situation we find
ourselves facing, we are blessed.
Some people find good in their lives even when it is steaming hot,
during prolonged dry periods, when storms hover overhead, and all the
other kind of miseries that can befall a person. But, that is not the
case with everyone. There are those who only see the dark side of
things. They complain, complain and complain again. Fault is found in
just about everything. It becomes an engrained habit. After a while,
complainers don’t even realize that to them the sky is always dark. The
glass is always half empty, if not totally dry.
In reality, however, even in the worst of times, we are recipients of
blessings, if only we take the time to open our eyes and look for them.
If we cultivate an attitude of gratitude, we recognize the many gifts
that we have. Such an attitude also brings us closer to others because
we come to see the good in people rather than the stuff that irritates
us. An attitude of gratitude, too, brings us closer to God for he is the
one from whom all blessings ultimately flow.
We should, of course, always be grateful for the gift of life. Even
before they are born, that gift is denied to millions. Our faith, too,
is a great gift. I can’t begin to imagine how empty life would be
without faith in a God who is slow to anger and rich in compassion to
those who fear offending him. During this Year of the Eucharist,
attention should be focused, too, on the great gift of the holy
Eucharist. When one starts counting, the list becomes quite lengthy. I
was able to walk to the bathroom this morning. Not everyone can do that,
for example, those who have broken ankles.
We are blessed because God is our Shepherd. He holds us in the palm of
his hand. He never forgets us. We may turn away from him, but he will
never turn away from us, not even when we grumble and are unfaithful.
It is prayer that keeps us attuned to this. Prayer opens the lines of
communication with the Lord and cultivates an attitude of gratitude.
All prayer should begin with praise of God and be in a context of
thanksgiving for our blessings. Petition and contrition are part of
prayer, to be sure. But they come after the praise and thanksgiving, or
will if we have an attitude of gratitude.
Summers don’t seem to slow down as much as when I was younger, but they
still provide a bit of time to take care of things that have been put
aside for “later consideration.” During those periods I marvel at why I
keep the things I keep. At the same time, sometimes the things kept are
true gems.
One of those gems managed to work its way to the top of the
things-to-be-revisited pile on my desk recently. It was a piece from one
of the parish bulletins pastors are kind enough to share with me each
week and had to do with the sign of the cross.
The sign of the cross is a prayer of gratitude to the Triune God. We
honor the Blessed Trinity “in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit” while tracing the form of a cross over our bodies.
So fundamental to Catholicism, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
devotes just one paragraph to the sign of the cross (2157): “The
Christian begins his day, his prayers and his activities with the sign
of the cross ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.’ The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God
and calls on the Savior’s grace which lets him act in the spirit as a
child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations
and difficulties.”
The sign of the cross has been around since the earliest days of
Christianity. The earliest version, it seems, was done by simply tracing
the cross on one’s forehead or by tracing the image of the cross on the
ground. It was a proclamation that a person belonged to “Christ
crucified.” It was a profession of faith in the power of his cross and
resurrection.
Through the centuries the sign of the cross has become customary for a
variety of occasions: waking up and going to bed, before meals, at times
of temptation, when passing before a Catholic church (an acknowledgement
of the Blessed Sacrament) and as a blessing. The Rite of Baptism
encourages parents to bless their children. In some cultures parents
sign their children with the cross at bedtime and on special occasions
such as before a newly ordained priest leaves the home of his parents
for his first Mass or a son or daughter leaves for their wedding. The
sign of the cross has been used in baking, farming and, as we often see
on television, during sporting events.
We as Catholics are not the only ones who use the sign of the cross.
Orthodox Christians and Byzantine Catholics use what we think of as a
“backwards” version which apparently was commonly used even in the West
until about the 14th century. I’m sure there’s an explanation, but I
don’t know what it is.
Lutherans, Episcopalians and some other Christians also use the sign of
the cross on certain occasions.
It’s a brief prayer, but it has a rich history and meaning. And, it’s
one of those areas where parents need to give instruction to their
children. Understandably, very small children haven’t captured the
mechanics and may not realize when the words spoken are used or why. The
sign of the cross in slow motion might help instruct.
Most of us, I suspect, have done it without thought, mechanically, out
of habit. It is sometimes interesting to watch as folks sign themselves
entering church, dipping their hands into a holy water receptacle, and
rushing forward to claim a seat.
The sign of the cross is a prayer that should be said with deliberation.
Prayer, after all, is the elevation of the mind and heart to God. And,
the sign of the cross can become part of that ongoing attitude of
gratitude which opens our eyes to the many blessings that crowd our
lives, even in the darkest of days. |
