Thanks for Everything
by Leon J. Suprenant, Jr.

One of the most remarkable verses in all of Scripture is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, in which St. Paul instructs believers to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

At least in my experience, God's will has not always been easy to discern, even with the assistance of prayer and spiritual direction. But when it comes to gratitude, to giving thanks, God's will is right there in Scripture for all to see. He explicitly wills that we give thanks in all circumstances.

One Verse at a Time

Yet I think all of us tend to rush through the things we read. I quickly scan emails, newspapers, websites, and as soon as I get the gist of it, I'm off to the next item. Even when watching the news or a football game, we're continually getting bombarded at the bottom of the screen with headlines, scores of sporting events, or perhaps the weather. If I'm not careful, when I'm reading Scripture, especially very familiar passages, I mentally say to myself that, "Okay, I know this passage," and then move on. It's a real exercise for me to slow down and fully drink in God's Word one verse at a time.

So, while 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is a profound and eminently practical verse, for too long I skimmed over it like last week's headlines. Fortunately, CUF spiritual advisor Fr. Ray Ryland continued to urge me to meditate on that verse, and about a year ago it finally "stuck." What a difference the virtue of gratitude makes!

Everything in our lives, even the tragedies, failures, inconveniences, and sufferings, are part of God's plans. He doesn't make mistakes. Everything in our lives offers us an opportunity—indeed, sometimes a real challenge—to grow in God's love. Of course when seemingly bad things happen to us, our first response may not be an expression of gratitude, and even if it is, it may be dripping with sarcasm: "Gee, thanks a lot."

But make no mistake, God wills that we develop the virtue of perpetual gratitude-at least if we want to be happy in this world and, even more, in the next. I can see why saints like the Little Flower, who developed this inner disposition of gratitude, can say, "Nothing disturbs me." Truly this complete and loving acceptance of everything as a gift from God is the very foundation of peace. The alternative is rebellion and a recipe for unhappiness.

Return to the Source

Gratitude is the appropriate response when receiving a gift. Too often we take our lives for granted and don't adequately acknowledge our abundant blessings. Sometimes, however, we may recognize the gift but not recognize the Giver. Instead, we take the credit ourselves. We "make our own breaks" and when things go our way, we are successful. At that point, we become like the man who prays, "Lord, help me find a parking place . . . never mind, I found one." The truth, however, is that we are merely stewards, not manufacturers, of our material and spiritual blessings.

We also have to see the apparent tragedies, losses, and failures as gifts. This is where we truly need the vision of faith to trust that our loving God—even now, especially now—is drawing us to Himself.

I think the best way to develop the virtue of gratitude is to meditate on our most fundamental identity. We are truly children of God (1 Jn. 3:1). In fact, Jesus tells us that we must become like a child to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Mt. 18:3). What does this mean?

I think of my young son, Samuel, who now folds his hands not only to say "Amen," but also to say "please," "thank you," and "certainly I would like a banana." He not only has a rudimentary sense of his utter dependence on his mother and me, but also trusts that we will provide for his needs. This trust becomes a surge of joyful expectancy as I'm about to care for him.
While we may be adults in the world's eyes, we're still children in God's eyes. We are utterly dependent upon Him for the life of grace freely given us at Baptism. He cleans up our messes through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and He feeds us with the true bread from heaven. And, as a Father who truly understands and desires what's best for His children (cf. Mt. 7:9-11), He disciplines us, even though as it occurs we might not fully understand His purposes (cf. Heb. 12:7-11).

And, as children who joyfully and confidently await Our Father's blessing, we begin to see, with St. Thérèse, that prayer is "a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy" (Catechism, no. 2558).

Gift That Keeps Giving

God loves us not because we're good, but because He's good. In fact, God in His goodness loved us so much that, despite our sinfulness, He became man in the fullness of time to redeem us by His own blood and open for us the gates of heaven. We have received no greater gift, and we have no greater cause for thanksgiving.

Even more, through the Eucharist, Christ's sacrifice is continually made present and effective in our lives. Not surprisingly, "Eucharist" literally means thanksgiving, as the gift of Christ to His Church elicits our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

We do need to recognize the fullness of the gift of the Eucharist—that Our Lord is truly present under the appearance of bread and wine, and that He gives us the grace and the power to live the Gospel when we partake of this Sacrament. To fully appreciate the gift of the Mass, our eyes must remain fixed on Jesus and this tremendous gift. That should go without saying, but in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, our focus can be diverted to ourselves if we're not careful. Many of the liturgical controversies that we've endured in recent decades would dissipate if we really believed and truly appreciated what is happening on the altar. We can't feed ourselves, we can't save ourselves. Thank God that He sent His Son to feed us, indeed, to save us.

The gift of faith in Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist, is inseparable from our faith in the Church. Scripture says that in marriage the two truly become one (e.g. Gen. 2:24; Mt. 19:5). Scripture also calls Jesus Christ the Bridegroom and the Church His Bride (cf. Eph. 5:21-33). If that were the case, it would take an act of violence—a spiritual divorce, if you will—to separate Christ from His Church. The Church, after all, is the Body of Christ extended through space and time. Even more profoundly, she is the family of God and our true home. The Bible is our family album. All those who are alive in Christ are truly our brothers and sisters in the communion of saints. Christ is the one source of eternal life for the whole world, and this life flows through His family, the Church. We are grateful for the gift of the Church and for the witness and intercession of the company of saints.

Cross Training

The gift of Jesus Christ and His Church calls forth from each of us the response of faith, a faith that is lived out in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. We call this daily commitment to Our Lord discipleship. To be a disciple literally means to be a student of the Lord, to learn from Him the path of holiness, the path of salvation. Jesus' clearest teaching as to what it means to be a disciple is found in Luke 9:23: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." This is our blueprint for true happiness.

Every cross that comes our way is part of God's plan for us. We are privileged to be able to "offer up" our own crosses and thus "complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Col. 1:24). We are faced on each such occasion with a clear choice. On the one hand, we can curse God, or at least wallow in our own misfortune. As Fr. Groeschel points out, this attitude simply results in "wasted suffering." The alternative is to step out in faith and accept our crosses with gratitude, and then our suffering is transformed into the very stuff of salvation. We trust that God can and will bring about good through the suffering we endure out of love for Him (cf. Rom. 8:18, 28). In short, living 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is the most powerful act of faith, hope, and love we can make.

I encourage all our members during the upcoming holidays to step back and take stock of the many ways the Lord has blessed us and to thank Him amidst whatever challenges and sufferings have come our way. Everything is a gift from God, so let us praise Him from whom all blessings flow.

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