In All Things, Give Thanks...
When I was younger, a pastor in my parish told us that whenever he received troubling news, or was being transferred from a parish he had come to love, or when he simply needed a reminder, he would sit in an empty church or chapel and open his Bible. And, most times, his Bible seemed to open automatically to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
Rejoicing and praying are each worth an entire blog post (and an entire lifetime), but as we enter November, the month in which we have a national holiday dedicated to giving thanks, I am hoping to focus more faithfully on these words – “In all circumstances, give thanks.”
As Sisters of Christian Charity, thanksgiving is built into our lives. The legacy bequeathed to us by our Foundress, Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt, involves living a Eucharistic lifestyle. “Eucharist” is a word that comes from a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving,” or “grateful.” So, we could rightly say that our “Eucharistic lifestyle” should be a “thanksgiving lifestyle” or “grateful lifestyle.”
Not only did Mother Pauline hand on a Eucharistic lifestyle, but she was also very specific about gratitude. In the First Draft toward the Constitutions of the Sisters of Christian Charity, she wrote, “[The Sisters] will thank God for everything,” and “[their] first reaction must be a prayer of thanks.” Later in the same document, she takes it a step further: “They will thank God for every occasion which has wounded their self-love and accept it with love.”
Even on her deathbed, Mother Pauline was a shining example of gratitude. Her secretary, Sister Lioba, wrote about this experience: “It was rather embarrassing when dear Reverend Mother thanked continually for every little service done for her. Repeatedly I begged her: ‘Dear Reverend Mother, do not thank for every little service rendered you, for you can speak only with great difficulty.’ This was of no avail, though, continually I was obliged to hear, ‘I thank you most sincerely.’”
Another way that thanksgiving is built into our lives as Sisters of Christian Charity is through the Examen, which is part of our daily prayer. One of the steps of the Examen is to review the day with gratitude. The Examen prayer was so important to St. Ignatius of Loyola that he said if you pray no other prayer, you should at least pray the Examen once a day.
In my local convent, we try to share something for which we were grateful that day when we eat supper together. Especially when we have had a difficult day in our ministries, this can be challenging, but our Eucharistic lifestyle gives us the extra push that we need to find the gratitude where it might not have been obvious to us while it was happening.
So, as a daughter of Blessed Pauline, as a Sister who strives to live a Eucharistic lifestyle and prays the Examen daily, in a community focused on gratitude, I feel that November would be a good time to “step up my game” toward giving thanks. I think I will do this by paying closer attention to St. Paul's phrase, in all circumstances, and Blessed Pauline's words, as a first reaction and for every occasion.
What would that look like?
In my ministry, when a patient or family member comes across as rude and disrespectful, my first reaction will be to give thanks that I have the honor of serving Jesus in the least of my brothers and sisters.
During my morning and evening commutes when drivers might not be on their best behavior, my first reaction will be prayers of gratitude that they are able to have jobs to support their families or that they are able to transport their children to school safely.
My first reaction will be one of gratitude when the food served is not to my liking or the temperature in the house is too hot or too cold. I will give thanks that I have food to eat, that someone was kind enough to prepare a meal, that I have a roof over my head, and that we have options for heating and cooling the house.
When another Sister seems to spend our entire time of Adoration rustling through books and papers or when I judge that the tempo of our prayers together to be too slow or too fast, my first reaction will be gratitude that I have a community of Sisters who share my desire for communal prayer.
I know that my efforts to focus on gratitude will not always be successful. However, paying attention to being grateful in all circumstances, as a first reaction and for every occasion will make me a more faithful follower of Jesus and a stronger daughter of Blessed Pauline. It will also make November 28th a true Thanksgiving Day, rather than just another Thursday in November.
