giving
We give THANKS TODAY because YOU GOD ARE GREAT, CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE and WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE!
I was so struck at hearing the beautiful homily below given by Fr. Paul Campbell, S.J. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown that I asked if I could please share it with you. It is a very good thing to be reminded of Who God is, and who we are not. Each and every day should be THANKSGIVING.
Bottom line: Want to "grow in grace"? Be THANKFUL to God. A continual attitude of praise and thanks (even for the smallest things) reminds us of our many blessings, keeps us humble as we acknowledge our total dependence on God, and stirs afresh in our minds the greatness of the God we serve. BIG God=small problems, small God=BIG problems. All of our GIVING THANKS (and every other thing we do) should be out of a heart overflowing with love and gratitude because we serve an awesome God! God is God alone. Give THANKS to HIM today.
“...It seems to me that what we’re dealing with here is our relationship with God. The point Jesus is making is that God need never be grateful to us for anything we do. No matter how much we do for God, we can never put God in our debt. Everything we give to God (or to God through others) is simply giving back a small portion of what God has already given us. It’s well said in one of our weekday Prefaces: 'You have no need of our praise, yet our desire to thank you is itself your gift. Our prayer of thanksgiving adds nothing to your greatness, but makes us grow in your grace.'”
God can never be in debt to us. God can never be under any obligation to us… but perhaps that’s what some of the Pharisees thought. They believed that, because they kept the Law perfectly, God owed them salvation. We see that in the scene of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the Temple, where the Pharisee’s prayer gives the impression that God should be deeply grateful, among so many negligent people, to have such a good person as him.
We can be tempted in the same way if, for instance, we think that by saying certain prayers or performing certain acts (novenas, indulgences, pilgrimages, etc.) that God should jump to attention and do what we’re asking for and to give us what we want.
Our living out the Gospel is not a compliment paid to God. On the contrary, we can never be grateful enough to God for showing us the way to truth, love, freedom and happiness which Jesus taught us and for giving us the grace to walk his Way. Let’s never forget that, with God, all our giving is at best a partial and imperfect offering.”
Praises be to God! Praises be to His Holy Name. Give Him your “partial and imperfect offering” of praise and thanks...and unleash the joy that only a beloved and thankful child of the King can experience.
“I will extol you, my God and king; I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise, whose grandeur is beyond understanding.” Psalm 145:1-3
Dear Lord,
Thank you again for another day in which to praise You! May my words and actions reflect my gratitude to You today. Fill me with Your grace so that I can extend it to all.
I ask this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
