Shake Off the Shackles of Discontent

     “When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator.” St. Basil the Great



     Working on having a heart full of gratitude toward God, can sometimes be a challenge! We are a society who often sees the glass “half empty,” instead of thanking God that it had something in it in the first place. We look to see who has more than we do and instead, feel discontented with what we have been truly blessed. Our culture espouses that whoever has more is the happiest and most fulfilled. Possessions are looked at as treasures, and we are encouraged to do our best to accumulate them, sometimes at the cost of relationships; even our relationship with God.


        Because of this mentality, we often rush through life at such a pace, that leaves little time or awareness to “stop and smell the roses,” let alone notice they are even there. There is beauty all around, yet we fail to see: the sky, the clouds, the sun, as well as the rain – the mountains, the ocean, the flowers and trees -- the birds and the animals – each so very different and unique. What an awesome imagination our great God has!

     Yet, in all the beauty of creation, man is God’s masterpiece. “When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You set in place – What is man that You should be mindful of him, the son of man that You should care for him? You have made him a little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps 8 vs. 5-6).

    Made in His image and likeness – and loved by God beyond our wildest expectations – we should be moved to praise Him each and every day. So we must ask ourselves are we grateful to God for: Him loving us in the first place -- our life and the lives of those whom we love -- sending His Son, Jesus, to save us and giving Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist -- establishing a Church, where the graces that Christ merited can be given to us, to help us on our journey back to the Father?
   
    Those of us, who live, in this great United States of America, have so very much for which to be grateful, yet days and weeks can go by when we have not taken the time to thank our heavenly Father! The fact that we can practice our faith is a gift that we should never take for granted. And yet, many do not take advantage to worship God and thank Him as they should.

     Let us shake off the shackles of discontent, and truly open our eyes and our hearts to all the gifts we have been given. Let us work on an attitude of gratitude and make it our aim to thank and praise God.    

    While Christ walked on this earth, the Gospels record both His gratitude to others, and His pleasure in their gratitude to Him and His heavenly Father. “ Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” (Lk. 17 vs. 17 – 18). Let us be “the one,” who falls at the feet of Jesus, with a grateful heart to thank Him.    

     May St. Basil the Great intercede for us, that we become aware of God’s goodness to us, in creating and arranging all things for our benefit, so we many come to know, love and praise our Creator.