An attitude of gratitude
Gerard Condon, parish priest of Killavullen and director of mission and ministry in the Diocese of Cloyne, has written an artcile on gratitude which features in the April Messenger Magazine. The piece reflects on the role of gratitude in human life and Christian spirituality.
Drawing on personal experience, psychology, philosophy, and Scripture, Fr Condon explores how a conscious practice of thankfulness can counterbalance the human tendency toward negativity.
It also places gratitude within a theological framework, highlighting its central place in the teaching of Jesus Christ and in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Read the full article below.
An attitude of gratitude
As a child, I remember being reminded to always be grateful. At school, we were taught how to say the grace before meals, a prayer of thanksgiving. Each night we had to get down on our knees and count our blessings. Whenever an uncle or an aunt handed you a fiver, you were told by a parent, ‘Now, what do you say?’ Rather sheepishly, you would reply, ‘Thank you.’
In Being Happy, Andrew Matthews writes that an attitude of gratitude is the key to a contented life. While there is an unconscious component to gratitude (we spontaneously feel grateful for a positive experience), the occasional reminder does no harm. In other words, we can make of gratitude a virtue and a conscious habit.
As human beings, since the time of our cave-dwelling ancestors, we have been conditioned to be on the alert to life’s potential danger. From this natural trait, we create a worldview that is sensitive to the threats we face, and we can put negativity at the heart of life.
And so I focus on that speck of dirt on my shirt rather than the cleanliness of the rest of the garment. Or I dwell on the shot I missed at football, rather than the solid performance I gave for the remaining 89 minutes. When I have a headache, I don’t start thinking about how wonderful my heart and my legs are functioning. The single problem takes over everything and creates my mindset.
How might we counteract this human tendency to be negative? In a word, gratitude. If you are stuck in city traffic, it won’t make your journey any faster to stare at the red traffic light. Instead, why not take that moment to admire some of the buildings around you? Or if you focus on the one or two people who annoy you, why not instead rejoice in the people who make your day? Don’t let your challenging relationships cloud your judgement of the entire human race.
It is, for me, one of the proofs that God exists that planet earth is so benign and the weight of the universe is stacked in my favour. Ironically, we might experience this truth best of all when misfortune occurs, and our fears are realised. In such instances, there is invariably someone there to help, and we can almost always rely on the kindness of strangers. Even negative experiences often turn out to be occasions for gratitude.
Jesus rejoiced in the good things of creation. Human beings, he said, worry far too much about their possessions, food and clothing (Mt 6:26–34). By contrast, the flowers of the field and the birds of the air give glory to God of their own accord. Why don’t we do the same? Those who can live each day as a gift, soon realise that compassion is at the heart of human existence.
According to the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, the essential difference between human beings and other creatures is our awareness of time. Whereas the birds and the bees dwell in the present moment, we are conscious that life is passing and the future is an unknown quantity. The solution to this worry, Kierkegaard claimed, was to make a leap of faith and put our trust in God’s enduring love. The English mystic Julian of Norwich (1342–1416) expressed that trust in divine providence with a famous prayer, which begins ‘all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.’ Even her lifetime, which was overshadowed by the Black Death, offered reasons to be grateful.
Jesus left us the Eucharist as the action by which he would be remembered and made known to his disciples. As the word ‘Eucharist’ itself implies, the Mass is essentially a prayer of thanksgiving. Even if, at Mass, our gratitude feels like a duty or an obligation, that is no bad thing either. Sometimes we need to be reminded.
