Lent: A time for random acts of gratitude

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Sister Lou Ella Hickman, IWBS is a member of the order of the Incarnate Word of the Blessed Sacrament.

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Lent is the apt season to begin cultivating an attitude or lifestyle of gratitude for it is the Church's annual wake-up call for us to grow beyond our comfort zone. And perhaps the most important area where we need to stretch is developing a refined sense of gratitude.

The soldier-saint Ignatius of Loyola believed ingratitude was "the cause, beginning and origin of all evils and sins." For William Shakespeare, ingratitude was "sharper than a serpent's tooth." Jonathan Swift, another English author, wrote, "He that calls a man ungrateful sums up all the evil that a man can be guilty of."

Jesus graphically portrays ingratitude when he said, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God (Lk 17:17-18)?" One Biblical scholar says the foreigner in this passage is the Church for she is one who daily gives thanks in the Eucharist.

There are many exercises that we can use to strengthen gratitude muscles. During a family meal, for example, we can discuss how Jesus was a man of gratitude. Rather than watch TV after supper, we can act out ways Jesus lived out gratitude. We can read and pray thanksgiving psalms together; for example, Psalms 147:7-8, 95:2-3, 7:17, 28:7 and 100:4. Perhaps we can memorize these verses.

There are other ways that a family can practice appreciativeness. They may incorporate a "gratitude bowl" as part of their evening meal ritual. Have each member of the family pick one of the slips of paper from a bowl with its suggested gratitude activity. Be sure the activity is doable for younger children.

Brainstorm as a family a list of people society considers invisible and discuss ways to express gratitude to them. Then create a Lenten calendar to schedule these activities as a family. This project could be done throughout the year.

It is also important that we make time to write. Send a note to someone to consider a religious vocation. Include "I think you would make a great priest, sister, brother, deacon because…. Thank you for praying about it." Send a note to thank a teacher; they make every job possible.

Surprise your children and spouse with a letter through the mail. Name at least three things you see in them that you are grateful for. Check for the names of the parish staff on the church bulletin and write a thank you letter to one of the staff members.

Being grateful should be a daily occurrence. At the grocery store checkout counter, call the person helping you by name (it's on their name tag) before you rush off. If possible, take a few moments to chat. Depending on the time of day, the person in front of you may look tired. Make it a special point to say thank you.

If you meet someone cleaning a bathroom in the mall or a gas station, remember he or she is close to the top on society's invisible list. Lift their spirits with a warm greeting, a thank you and, perhaps, a tip. Leave an unsigned thank you note on a co-worker's desk.

Gratitude, of course, can be central to your spiritual activities. As you prepare for the sacrament of confession, include your level of gratitude or ingratitude. When you attend Mass this Lent, take a few moments to ask God for the grace of gratitude.

Make a mental list of people you find difficult. Read 1 Cor 1:4-9 prayerfully each day, then thank God for each difficult person and ask him to give them whatever he or she needs to come closer to him.

How might the following statement be used for prayer during Lent? "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough (Meister Eckhart, O.P.)." Now more than ever, our world, our country and our Church need people whose gratitude speaks louder than the mere, "Thanks for passing the salt."

If we are truly Eucharistic people, then we must have the lifestyle of gratitude, of giving thanks both to God and to others. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta's words describe the time of Lent well, "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."

Indeed, let us begin living the joy filled life of gratitude today.