“I continually thank my God for you because of the favor he has bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, in whom you have been richly endowed with every gift of speech and knowledge. Likewise, the witness I bore to Christ has been so confirmed among you that you lack no spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus. God is faithful, and it was he who called you to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1: 4-9).”
GRATITUDE AS THE BASIS OF OUR PRAYER:
In almost every letter, Paul is giving thanks to God, sometimes ceaselessly, sometimes exuberantly. In this passage from his first letter to the Corinthians, he is amazed and full of gratitude at the marvelous favor and gifting that God has bestowed on the Corinthians. His gratitude fortifies his trust that God will strengthen the Corinthians to the end so that they will be “blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus.” And this trust is based on God’s faithfulness to His people, rather than on the faithfulness of the Corinthians to God.
In his letter to the Philippians, for instance, Paul gives thanks to God constantly at the way the Philippians have continually helped to promote the gospel from the very first day. “I give thanks to my God every time I think of you – which is constantly, in every prayer I utter – rejoicing, as I plead on your behalf, at the way you have all continually helped promote the gospel from the very first day (Philippians 1: 3-5).” In Paul, gratitude always seems to be the outflow of amazement and praise at God’s marvelous favors and works among His people. As a result, his gratitude moves into earnest petition on behalf of the people he is ministering to, asking God to provide them with the grace to remain faithful and covenanted to Him.
What then is the basis of our prayer of remembrance or gratitude? As creatures we are beholden to God our Creator for the essence of our being. God upholds us in existence every waking and sleeping moment. In God we live and move and have our being, regardless of whether we choose to have a relationship or not. What is even more striking is that God has chosen to enter into a union of likeness with us. “God chose us in him (Jesus Christ) before the world began, to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be full of love; he likewise predestined us through Christ Jesus to be his adopted sons – such was his will and pleasure – that all might praise the glorious favor he has bestowed on us in his beloved (Ephesians 1:4-6).” Several imponderable truths strike us in this passage. They are truths we will never be able to comprehend adequately. However, they will always inspire and nourish us deeply as they reveal the deepest recesses of God’s love and compassion for us. They are the truths that:
- God chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior by dying on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus’ death is the perfect sacrifice that has bought our forgiveness and salvation.
- God adopted us and made us sons and daughters of the living God and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. Knowing fully well our sinful and flawed lineage, God did not balk at making us divine heirs, giving us all the rights and privileges that belong to the sons and daughters of God’s family.
- Not only did God not hesitate to adopt us and change our blood lines in a manner of speaking, God then proceeded further to do the impossible by human standards, to make us holy, blameless, and full of love through Jesus Christ. Even though we have feet of clay, through God’s power and passionate investment in us, we can and will be transformed if we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, obeying his commandments and heeding his teachings with all our hearts, minds, and souls. Already in this life we will “experience every spiritual blessing in the heavens (Ephesians 1: 3)!”
THE PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE:
Various traditions have developed around the central core of Christian discipleship, which is that our God is a gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. Our God is ever ready to forgive and bless. As a result, the disciple’s basic attitude is gratitude, praise, and deep joy at experiencing such largesse at the hands of God. These traditions could be summed up in three categories:
· The first category would focus on being deeply grateful to God for all the gifts and blessings one has received and continues to receive on a daily basis from God. Such a practice leads to a grateful and trusting heart. Even in lean times, God continues to pour out the divine largesse upon us. The ability to experience God’s bountiful harvest in time of famine is a special grace that is given to the disciple who has staked his or her discipleship on trusting the Master completely.
· The second category would emphasize all the gifts and blessings God has offered others through you. The emphasis would be on God choosing to use you as an instrument of salvation for others, and not on you being the author of your good works. This practice would gradually give you an understanding that your life is not your own. You belong to God and your life on earth is a mission and pilgrimage. In essence you are part of the mystical Body of Christ and your function in life is to help establish the reign of God.
· The third category would focus on thanking God for the trials, tribulations, and even failures you have experienced and committed in your life, as a way of understanding that God can and does bring good out of everything if only we trust God’s forgiveness and guidance in our lives.
Disciples who have engaged assiduously in thanking God for every single happening in their lives have come to a deep serenity and peace. They have also developed an abiding trust in God’s protection and guidance.
THE BENEFITS OF CONTINUAL THANKSGIVING:
The benefits of this way of praying are immense. St. Ignatius of Loyola believes that anyone who focuses on God’s continual providence to him/her, will invariably come to a deep experience of love – God’s love for the disciple in the first place, leading to an ardent and serious commitment to loving God in deeds, or doing God’s will in the nitty-gritty of life. A second and equally important benefit is that a person focusing on being loveable and loving is invariably joyful and hopeful. Such individuals know what Paul is talking about in the Scripture passage quoted above from 2 Corinthians. They experience God’s comforting presence even in affliction.
HELPFUL ATTITUDES FOR PRAYER:
· Try to follow Saint Paul’s advice by thanking God continually for all that happens in your life. Try to be unwavering in your commitment to interpret life’s circumstances from the point of view of faith which is to believe without seeing.
· When anxiety and fear, or any other desolation threatens your state of joy and trust, return to thanking God even though you might not feel gratitude.
· Pray for your enemies, do good to those who hate you, keep a non-violent and compassionate heart and mind.
· No matter what is happening in the disciple’s life, all is well because God is at the helm.
· It does not matter how unreliable and corrupt our spiritual gene pool might be, God decided to adopt us regardless, believing that through Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit could and would accomplish the good work of making us sons and daughters of the Living God.
· It is more important in our relationship with God to focus on God’s love for us rather than our love for God. when our hearts and minds have been saturated with God’s magnanimous love for us, our own love and commitment for God will blossom and become passionate.
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER:
- Be faithful to your time of prayer, and make it between 20 and 30 minutes daily.
- Begin every prayer session with an earnest prayer to the Holy Spirit like the one I have composed for you: Come, Holy Spirit, and overshadow me with your gentle wisdom and power as I endeavor to sit at the feet of Jesus during this period of prayer. Purify my mind and heart as I seek to make the teachings of Jesus my priority in life, thinking, speaking and doing as He desires. You are the keeper of my soul, leading me into God’s heart. May I be docile and submissive to your wisdom and guidance. May my life be a pleasing offering in your sight. Amen.
- Take one of the passages suggested for prayer. During the week you might want to ponder the question, “Is gratitude a defining characteristic of your discipleship? Is your life marked by peace and joy even though you walk “through a valley of darkness?”
- Lastly, during your prayer make sure you also address God directly and listen for the Holy Spirit’s responses.
- You can end your prayer with the following: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for your gracious companionship. I praise you for being my Creator, Savior and Lord. May I take your blessings to my day, and may your presence envelop and permeate all my thoughts and actions. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PASSAGES FOR PRAYER:
Psalm 103: Praise of Divine Goodness
Psalm 136: Hymn of Thanksgiving for the Everlasting Kindness of the Lord
Psalm 138: Hymn of a Grateful Heart
Luke 1: 46-55: Mary’s Canticle
Luke 1: 67-79: Zechariah’s Canticle
Romans 8: 28- 39: God’s Love for Humans
Ephesians 1: 3-23: The Father’s Plan of Salvation
Revelation 5: 1- 14: The Scroll and the Lamb
SPIRITUAL READING:
The Imitation of Christ:
After the Bible, this classic is the most widely read. There are four books and 114 chapters in all. You could savor this book three times over if you read a single chapter each day of the retreat. For this week the following chapters might be useful:
Book II: Suggestions Drawing One toward the Inner Life:
Chapter 10: Of Gratitude for God’s Grace
Book III: Of Inner Comfort:
Chapter 9: That All Things come from God and must return to God
Chapter 22: Of Remembering God’s many Blessings
Chapter 40: That all of a person’s goodness comes from God, not from Himself
The Bible:
It would be even more important for you to become familiar with the Bible, especially with the New Testament. Similarly, beginning with the New Testament you can choose to read a few chapters on a daily basis, and/or the ones recommended during this week.
Old Testament:
Psalms of Praise and Thanksgiving: 8, 11, 16, 19, 23, 30, 65, 95, 96
JOURNALING:
- Journal for a few minutes daily about your experience with God in prayer and during the day.
- Your journal will help you with your sharing in spiritual direction
- Gradually patterns of insights, themes, consolations, and resistance to God’s promptings will emerge.
- Your journal will help you appreciate the Holy Spirit’s action in your being.
|