Posts tagged ‘thanksgiving’
Gratitude and Divine Sparks
When we say “Grace” before we eat our Thanksgiving feast tomorrow, let us remember the words of Rabbi Herschel:
By saying grace, we release the Divine sparks in our food.
Created with a bit of whimsy!
God’s Creation Gives God Thanks
From today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps. 145), we read:
Let them discourse of the Glory of Your Reign
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your reign
and speak of your might.
While these flowers in San Rafael may be delicate, still they speak of God’ glory and might. And they teach us just how to lift our heads and say, “Thank You!”
Remember the Marvels the Lord has Done
Today’s antiphonal response from Psalm 105 is:
Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
The flamingo is a particularly wonderful marvel of God.
Climb up to the Roof and Enjoy the Sunset
you are participating in divinity.
San Francisco Sunset
When you see a beautiful sunset on the way (especially in winter) it’s good to go up on the roof to admire God’s handiwork.
Then say “thank you”.
Do All for the Glory of God
Paul encourages us today in the First Letter to the Corinthians.
Brothers and sisters,
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do everything for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
Sister Sally doing one of her favorite things: Making Cookies!
If You’ve Never Heard about Etty Hillesum . . . learn about her
You may not have heard about Etty Hillesum. If you haven’t, do a little research. Do you want to read an inspiring journal of courage, then read An Interrupted Life.
A desire to kneel down sometimes pulses through my body,
or rather it is as if my body has been meant and made for the act of kneeling.
Sometimes, in moments of deep gratitude,
kneeling down becomes an overwhelming urge,
head deeply bowed, hands before my face.
~Etty Hillesum An Interrupted Life~
Who doesn’t know this feeling?
Even the Rocks Sing Praise to God
In today’s Responsorial Psalm – from Psalm 95 -we hear proclaimed:
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord;
Let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving;
Let us joyfully sing psalms to the Lord.
Even the Rocks Sing Praise to God
Say Thank You Until You Mean It
I love this piece by Melody Beattie, and read it often, so as to remind me to the wisdom of Gratitude. We used it as part of our morning prayer yesterday, Thanksgiving Day, at St. Margaret Convent before going to the Ultimate Celebration of Gratitude: Eucharist. For the word Eucharist means Gratitude.
Say thank you till you mean it!
Say thank you, until you mean it.
Thank God, life, and the universe for everyone and everything sent your way.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Gratitude makes things right.
Gratitude turns negative energy into positive energy. There is no situation or circumstance so small or large that it is not susceptible to gratitude’s power. We can start with who we are and what we have today, apply gratitude, then let it work its magic.
Say thank you, until you mean it. If you say it long enough, you will believe it.
Melody Beattie in The Language of Letting Go
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving from the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael!
Prayers of Thanksgiving
In the words of Meister Eckhart, a Dominican mystic:
If the only prayer you pray in your life is thank you, it will be enough.
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. - Meister Eckhart
