I find that when I’m thankful, I’m loving. When I’m unthankful, I’m unloving. For me, it’s hard to receive and love the best I can without first being full of thanksgiving.
Before I went to the Philippines for training, I took a lot for granted. My weakness was being able to love and be loved. Though I was in a very loving community and came from a very loving family, still, my heart was not truly, genuinely, loving. It was because I was ungrateful. The most important lesson I learned from immersing for three months in the Philippines, training to be a full-time lay missionary, was how to be thankful.
I was so used to a comfortable life. I was two years into my career as a Graphic/Web Designer and made enough to be independent and comfortable. Also, I was now making money for doing something I did for fun. In a worldly sense, I was fulfilled, but I wasn’t truly thankful. The material abundance in my life distracted me from being thankful for the invisible things: relationships, virtues, grace, …love. Being a leader in the community I served, I was more focused on production and results rather than building relationships. I mean, I had a good relationship with my household and a few others here and there, but I was selective, and that’s the farthest it went. I settled for mediocre relationships so that it wouldn’t be so hard. I thought that investing in people wasn’t worth the sacrifices I would have to make on my end. It would mean less time for me and the things I wanted in life.
Despite all of this and my hardened heart, the Lord was still so faithful. He still inspired holy inclinations and desires within me. He still gave me the grace to follow Him and draw closer to Him. He still affirmed me of His love even in the midst of my sinfulness. He led me to discern to give my life to him as a lay missionary, and He gave me the grace to answer His call. It would take another post to share how faithful He was throughout my discernment, but let’s just say that He never stopped knocking at my door. He never stopped affirming me of His love, and He never stopped forgiving me of my sins. This only led my heart to be opened to Him more and more. I found myself so caught up in Him, so much that I was compelled to say YES to fully surrender to Him and allow Him to use me fully.
I encountered Jesus in a way never before when I immersed in the Philippines. Last time I visited was for a family vacation 6 years prior to my return. However, this time around I was there for mission and I encountered Jesus like never before in the poor. My most profound experience was when I stayed at an ANCOP village for three days. I will never forget the family I stayed with, the youth I met, the kids I played with, and the generosity they showed me. They humbly taught me what’s truly important in life, and that’s simply Love. Love in it’s most real and raw form. The message continued all throughout my time in the Philippines, and the Lord blessed my heart so much.
The more I surrendered, the more I was blessed. And that is still the case now, now that I’ve been two years living this life as His missionary. He has blessed me, my family, and all my relationships all the more, and He has pruned my life so that it could bear even more fruit. It has been the most challenging, beautiful struggle, but I can rest assured it’s the path of holiness He’s set me on. It’s the path that is leading me closer to Him and the salvation of my soul.
My brothers and sisters, let’s always be thankful …and joyful! We have Christ in our hearts. We are His Church. We are part of a communion of saints with multitudes upon multitudes praying for us. We have His Sacraments. We have His real presence in the Holy Eucharist. What more could we ask for?
Eucharist means “thanksgiving”. When we receive Jesus, we are filled with thanksgiving! To live a Eucharistic life is to live a life of thanksgiving, believing that God has given everything we need (and more), and most especially the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.
He has blessed us in superabundance, overflowing so that we can share the blessings! How can we not be thankful?
Thankfulness helps us to focus on what has already been given rather than what we want. Thus, it helps us focus on the Lord through the people and everything He’s given in our lives. Even if we’re very sinful, we can still be very thankful. Being thankful simplifies our desires—it helps us to desire and see only Him in everyone and everything.
Lord Jesus Christ, giver of all that is good, thank You for my life. In all my shortcomings and weaknesses, please help me to always be thankful. Thank you for all the people that I share this life with. Thank you for providing for all my temporal needs as a lay missionary. Most of all, thank You for the fullness of Your Love and Your graces! With these I will be rich enough and desire nothing more. Amen.