Wednesday 29 May 2013

Wednesday - gratitude

Prayer:  O Lord,  may we take this time today to reflect upon our behaviour,  our attitudes,  and our life.  May we live this day in Your glory and Your love.  Amen.

Read St Luke 16: 14 – 18

The Pharisees had been listening to Jesus.  They begin mummering that Jesus is sadly out of touch with the community.    The sacrifices and atonements were based on financial resources.   Giving to the poor was based on financial resources.  The Pharisees did not think there was a conflict between piety and possessions.

Yet Jesus is bringing the Pharisees up short by stating that money is not everything.   God looks inward at the heart and sees what kind of person really lies within.    God does not look at people’s bank accounts or the deals they’ve made or the purest animals purchased for sacrifice.   God looks inward at the person’s behaviour, attitudes, and life.

How do we bring our focus off of money and onto God?    Gratitude.    One of the Church Fathers,  Ignatius,  stated that gratitude is the foundation to our relationship with God.    Each day,  Ignatius instructed the Church to do a daily reflection of what they had accomplished each day and whether their day was filled with gratitude to God.

Let us journey together with an Ignatian Examen time of Reflection and Prayer:

1.  Give God thanks for all you have received.   Give God thanks for the big things you have received as well as all the small things you have received.    Remember the “things” are not monetary.  Faith,  life,  family…..    What have you received in your life that you are thankful?  

2.  Ask for the grace to know your sins and to root them out.
Spend time on this statement.  Ask God to help you root out the things in your life that are sinful…. or caused hurt to yourself…. or caused hurt to others….   
Ask God to help you remember and then ask for forgiveness of things you have said or not said… for things you have done or not done.
Be greatful for the life God has given to you.

3.  Reflect over the day.  What actions,  thoughts, words, feelings have you had?   Have your actions, thoughts, words, and feelings led you to God?

4.  Ask God to forgive your sins and faults
It is in asking forgiveness of God that we become whole people of God.

5.  With God’s help,  what one thing will you resolve to change in your life tomorrow so that your life is a reflection of God?

Close with the Lord’s Prayer.

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