“It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation to give You thanks, Lord Holy Father almighty and eternal God.”
This line from the Mass reminds me of what I’m supposed to do each and every day before I ask the Father for anything. As soon as I get up, have my usual coffee (black with a touch of water), I make time to enter into dialogue with our Lord to ask for the graces necessary to make it through this day, make the best decisions in every moment and try to find my purpose.
Pope Francis in his latest encyclical says, “Instead of running after superficial satisfactions and playing a role for the benefit of others, we would do better to think about the really important questions in life. Who am I, really? What am I looking for? What direction do I want to give to my life, my decisions and my actions? Why and for what purpose am I in this world? How do I want to look back on my life once it ends? What meaning do I want to give to all my experiences? Who do I want to be for others? Who am I for God? All these questions lead us back to the heart.”
I ask myself, how many times throughout the day do I lift my heart up the Lord? Am I just running after superficial satisfactions? Am I truly taking the time to be still and turn within? Am I taking the time to serve others and help them see the face of Christ?
In one way or another, life can have a funny way of making us heartless. It’s easy to say hello to our friends and loved ones using modern day technology, but how do we genuinely encounter people?
This Thanksgiving, I’m extra grateful for the gift of the life that I continue to live. So many people of my generation never made it this far. From drug addiction to the criminal lifestyle, many have perished and continue to do so. The saving graces of our Lord have given me a new lease on life, free from the horrors of addiction and self-deprecation. Every one of us has value; aren’t the sparrows even taken care of?
How then can I use what I have to serve others? How can I spread the Gospel to those who need to hear it most? The way we can is by the example of the life we live. St. Francis says, “Preach the Gospel at all times … ” And he continues, “ … and if necessary use words.”
Chris Gay is a member of St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic Parish and a contributor to The Catholic Times.