BRINGING THANKS INTO YOUR PRAYER:
This reflection is written by Fr. James Martin, SJ and appears in the November issue of GIVE US THIS DAY missalette, p. 7.
Finding your prayer dry? Having a tough time seeing God in your daily life? Struggling with despair? Then begin with gratitude, the easiest way to jump-start your spiritual life.
One of the most popular ways to pray is St. Ignatius Loyola's "examination of conscience," in which you review the day to discover signs of God's activity. And, surprisingly for a man of his times, St. Ignatius begins the prayer not with a catalogue of one's sins but with gratitude. Why? Well, left to our own devices, we tend to focus on the negatives in life. Many of us are also inveterate problem solvers. Thus, when we look back on our day we automatically focus on what went wrong, on what needs to be fixed. Some of this is part of our emotional hardwiring, the vestige of the prehistoric mind: the caveman or cavewoman most likely to survive was the one most alert to danger. But concentrating on our problems can mean we overlook our blessings.
What if you don't feel that you have much to be grateful for? In that case, try looking at smaller, everyday blessings. The taste of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A crazy joke that lightened your day. An unexpected phone call from a friend. Or look at more long-term blessings: a roof over your head, food on the table, a job. To be grateful, all you need to do is recall the blessing, savor it, and tell God that you're thankful. As Meister Eckhart wrote: "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, that will be enough."
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