“Having gratitude and giving thanks heals us from the passion of pride, and strengthens us against the temptation to despair.”
- Archimandrite Zacharias, The Engraving of Christ in Man’s Heart, Pg 29.
Do we want to unite ourselves to Christ daily? One way we can ensure that we live with Christ in our hearts is by giving thanks. The foundation of authentic gratitude is humility.
Christ dwells in the hearts of those who are humble. A person cannot truly give thanks if he/she is prideful. Giving thanks acknowledges the assistance and value of the other person, that we did not do something on our own.
When we give thanks, we acknowledge that the things we own, the talents we have, and the success we’ve attained in life are all gifts from God. In actuality, we own none of it.(1) We are caretakers of all the gifts given to us; we are called to utilize time, talent, and treasure to the fullest potential(2) in order to love God and neighbor.
We are strengthened against despair and loneliness by giving thanks since in order to give thanks, we must first recognize all that we have. We recognize all that God has given us: the talents, the people in our lives, the successes we have, and the lessons we have learned. When we give thanks for all things, we are given peace and hope in our Lord.
During this holiday season let us prepare ourselves for the Nativity of our Lord by giving thanks to God and neighbor each day, thereby inviting Christ into our hearts and He will fill our lives with His peace and hope.
Let us strive to give others reasons to thank God, and opportunities to strengthen them in hope in their lives.
