Reflection for the month - October

Always be thankful

At the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians St. Paul urges them to kindness and thankfulness, to be thankful to God for the gift of life itself and to make the best of themselves. There are some simple do’s and do not’s for this. Every day doing something we don’t want to do as well as something we do want to do. Reaching out in some way every day to someone else, and if only for a few moments being quiet and saying a prayer. Being thankful and being happy!

For as many ways as there are to be happy there are just as many ways to feel sorry for ourselves and to make ourselves miserable. There are times when continually faced with bad news of wars and natural disasters we may forget the better things in life and cultivate a consistently pessimistic outlook.

No one is indispensable, not to our jobs, our communities, even to our friends. Thinking that we are indispensable can lead to unhappiness, thinking that we are overburdened with work and responsibilities and believing that others may be taking advantage of us.

Some may well think that they are exceptional and deserving of special privileges – sadly no, Jesus had hard words for those in his time who pretended to virtuous lives, or who put an excessive value on their worldly wealth – they already had their reward.  As Christians we are encouraged to look towards the happier life possible by following Jesus. The ‘Blessed’ promises of the Beatitudes don’t promise laughter, pleasure or earthly prosperity. To Jesus “Blessed” means the experience of joy and hope, and by following Him we may find the hope and joy which are the deepest forms of happiness.

Always be thankful!