"A Time to be Grateful, Contrite, and Generous" Nov 18, 2022

A Time to be Grateful, Contrite, and Generous

The hauntingly talented novelist Flannery O’Connor died at the age of 39 in 1964. After her death, a journal she kept at age 21 was published. A journal entry referred to the slim crescent of the moon, the time during which we only see a sliver of the moon as it moves around the Earth. O’Connor poetically describes this phase as the shadow of the Earth blocking her from seeing the entire moon. This entry reflects her fear that her ego will be an all-consuming shadow, blocking light and good from entering her life.

This reflection provides an apt lesson as we prepare for Thanksgiving and consider what it means to celebrate this feast well. Once we get beyond the turkey, football on TV, and Black Friday shopping, we have the opportunity to welcome one of the greatest gifts we receive all year: to step back and reflect upon the things and people for whom we are grateful. It is a time-honored truth that kindling gratitude for the precious gifts God has placed in our lives and for the blessings too often taken for granted is essential for a healthy and holy life. Further, gratitude experienced well always seems to overflow with examples of generosity.

Consider first the quality of serenity as a healthy outcome of a grateful life. Reinhold Niebuhr expressed this virtue so well in his prayer for serenity, popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous. Most of us know the first part: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.” I find the rest of the prayer, in which Niebuhr evokes the life of Jesus Christ, even richer: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right as I surrender to His will, that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.”
Those of us who are "Seinfeld" fans remember George Costanza’s father screaming in desperation, “Serenity now!” Serenity flowing from gratitude is a clear sign of a healthy soul, especially in the face of terrible situations in our lives, families, or communities.

In her journal, Flannery O’Connor presents three signs of a healthy soul. The first is the gift of being grateful, in which a healthy experience of gratitude overflows into generosity. It is no coincidence that as people give thanks during this season, they also think about their neighbors and strangers in need. Acts of generosity wrongly done, however, can become signs of ego in which we forget the generous act and self-praise becomes the order of the day. St. Vincent de Paul, a saint of the Catholic Church from 17th century France, gave advice to the Ladies of Charity serving with him: “Pray that the poor will forgive you for the bread that you give them.” When I first heard that quote, I wasn’t sure I understood what he was saying, and I even felt a little bit of resentment. Why should I ask forgiveness for an act of goodness that I am doing? St. Vincent de Paul was referring to the same ego that worried Flannery O’Connor. When an act of generosity becomes an occasion to promote ourselves, the ego takes over, and an unhealthy state of the soul results. Instead of deep and sincere gratitude being the engine that motivates an act of charity, ego turns us inward. Flannery O’Connor, however, speaks of moving outward or mission as the third sign of a healthy soul. Gratitude moves our hearts to serve others generously.

The second sign of a generous soul in Flannery O’Connor‘s reflection is the gift of contrition. Contrition means sorrow and a healthy awareness of our offenses or our failure to do good. Flannery O’Connor provides great advice for us this Thanksgiving: to look into our hearts and develop those three signs of health — gratitude for the precious gifts already in our lives, contrition for past failures, and a movement outside of ourselves in sincere acts of generosity.

This Thanksgiving, let us be thankful for what we have, for the family we love, the friends we cherish, the blessings of the past year, and for blessings still to come. May we be ever grateful for God’s unfailing grace. I wish you a harvest of blessings, good health, and hope in the Lord. God bless you, and happy Thanksgiving!

Fr. Robert T. Cooper, Pastor
Divine Mercy Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School