TWO BEAUTIFUL WORDS

 

 TWO BEAUTIFUL WORDS 

 

Two of the most beautiful words are not known anymore to many people today. These are “thank you.” 

 

Each one of us has probably experienced ingratitude. We did somebody  a favor, and this person didn’t show gratitude. Too much is taken for granted  by too many people. But this is nothing new. The nine healed lepers in today’s  Gospel did not come back to say thank you to Jesus. They are proof of this  fact. And how sad Jesus was. People are often like children who write a letter  to Santa Claus for a gift but seldom send him a thank you note. When we are  in need, we run to God like the lepers did. We offer Masses for our intentions.  We pray a novena or two, light some candles, and beg the Lord for help. But  a few offer a thanksgiving Mass. 

 

Taking God for granted goes hand in hand with taking our fellowmen for  granted. How many parents suffer when their children don’t thank them for  their efforts and sacrifices? Have we thanked our teachers? We criticized them  and complained about them, but have we really thanked them for helping us  become what we are now? Isn’t it a pity that people who have to give most of  themselves are often paid the least, such as teachers, nurses, and social workers? 

 

Gratitude is a close associate of happiness. It does not put people down  but lifts up those who hear the two words and those who say them. Gratitude  expressed to our fellowmen will lead us to be more grateful to God, and vice  versa. The fact that we wake up in the morning, have a job through which we  earn our keep, friends who love us—all these things we take easily for granted  but are actually signs of God’s love for us. They are gifts of a loving Father in  heaven. 

 

Learning the two words and using them more frequently, we can do so  much good. We can make many people happy. We can encourage them. And  we ourselves will live a bit happier than before.  

 

So, thank you, dear readers! Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD 

 

 

REFLECTION QUESTION 

 

Who do you need to thank today, aside from God? Do it now. 

Lord, thank You for the reminding me to be grateful. Let me not forget this lesson for life. Amen. 

 

Today, I pray for: __________________________________________________________