“O 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”—The Serenity Prayer
“Gratitude fills us with life. Whenever you are grateful, you are receiving love and life,” said Father Matthew Linn, SJ. He was speaking to 300 participants during a one-day healing retreat held at St. Francis Xavier Church recently.
Themed: ‘From Surviving to Thriving: Discovering the Purpose of our Life’, Fr Matthew described how each of us enters this world with a special purpose given by God to deeply give and receive life and love.
“This special call is as unique as our fingerprint. Once we understand our special purpose in life, we can discern and choose what is congruent with it and abandon what is not. And as we follow our call to deeper life and love, we become fully alive. We can then resolve fearful obstacles, and find new freedom to follow God's will now and into our future,” he explained.
He encouraged everyone to review each day with gratitude. “We must ask ourselves two important questions: For what am I most grateful? For what I am least grateful? These questions help us identify moments of consolation and desolation,” said Fr Matthew.
Undeniably, gratitude might feel harder or perhaps just less natural, for some of us. But he firmly believes that one can learn to practice gratitude in his or her daily life. It does take conscious effort to be grateful, but just like any skill you acquire, it not only becomes stronger but effortless over time.
“Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. We must become more aware of God’s presence,” he reminds.
Planting Seeds for a More Purposeful Life
“Walk through your day in the presence of God. Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details. Find God in everything.
“Try to look back and find moments in the day when things didn’t go so well—when we were hurt by someone or made a mistake. We ask forgiveness and healing for those difficult and painful moments. We give praise and thanksgiving for the blessed moments,” he said.
St Ignatius of Loyola encouraged prayer-filled mindfulness by proposing what has been called the Daily Examen.
"The Examen is a method of prayerful reflection on the events of the day to detect God’s presence and to discern his direction for us.
Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. What is God saying through these feelings?
“Always seek God’s guidance. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude. Your life is a gift, and it is adorned with gifts from God.”
Each night, before one goes to bed, it is important to review the day. If you go to bed grateful, that gratitude bathes in your unconscious and you awaken more grateful.
“The purpose of our life often preoccupies us at times of transition and crisis, such as career changes or the transition from young adulthood to midlife. The Examen makes us aware of moments that at first we might easily bypass as insignificant moments, but which ultimately can give us direction,” he concluded.
