Dear All,
We are moving towards the end of the year and today we have a focus on Thanksgiving. We hope everyone feels that they have something or someone to be thankful for. Forgive a bit of ‘Joyce Rupp – itus’ – she crops up frequently with Gratitude and gives us useful reminders, I think.
Our blessing comes from the ‘In Tune with Heaven’ CD this week – ‘May the Mind of Jesus’, maybe praying it for not only ourselves but for those for whom we are thankful.
With love
Sat Nov 1st is our Annual Mass for the Dead at New Hall at 2pm. All are welcome – there will be a Mass, a visit to the cemetery & blessing, & then tea.
To give us an idea of the number of leaflets to print & numbers for tea, it would be helpful if you could let us know if you are coming. Thanks.
From Seven Sacred Pauses – Macrina Wiederkehr.
Often, as we come in sight of the end of our day, the things that must yet be done form a circle around us & vie for our attention. We long for the rooms of our hearts to be at rest, but find instead anxious or even petulant hearts. We are, however, in charge of our attitudes. We have the power to transform fretful hearts into grateful hearts. Gratitude is one of the themes of the Vespers hour. If we search out reasons to be grateful, we may be amazed to discover that our gratitude room is overflowing. This honoured guest is a healing companion, always available to us. Gratitude is like incense. It ascends & flows out as a sweet fragrance to everyone. A heart filled with gratitude is a heart filled with the incense of prayer. We leave what is unfinished in Eternal hands.
Gratitude – Joyce Rupp
East: Light
We give thanks not only for the sun’s light that guides our physical path in finding our way. We remember the inner light, the countless times a glimmer of light-filled hope has been returned to us through the people we know, the insights we’ve gleaned, the prose and poetry we’ve read, music we’ve listened to, our personal experiences with nature, and much more.
We give thanks for light.
South: Warmth
This direction reminds us of what brings about fruitfulness and a sense of comfort; we recall what others have offered to us during this year, how their kindness, kinship, and compassionate understanding warmed our hearts and assured us that we are supported and loved. We remember, too, how our generosity of spirit has warmed others in their stumbling situations.
We give thanks for the warmth of love.
West: Endings
In this direction of the setting sun and the ending of day’s light, we pause to reflect on the transitions of this year, to acknowledge that not all endings lead to pain and heartache. Physical pain lessens momentarily or permanently; personal heartache softens and sadness about the world’s situation eases due to those promoting justice; a momentary ending of drought arrives with a drenching rain soaking into the land and filling dry waterways; love grows stronger after a quarrel ceases.
We give thanks for positive endings.
North: Resilience
In this direction where darkness and frozen land preside over a portion of the year, we look into our lives and see that we carry the ancestral gifts of courage and endurance in our psyches and in our bones; we are coming through the year’s challenges and difficult situations and remained alive and peaceful; we value and trust our inner strength that allows us to bear the burdens that came our way. We are able to keep our wavering hope from being frozen.
We give thanks for our inner resilience.
Within: Beauty
As we deliberately look toward our interior being, we recognize the beauty of our souls, the seeds of goodness and love that is maturing in us, the opportunities that we’ve engaged in so we can share this beauty and love with others. We rejoice in our faithfulness to our spiritual transformation process.
We give thanks for the beauty of our clearest, truest self.
Gratitude – Joyce Rupp
To be grateful for what is,
instead of underscoring what is not.
To find good among the unwanted aspects of life,
without denying the presence of the unwanted.
To focus on beauty in the little things of life,
as well as being deliberate about the great beauties
of art, literature, music and nature.
To be present to one’s own small space of life,
while stretching to the wide world beyond it.
To find something to laugh about in every day,
even when there seems nothing to laugh about.
To search for and to see the good in others,
rather than remembering their faults and weaknesses.
To be thankful for each loving deed done by another,
no matter how insignificant it might appear.
To taste life to the fullest,
and not take any part of it for granted.
To seek to forgive others for their wrongdoings,
even immense ones, and to put the past behind.
To find ways to reach out and help the disenfranchised,
whilst always preserving their dignity and self-worth.
To be as loving and caring as possible,
in a culture that consistently challenges these virtues.
To remember to say or send ‘thank you’
for whatever comes as a gift from another.
To be at peace
with what cannot be changed.
The Flow of Gratitude
Gratitude flows from the recognition that all that is, is a divine gift born out of love and freely given to us so that we may offer thanks and share it with others.
The more we touch the intimate love of God which creates, sustains, and guides us, the more we recognize the multitude of fruits that come forth from that love. They are fruits of the Spirit, such as: joy, peace, kindness, goodness, and gentleness. When we encounter any of these fruits, we always experience them as gifts.
When, for instance, we enjoy a good atmosphere in the family, a peaceful mood among friends, or a spirit of cooperation and mutual support in community, we intuitively know that we did not produce it. It cannot be made, imitated, or exported. To people who are jealous, and who would like to have our joy and peace, we cannot give a formula to produce it or a method to acquire it. It is always perceived as a gift, to which they only appropriate response is gratitude.
Henri Nouwen