I often find it amusing when it is
lashing rain and someone says to me, ‘Isn’t it an awful day?’ And I say, ‘Yes,
it is, thank God’. I usually
get a weird look that says, ‘What do you mean, ‘thank God’?’ But why should we
not thank God just because it is raining? The rain may not always suit us, the
sun may not always suit others, but that’s no reason not to give thanks to God
for it. It is a gift from him, like many other things, even if it doesn’t suit
us.
We tend to see our world, or universe, as being the
center of things, often with God as an optional extra as it were; someone on
the outside. However, it is in fact the other way around. God is at the center
of things and we are the optional extra. We were created by God and we need not
be here. You might think that that makes us pretty small and insignificant. It
does. We are. We like to think of ourselves as extremely important, especially
the higher up we get in the world, but the fact is, we are all the exact same,
with the same need for God. Once we begin to recognize this, it actually makes
life a lot easier, because it takes a lot of pressure off us. The world doesn’t
depend on us alone to save it. The future of the human race isn’t being
sustained by me alone. The people of Fort Myers are not depending on me as a
priest, to say the right thing, to make sure they all get to heaven and I’m
very glad about that!
The governments today often talk about their decisions
as though they themselves were God, as though the future of the human race was
solely in their hands. Fortunately for us all, it is not. We are important of
course and we certainly have a big responsibility to do the right thing in the
world and to make sure that there is a good future for those who come after us,
but the Lord God of heaven and earth is also there helping us. We have a lot to
be thankful for.
At the moment we seem to be hearing almost nothing but
bad news, how awful everything is and how little hope there is. It is very hard
not to be affected by it, when we are getting this from the news on an hourly
basis. By their nature, news programs tend to focus on bad and dramatic news,
but I think it is important for us not to let that be the main influence on the
way we think, or we will begin to see the world as a very dark place. Yes, we
are in distressing times and there are plenty of problems, but the fact is that
most of us are surviving. I would imagine that everyone here has enough to eat,
has a roof over their heads at night. We probably have a car to get around in
and we probably are able to provide for our children, even if it is not as
lavish as we would like. The truth is we have an awful lot to be grateful for.
When I find myself becoming negative and wishing
things were better—and believe me I complain just as much as anyone! —I find it
a great help to start giving thanks to God for as many things as possible. In
the morning I say, ‘Thank you Lord for a good night’s rest; thank you for a hot
shower and a breakfast to eat. Thank you that I have decent clothes to wear and
enough money in my pocket to survive. Thank you for the friends I have and also
for the people I don’t like.’ I also try not to listen to too many news
programs during the day as they tend to get me down. Remember that all of the
things we listen to during the day, affect how we think and how we see the
world.
All through the Scriptures, there
are many examples of the people praising God in all kinds of situations. All the prophets and holy people continually bless and thank God for
everything. They have a great sense of
the holiness of God and of what is sacred and they continually acknowledge that.
When God reveals the answer that the
king is looking for to Daniel, his first reaction is to praise God:
May the name of God be
blessed for ever and ever,
since wisdom and power are
his alone...
To you, God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise
for having given me wisdom
and strength (Dan 2:20, 23).
Three men who serve king Nebuchadnezzar
refuse to worship his statue as God. As
a result they are thrown into a fire.
But they remain faithful to God.
Azariah begins singing in the furnace:
May you be blessed and
revered, Lord, God of our ancestors,
may your name be held
glorious for ever. (Dan 3:26)
Then the other men begin to sing as
well:
May you be blessed, Lord,
God of our ancestors,
be praised and extolled for
ever.
Blessed by your glorious
and holy name... (Dan 3:52)
The message to us is to praise God no
matter what and not just for what suits us, which is what we are inclined to
do. Take the rain...
When Tobit goes blind he prays to God
to restore his sight to him. But see how
he begins the prayer:
You are just, O Lord, and
just are all your works.
All your ways are grace and
truth,
and you are the Judge of
the world.
Therefore Lord, remember
me... (Tobit 3:2-3)
Sarah
cries out to God in her distress
You are blessed, O God of
mercy!
May your name be blessed
for ever,
and may all things you have
made
bless you everlastingly.
And now I turn my face
and I raise my eyes to
you... (Tobit 3:11-12)
Our
Lady's reaction to Elizabeth's greeting:
My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Jesus
I bless you Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing
them to mere children.
The Scriptures teach us to continually
bless and praise God for everything, no matter what, while also asking God for
what we need.
We have a lot to be
grateful for. So maybe the next time you want to ask God’s help for something
in prayer, take a moment first to thank God for the many things He has given
you and then ask for your needs. And maybe even thank God for the rain the next
time it’s lashing and you’re about to get soaked!
‘In the world you will
have trouble. But do not be afraid, I have overcome the world.’
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