My Grateful Life

"Jesus said to His disciples, 'When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit upon His glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him. The the King will say, to the sheep on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then, the righteous will answer Him and say, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the brothers of mine, you did for me. . . . Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' "-- [Matthew 25: 31-46.]

I have read and re-read this Scripture, and I have thought, 'Thanksgiving is coming. Why would the Scripture readings for the Sunday before Thanksgiving be about what seems to be "tit-for-tat"? '
Where is the Gratitude in this Reading?

As I reflect on Gratitude, I realize that it is NOT all about giving at the same level of generosity, as another gives to us.

I took my mother back, after my father's death, even though she did not possess any soft maternal instincts; even though she was manipulative and controlling one moment, and cold and abandoning the next; even though, at times, she could be downright cruel.

My father had died suddenly one morning, before my mother could even complete her 9-11 call, and give the dispatcher the address. He slipped away, before the ambulance could even arrive.

I thought I owed her that, taking her back. After all, she was my mother. I refused to even contemplate abandoning her, the way that she had abandoned me. But then, an endless round of generosity ensued. I balanced her checkbook, she cleaned my oven. I took her to the doctor, she dusted my living room. I picked up grocery items that she needed, she paid for them. AND, she gave me a few dollars each week, for the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches she ate at my house!

We could not do enough for each other. It was sweet, in a way. We were reversing a lifetime of her lashing out at me -- and my disappearing physically, emotionally, psychically, in order to protect myself.

But, Generosity is not a contest of wills. It is not a power struggle. It is not an act intended to create a debt, owed to the giver. Generosity is not a never-ending game of one-upmanship.

When we are generous to another, we are being generous to Jesus Himself! That ought to make one ashamed of any power struggle, when it comes to generosity!

Even if we are not so secure with the relationship, as Christians, we give anyway. We give to the Jesus who is in every person we meet. . . .

Which leads me back to Gratitude.

I was hungry as a child, and I was not fed, even though we had food. My father would say, "Do not feed her!" I took my mother back and fed her home cooked meals. I fed the sacred in her.

Today, I am grateful that I have food to eat. Today, my mother is gone, passed on. But I purposefully give food to the town food pantry.

I was cold as a child. My mother would say, "Stop acting up. You are not cold." I took my mother back into my life, and I made sure that her new apartment was warm. I warmed the sacred in her.

Today, I am grateful that I have plenty of sweaters and coats to keep me warm. I knit hats and scarves for the local homeless shelter.

I was ill as a child, with asthma. After age 14, my mother no longer took me to a doctor for this. She would say, "You outgrew your asthma"-- when it never truly goes away. I took my mother back, and I tended to her medical care until she died. I comforted the suffering Jesus in her.

Today, I am grateful that I have caring doctors to treat me. I knit Prayer Shawls to comfort the sick. I donate to Medic Alert Foundation.

I was cornered as a child, shut down in my own, self-imposed prison, because of the cruelty and rejection in that home. I took my mother back and I set her free from her cold, lonely house without my father. I set free the sacred in her.

Today, I am grateful to have been set free, as a Christian. I advocate against the death penalty, which places prisoners in the worst prison conditions of all.

As a young woman, I was the victim of a violent crime, when I was away at school. My mother abandoned me in that far away city. I was a stranger in a strange city, and I had to turn to strangers to help me. I took my mother back when she was alone and had no one to care for her. I welcomed the sacred stranger.

Today, I am grateful that I am no longer alone. I am helping a friend who comes from a far away Continent, and who cannot find anyone in the world to help him.

I believe that, if we are Generous, then that arises from Gratitude. We may think that we are paying back the person who did something good for us. We may believe that we are paying back Jesus, and in reality, we are.

But what starts out as reciprocating favors, becomes Love, directed to any and all who are in need. Gratitude becomes Generosity to others. In acting out of Gratitude, we are truly unleashing our Love into the Universe.

Unleash the Gratitude. Give freely.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[Related Postings: "Gratitude", November 16, 2011; "Happy Thanksgiving", November 26, 2013.]

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