Tag: gratitude

Many were the occasions, when speaking with the friars or other people, that Solanus would extol the importance and necessity of gratitude. His letters express this theme over and over. He calls gratitude “the first sign of a thinking, rational creature.” …To some people asking for God’s help in their needs, he would suggest that they “thank God ahead of time.” This might seem a bold idea, sort of “putting God on the spot,” as he explained to one of the brothers, but certainly a great leap of faith. While Solanus could not get personally involved in the daily work of the soup kitchen, he did keep close to it by urging others to support it, especially when he came into contact with people of means. He considered this charity toward the poor one of the best ways to thank God and obtain heavenly favors. His own fervent prayers on behalf of the poor sometimes obtained remarkable results.

One day Fr. Herman sent word over to Fr. Solanus that they were running out of bread. Solanus left his desk and hurried over to the soup kitchen. He asked the people standing around waiting for the meal to join him in praying the Our Father. As they finished the prayer there was a knock at the door. A man came in with a large basket of bread and said that he had a truck full of loaves outside. After all the bread was brought in and piled up, the man looked at the pile in amazement and said, “That’s more than the truck could hold.”

—from the book Gratitude and Grit: The Life of Blessed Solanus Casey,
by Brother Leo Wollenweber, OFM Cap, pages 51-52

//Franciscan Media//

“Thanks be to God” was the prayer most often on his lips, coming directly from his heart. Always filled with a true sense of gratitude himself, first to God and then to the benefactors, he tried to lead others to this attitude. In 1937 he was invited to deliver a little “radio address” at the time of a benefit party arranged for the soup kitchen. This is an excerpt from that talk. 

“From all parts of the city men and women came to us asking how they might help. We Capuchins are told that the city of Detroit wishes to show itself grateful for the help we have given during the days of the Depression. We admit that we have tried to be of service to the poorest of the poor, but must add that it was a simple duty. St. Francis, our holy founder, impressed it upon his brethren that they must labor for their daily bread. And he added, “Should the wages of our work be not given us, then shall we have recourse to the table of the Lord asking alms from door to door.” Our lot has been cast among the simple lives of the poor, and our object is to give them spiritual aid and, if possible, material help as well. When speaking of those days of the Depression, we cannot forget that our work in relieving the misery of poverty was made possible only by the willing cooperation of such people as bakers who supplied bread, the farmers who gave us vegetables, and our numerous friends who made donations from their fairly empty purses. It is to these generous souls that we want to pay tribute today. May the all-bountiful God, who leaves no glass of water offered in His name to pass unrewarded, recompense the generosity of our friends with true happiness—the peace of the soul.”

—from the book Gratitude and Grit: The Life of Blessed Solanus Casey,
by Brother Leo Wollenweber, OFM Cap, pages 49-51

//Franciscan Media//

Food offers a constant opportunity to take in gifts with gratitude, which is one of the fundamental practices of the spiritual life. Every time you eat is a chance to give thanks for all those many links in the great chain of being that brings nourishment to your body and your soul. It’s a chance to be grateful for the miracle of your body, which can take food and turn it into the miracle that is you or, if you are pregnant, your developing child. There are plenty of times when I take food for granted, when I treat it merely as fuel, or when, to use one of the phrases I like least in the English language, I just “grab a bite.” But other times, whether it’s in receiving the Eucharist or eating Cyndi’s homemade pizza on Friday nights, I’m full—of wonder, gratitude, and a sense of belonging with those I eat with and with the beautiful living world that brings such miracles to my plate. Saying grace over meals, then eating with full awareness and intention, is one of the most profoundly spiritual practices I know of—and we have a chance to do it several times, every day.

— from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction through Simple Living by Kyle Kramer, page 123