Welcome to December. Christmas will be here in 20 days, and that means that most of us are already in the full swing of the season. How many of you have decorated your houses? Put up your tree? Starting the baking? How close are you to finishing your Christmas shopping ? What about the Christmas cards?
All of these are wonderful activities, but at times they can feel a bit overwhelming and we can lose sight of the blessings of the season. This is our third week of our message series, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” This series aims at helping us stay focused on the blessings in our lives by fostering an attitude of gratitude.
We started off by looking at the three steps needed for becoming more grateful. First we need to literally count our blessings. We cannot be thankful if we are not aware of the gifts we have been given. Next we need to shift our attention from the gift to the giver. We need to know to whom to express our gratitude, and ultimately that is to God who gives us all good gifts. Finally, we need to practice being grateful every day.
Last week we looked at obstacles to growing in gratitude. Two obstacles can get in the way of seeing our blessings: big problems and little problems. We noted that in facing big problems, such as unemployment or a serious medical condition, faith is thanking God in advance of the blessing. In facing the daily anxieties of life, faith is seeing the blessings behind the burdens.
Today we are going to look at recognizing a blessing in our lives that, in our hearts, we want to acknowledge but often forget. St. Paul is going to help us in this lesson. We are going to look at his Letter to the Philippians, which we just heard from in our second reading.
St. Paul founded the Church in Philippi, a Greek city, probably in the early 40s. Through the years, the Philippians supported his ministry & mission financially and they supported him personally in other ways as well. They proved themselves to be good friends.
St. Paul writes his letter to them around the year 62 AD, so about 20 years after he founded the Church there. St. Paul is imprisoned in Rome. At this point, and in a time of some suffering and persecution by his enemies, St. Paul is remembering his friends; “Brothers and sisters: I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in prayer with joy, thankful for your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5).
Can you think of someone in your life that every time you think of them it brings a smile to your face? Generally they fall into one of two categories (or both). First consider who are the people who have been a blessing in a previous season of life. Perhaps you had a teacher, a mentor, a coach, a boss who poured extra attention into you in the past and you hold an abiding gratitude for them. People who were blessings in the past, and people who are blessings right now. You look forward to time together because they are such a source of encouragement or positivity that always brightens your day or cheers your heart.
Then there is a special category. Maybe you’re going through a difficult situation or challenging circumstance currently and they are a source of stability and support. Perhaps even inspiration.
Who are the people who are blessings in your life? For St. Paul it was the Philippians. He’s grateful that the Philippians have worked alongside him from the early period of his ministry to promote the Gospel.
At the end of the day life comes down to two things: relationships and work. In the best of our activities both are being pursued and fulfilled. In the best of our activities we are bonding with other people and accomplishing something together that is positive and productive.
St. Paul thanks God for the Philippians. Then as an expression of thanksgiving, he prays for them; “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent and pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11). He prays that their ability to love abound and continue to grow in knowledge and discernment.
Love simply means to be for someone else, and to be for others requires knowledge and discernment; we have to know what is good for them, and we have to be discerning about what they really need.
Finally, St. Paul prays that the Philippians will be filled with the fruits of righteousness, “And it is my prayer that your love…filled with the fruits of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:9-11). The fruit of righteousness are attributes of Christ, things like patience, peace, kindness, joy, happiness and goodness, self-control, self-sacrifice.
May I make two suggestions for practicing this aspect of gratitude this week. First, think of one person you need to thank because every time you think of them you feel grateful for them. Then commit this week to pray for that person. Thank God for them and pray for their needs and that they will grow in love.
And for you “super-achievers” he is the bonus suggestion. If you have not completed your Christmas cards, as you write the card think of something specific about that person(s) that you are thankful for. Then, as you address the envelop, say a prayer for them.