Thanksgiving is one of America’s most treasured national holidays that is celebrated in the month of November. Through a Catholic perspective, thanksgiving is a universal language of worship and praise to God. It is a time for family and friends to gather and to give thanks to God and to one another. Let us take a moment to reflect on the virtues of appreciation and give thanks for God’s countless blessings in our lives.
In the Gospel, St. Luke told the story of the ten people who were suffering from leprosy and were cured by Jesus (Lk 17:11-10). Jesus instructed them to go and show themselves to the priest. All obeyed Jesus and went on their way, except for one Samaritan who returned to Jesus and gave Him thanks. Jesus praised this Samaritan and delighted in leper’s appreciation.
Indeed, the leper’s appreciation did not add to Jesus’ divinity or power, but simply pleased him and warmed his heart with joy. We can wonder why the Samaritan returned to thank Jesus. Was it the healing touch of Jesus that moved and prompted the leper to return and give thanks to Jesus? Does God also desire us to do the same in our daily lives? Let us discover the virtue of appreciation.
Across all cultures, appreciation is always considered a desirable characteristic pleasing to men and God. The feeling of appreciation stirs up within the hearts of those who are truly grateful for the gifts or favors which they have received. When one’s heart experiences the feeling of appreciation, gratitude naturally moves one to express it in their words or actions. The Samaritan leper realized that he had been healed and experienced the love of God for him. Perhaps these were the reasons why he returned to thank Jesus. The feeling of gratitude was so overwhelming that he needed to express his grateful heart to Jesus: “he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him” (Lk 17:16). As William Arthur Ward said: “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Jesus praised and affirmed the leper for his very act of appreciation.
In our daily social encounters, tokens of appreciation can be expressed in different ways. Sometimes, we use external gestures such as giving a bouquet of flowers or other forms of gift-giving as a token of our appreciation. Yet, at times, we know that no external gift can express enough our gratitude. Jesus desires us to express our thanks to our Heavenly Father at all times. Although we know that our words and actions can fall short in expressing our gratitude to God, the act of showing our appreciation, whether in words or actions, gives God’s rightful praise for who He is and humbles us in recognizing that we are dependent. Therefore, practicing the virtue of gratitude is an essential duty of our faith and it becomes a language of worship and praise to God as in Psalm 107 has said: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his mercy endures forever!.
Gratitude also helps us to live in harmony with one another and manifests joy. Practicing the virtue of appreciation is a process of growing content with what we have rather than complaining or comparing. The more we are grateful, the more we discover the blessings in our lives. Being grateful for what we have, there is a sense of compassion for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. We would be able to tolerate the imperfections and weaknesses of others and consider them as opportunities to exercise our patience. Appreciation also extends our longevity. According to Joel Wong, a professor of counseling psychology from Indiana University, daily gratitude is a positive attitude that promotes health and well-being. There is a greater sense of satisfaction in one’s life and improved relationships with others.
Like any virtue, appreciation cannot be achieved overnight, but is a process of trial and error with the sincere effort to exercise it. No single act of thanks can turn into the virtue of appreciation; it has to be established continually to become our good habit. The virtue of appreciation is like a chain of pearls that is composed by a thousand smaller acts of appreciation, each act is a precious pearl that beautifies our lives. As the Chinese philosopher Lau Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” No matter how long it takes, let us start with small, daily “acts” of gratitude today.
Let us always give thanks to God and thanks to one another. With grateful hearts, let us pray:
Oh heavenly Father, we give you thanks for giving us this moment to praise you. We give you thanks for the people we meet. Their presence in these moments are blessings for us. We give you thanks for the food we eat. Help us to remember those who are hungry. We give you thanks for our health. Help us to accept your will when we are not feeling well. We give you thanks when we are weak and frail. Let it remind us to rely on you as the source of comfort and strength.
We give you thanks when our prayers and petitions seem unanswered. Help us to put our trust in your loving care. We give you thanks for your unceasing love. Help us to develop the virtue of appreciation. We ask these in the name of Jesus, Our Lord. Amen.
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