Thankfulness
“When I wake up every morning, I thank God for the new day.” ~ F. Sionil Jose
I know that I have said this before. When I was still assigned to a parish, my morning routine, when I went to the church in the morning, was always the same. As I went through the church setting up for Mass, I always stopped at the tabernacle and said, “Thank you, Lord, for another day of life.” On Thursday mornings, when I didn’t have Mass, I would say that at the house upon awakening. Now that I am retired, it is a part of my morning routine.
Thank you, Lord, for another day of life. That phrase is extremely important. First of all, it is a prayer of thanksgiving. We need to show our appreciation to Him. The brief prayer also acknowledges the fact that we are alive and this is not due to anything we have done. We are not the authors of life, God is.
If God is the one who grants us life and sustains our lives daily, we need to show proper appreciation. We do that best by the things that we choose to say and do each day. When we make the most of the day that God has given to us, that is a way to give Him fitting praise. It is, in many ways, our gift to God for His great gift to us.
There’s a popular phrase, simply put, that states, “First things first.” Our first thing each day should be gratitude to God for the gift of a brand new day.
FAITH ACTION: If you do not already do so, try to cultivate a habit of thanking God each day for the gift of life that He has given to you.