DAILY MEDITATION (SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20)

MEDITATION OF THE DAY

Gratitude Over Grumbling

If I keep my eyes open and my spirit alert, I will live in continual thanksgiving. I am overwhelmed by the memory of so many graces: my mother’s womb, the milk with which she nourished me, my father’s labor and sweat, the knowledge and formation received from teachers, the devotion of priests whose hands blessed, pardoned, gave the Body of Christ, and imparted the anointing of the sick to my body.

Thank you, Lord, for having chosen me to be your child. Thank you for having given me Mary for my Mother. Thank you for the mission I received from you in the Church. Thank you for having revealed your mysteries to me. Thank you for so many brothers and sisters who sustain me.

Thank you for the people who place obstacles on my path and cause me trouble; they help me to become holy. Thank you for my birth as a Vietnamese. Thank you for allowing me to live in this particular time in history. Thank you for giving me a share in your bitter chalice.

I should sing your praise my whole life long for just one of these gifts. How much more praise I should give you for the innumerable graces, which I alone know, and for all the graces I am not aware of or do not remember. I will need an eternity to thank you unceasingly. How can I repay you, Lord, for filling my life with so many good things?

Venerable Francis Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân

Cardinal Nguyên Văn Thuân († 2002) was imprisoned by the Vietnamese government for thirteen years. [From Prayers of Hope, Words of Courage. © 2012, Daughters Xavier of St. Paul, Pauline Books & Media, Boston, MA. All rights reserved. Used with permission.]