November 21, 2023

The Gift of a (Gr)Attitude Adjustment

November 21, 2023 / APP News Feed, Blog, Regnum Christi News

“I never met a bitter person who was thankful. Or a thankful person who was bitter.” —Nick Vujicic

Gratitude is not just a polite obligation ingrained into us by our parents as we learn our manners. It’s a powerful and transformative gift from God, an attitude adjustment we all need multiple times daily.

Focusing on what we can be grateful for in any situation lets us experience our daily reality in a different way. It’s like going from treading water in the ocean waves to scuba diving below the surface and discovering a world of beauty that exists all around us, just out of sight. When we are grateful, we see more deeply into our lives, the world around us, and other people’s hearts, getting past the superficial and circumstantial. We discover hidden treasures that only gratitude can dig up.

Here are five of them.

1.Something in us changes when we are grateful. A sense of gratitude, especially gratitude to God, gives us a peace and contentment that shifts our perspective on our lives. Gratitude is a powerful cure for when you’re irritated with someone or in a bad mood. Reframing our mindset to focus on what we are grateful for in the situation lifts our perspective and attitude. It calms us and helps us see things (and people) in a more positive light.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7

2. Being grateful implies an essential truth: I am not alone. To be grateful means I am grateful to someone else, someone who has impacted me with goodness. I am connected to God and others, and I know it deep inside, no matter how alone I may feel in my daily circumstances.

“To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us — and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.” – Thomas Merton

3. I am grateful for what I am given, not for something I have accomplished. Gratitude shows me that I need the help of God and others. I am not self-sufficient, no matter how I may be tempted by pride to see myself as the author of all the good that is in my life or as the sole accomplisher of all my achievements. Gratitude gently reminds my heart that this is not true and that I am loved for who I am, not for what I do.

“If only everyone weak and imperfect like me felt as I do, no one would despair of reaching the heights of love, for Jesus does not ask for glorious deeds. He asks only for self-surrender and for gratitude.” – St. Therese of Lisieux

4. Being grateful means I am free. I am free to be thankful and to see the good around me regardless of any other circumstances in my life. Nothing can stop gratitude. It’s a prayer that breaks chains and allows us to lift our hearts to God no matter what situation we find ourselves in – joyful or sorrowful. Gratitude raises us above current events to be more present to the giver of all gifts.

“Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint.” – Henri Nouwen

5. Being grateful builds hope in us. Taking a break for a ‘gratitude adjustment’ during my day often brings a smile to my face. If not always to my face, then at least to my heart. And the smile is the promise of hope. I am loved by God, who reaches into me, into my life, into the world around me, and makes all things work for good. And I can confidently trust that he isn’t going to stop doing that.

“Remember the past with gratitude. Live the present with enthusiasm. Look forward to the future with confidence.” – Pope St. John Paul II

The Gift of a (Gr)Attitude Adjustment Read More »

Novena to Christ the King Day 5 | A Kingdom of Those Who Do Not Seek to Be Served, But to Serve

November 21, 2023 / Novena

℣. Come, let us worship Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

℟. Come, let us worship Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

℣. The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all that is in it. It is he who set it on the seas; on the waters he made it firm.

℟. Come, let us worship Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

A Kingdom of those who do not seek to be served, but to serve

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:25-28

(moment of silence)

Reflection

In the Kingdom of Christ, to serve is to reign. Christ constantly showed his disciples, through his ministry and preaching, that he is introducing a new vision of the world with his love at its center. This is the radicality of the Gospel: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat (cf. Mt. 25:35-40).

Concluding Prayer

℣. Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, in calling us to make your Kingdom present, you who are the Kingdom incarnate have called us to serve each person you place in our lives; grant us the generosity and humility to give of ourselves, making you present in every encounter, even if at times the mission is difficult or our service goes unnoticed, certain that we are pleasing to you. Give us the experience of your love and that you are here, with each one of us, with us. Through Christ our Lord.

℟. Amen.

℣. Christ, reigning in service,

℟. Thy Kingdom Come!

Novena to Christ the King Day 5 | A Kingdom of Those Who Do Not Seek to Be Served, But to Serve Read More »

November 21, 2023 – Jesus Is My Guest

November 21, 2023 / Daily Meditations

Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Luke 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the Alpha and the Omega. You have given me life and offer me eternal life with you. You deserve my honor, gratitude, and love, and yet you never impose yourself upon me. Thank you for respecting my freedom so that I can offer myself to you. All that I have is yours; I return it to you.

Petition: Lord, increase my faith.

Zacchaeus up a Tree: Yesterday and today’s Gospel passages speak eloquently of the need to encounter Christ at all costs. The blind man we read about yesterday would not stop shouting until he was brought to the Lord. Today a short and very unpopular man named Zacchaeus runs back and forth among the crowd until finally, in his determination to encounter Christ, he breaks all protocol and scrambles up a tree. Jesus wastes no time in entering this tax collector’s life decisively and transforming it. This resembles our own encounter with Christ. At times different obstacles stand in our way and prevent us from seeing Our Lord and his action in our lives. Above all we lack determination. How easy it is to craft excuses: “I am just too short,” “Maybe Jesus is too busy,” “I am just a sinner.” If we really want Our Lord to stay at our house, he will, but there may be trees that we need to climb first.

Welcoming Jesus: Few people ever welcomed Jesus with the joy and exuberance as did this little man. He came down from the tree, gave half of his wealth to the poor, and promised to restore any fraudulent transactions four times over. Zacchaeus has truly been like that merchant in search of fine pearls (cf. Mt 13:45-46). He is willing to sell all he has to buy the pearl of great price: friendship and intimacy with the Lord. How many times has Jesus looked up at us and asked us to remain with him? How many times have we had the immense grace of receiving the King of Kings into our hearts in the Blessed Eucharist? Do we offer merely a corner of our hearts for him, or do we reserve the presidential suite? How pure do we maintain our souls for our Guest?

Of Sinners and Saints: What makes someone a saint and someone else a sinner? Certainly, it is not the grumbling of the jealous crowd who are unwilling to climb up the tree to see Jesus yet are quick to criticize anyone who does. In fact, everyone is a sinner. St. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost” (1 Tim 1:15). Yet St. Paul, Zacchaeus, you and I all go from being sinners to saints when we encounter Christ and are faithful to his friendship. Salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house when Jesus entered it, and salvation comes to us through the graces received at baptism, renewed in the Sacrament of Penance, and nurtured in the Eucharist.

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, help me to be willing to do whatever it takes to grow in a deeper friendship with you. Don’t allow me to worry about the murmurings of the crowd, but only to listen to your voice and respond to it with generosity.

Resolution: I will make a point to go to confession at the next possible opportunity, asking Jesus to forgive me my sins and to help me to turn from being a sinner into being a saint. I will make it a real encounter with Jesus.

November 21, 2023 – Jesus Is My Guest Read More »