It is easy to take things for granted. There are television shows that demonstrate how many items we use every day are manufactured, and we think nothing of the complexity of the production. For example, simple wax crayons that many children use with their little coloring books are made in factories with complicated machines and production lines. French fries that are consumed by thousands of people every day go through an involved process before becoming available over the fast-food counter. Priests don’t work in their sacristies shaping little hosts in preparation for Sunday and weekday Masses. Those hosts are produced by the millions by a commercial bakery and a few monasteries.
Let’s think about the daily blessings we so easily and habitually enjoy. When was the last time we took even a few minutes to consider the time and labor involved with having a soft pillow on which to sleep, and a clean pillowcase for the pillow? Have we thanked our friends or family for being patient with us when we have had a challenging life event and did not handle it too well? Thanks to all the workers that maintain the streets and traffic signs!
We can get into routines and rituals, and some of the details become lost in the repetition. If we can slow down a little and collect our thoughts, it is possible that we might see new dimensions and meanings in these activities. How many times have we thanked our Creator for our memories? Yes, there are some memories we would like to forget, how great it is that we can still recite the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Sign of the Cross, with the hand gesture! We remember how to read! We can do simple math! And much more!
We cannot take our salvation for granted either. Thank you, Lord, for the preachers and religious teachers who keep us inspired and aware of Jesus’ gift of salvation! We can think harder about our personal prayer time. How can we improve that time? How about those rosary beads that rest comfortably in the drawer or a few Bible psalms that could help us to praise our generous Holy Trinity?
Habit can make life easier and smoother, but it can lead us to ignore the wonder and awe we could enjoy. It is good to strive to learn more and more about God’s goodness. We are privileged children of an extraordinary Father!
Psalm 118:28-29 is a good prayer starter:
You are my God, and I give thanks to you;
O my God, I extol you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his kindness endures forever.
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Image: A member of the Poor Clares of the Franciscan Monastery of St. Clare in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, makes Communion hosts. Image from a video at poorclarepa.org. Copyright since 2012, Franciscan Monastery of St. Clare, Langhorne PA
The psalm is from the New American Bible, Oxford University Press, New York, 1990.
Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.