Spirituality of the Readings

Thanks

I was out for a drive, merely doing shopping chores. The weather was beautiful. The city had its usual non-countryside and somewhat ruined appearance.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, simple gratitude came upon me. Not earth-shaking, not the result of complicated reasoning, just a modest, gentle joy. I looked in admiration at my hands, which work reasonably well. I thought of the friends in my life, the special ones.

Without being prompted, I said the words, “thank you.”

Later, this very quiet event led me to a conclusion: appreciation of a gift is the springboard for giving back.

To put it simply,

“The primary motivation for giving is gratitude.”

Another example: I have wide-set eyes. I have never been able to look through both lenses of any set of binoculars. For years my brother had set his mind to solving this problem, and he had come up with results that almost worked but never quite. Miraculously, as I was writing this very reflection, a birthday present came in the mail. You guessed it, a set of binoculars.

But don’t get excited, these did not fit either.

I could look out of either one lens or the other, but not both at the same time. Hoping against hope I wrestled with widening the distance between the arms. It got complicated. By accident I narrowed the distance instead of widening it. Suddenly I could see with both eyes!

These binoculars at their widest were too broad for Mr. big-head!!!! With their arms narrowed I could see through both lenses, and that meant seeing in 3D as well!

I love the binoculars, of course, but more, I imagined my brother sending them to me, his face holding back a grin. I was grateful to him and for him. Gratitude made me want to give something to him in return.

What did I glean from this gift? Put simply,

the primary motivation for giving is gratitude.

See if it works for you. When you are grateful, do you therefore want to give back?

In the First Reading, Amos the prophet, who was a shepherd and a “dresser of sycamores,” found that God wanted him for a new job. It was not watching the flock, not pruning trees; now he was to be a visionary—someone who would prophesy to the people. Most of us pray that no such thing would ever happen to us.

But Amos responded boldly. Perhaps the fierce, quiet landscape of his countryside had opened him up, and had let God give to him. If so, then Amos’ action was an act of gratitude! He went and prophesied to God’s people.

Same thing for the apostles in the Gospel. They were working men, and they probably did not notice that they were actually very grateful to Jesus. They did have a growing realization of what he was giving to them, and secretly they loved him more and more. Their gratitude was their reason for going where he sent them.

He told them to go out and preach and banish demons. They knew that such a mission was fitting for them. He had found a way that they could start to see with both eyes.

Let’s us keep our eyes open too. We are very much loved.

And ready to be sent?

John Foley, SJ

**From Saint Louis University