At Trinity Cathedral, our sense of gratitude manifests as abundance. I am inspired by the outpouring of support you have shown in recent weeks, giving generously to hunger ministries to support people during a time of crisis, filling out Thanksgiving shopping lists, picking up gift tags from the Giving Tree, and contributing to what is shaping up to be one of our most successful annual stewardship campaigns in years.
As we turn towards the week of Thanksgiving, I invite you to consider how gratitude is far more than just a moment of giving thanks. Gratitude is an orientation of the spirit, it is a spiritual practice, and it is an essential part of wholehearted living.
Years ago, when I experienced a great loss, a wise colleague offered me this advice: your broken heart will begin to find new meaning through the work of gratitude. Grieve, but also give thanks for the one you lost, and give thanks for the spark of God’s healing presence in your heart.
Gratitude didn’t fix anything; rather, it allowed me to hold fast to what I missed while opening my heart to what might come next.
There is much hardship in this world. As some of us gather with friends and family, let us also remember those who live with loneliness. As we spread tables of abundance, we must also remember that far, far too many in our nation go without enough to eat. As we rest in the security of our homes, we also remember those who are housing-insecure.
Gratitude won’t fix those problems…but if we are truly grateful, if we are truly living wholeheartedly, then we will become open to how God can heal our broken world.
Gratitude for what we have leads to compassion for those who suffer. Compassion leads us to reflect on how we live, and action to bring about a more just and loving world.
I am profoundly grateful for you, for the people of Trinity Cathedral, and for the witness that we share together. May this week be one of blessing, as gratitude opens our hearts.
