I was out for a drive. The weather was beautiful. The city
had its usual non-countryside and somewhat ruined
appearance, and I was merely doing shopping chores.
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:
“The primary motivation for giving is gratitude.” Appreciation is a springboard for giving back.
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 came 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 a big
head!!!! With the arms narrowed I could see through both,
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. It is that gratitude
that makes me want to do something for him in return.
Put simply,
the primary motivation for giving is gratitude.
In the
First Reading, Amos the prophet, who was a shepherd and “dresser
of sycamores,” found that God wanted him for a new
job. No more watching the flock, no more pruning trees.
Now he was to be a visionary: someone who would prophesy
to the people. Shocking. Of course Amos dropped everything
and went off to Bethel (about 10 miles North of Jerusalem)
where he preached fire and brimstone against the way of
life he saw them living. The head priest of Bethel threw
this rebel out of the city, but get this, Amos went south
to Judah and sermonized there.
Why did Amos respond so boldly?
Perhaps the fierce, quiet landscape of his country had
opened him and had let God give to him. His action was an
act of gratitude.
Same thing for the apostles in the
Gospel. They were men of action so they did not notice that
they were grateful to Jesus. But 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.
So when he told them to go out and preach and banish
demons, they knew that the mission fit them. He had found
a way for them to begin seeing with both eyes.
Let’s us keep our eyes open too. We are very much
loved.
And ready to be sent.
John Foley S. J.
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