“…Always and Everywhere to Give you Thanks”…

This phrase is spoken and heard at the beginning of the liturgy at every Catholic Mass.  It echoes the admonition of Saint Paul: “…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

We can so easily read these words without really paying attention.  This is the will of God for you! This is what God asks of us, desires from us.  Why?  What else can we offer to Him?  Our very lives, each breath we take, proceeds from Him out of the abundance of his love and generous kindness.  There is nothing, really, that we can give him except our hearts, our trust, and there’s nothing else that He truly desires of us.  He is a Lover, and nothing gladdens the heart of a lover more than to know that his love has been received, that he has been regarded as being worthy of the loved one’s trust. 

God has given us the ability to choose.  Will we give him what he desires?  Will we choose to affirm our trust in Him in every circumstance no matter how difficult the situation?  Will we choose to thank him – especially when it’s hard to do so – because we believe that eventually He will make a way for us and show us his faithful goodness?  After all, He has promised us that “all things work together for good”, the good purpose of readying us for an eternity with Him full of joy beyond anything we could ever here on earth ask or imagine.

He has demonstrated his trustworthiness to us.  On Easter morning, He shows what He can make out of the most desperate, hideous, seemingly hopeless circumstances.  Look how He transformed Calvary; the shameful execution of an inconvenience to the worldly powers is transformed into a demonstration of divine love and mercy for the whole world!  It is the triumph of God’s infinite love and recreative power over the worst of everything – sin, death, hell and the Prince of Darkness himself. 

Jesus shares the joy and hope of his Resurrection with us, we who have been joined to him as members of his very own Body.  We died with him in baptism; we rose with him in his Resurrection.  Should we not always and everywhere give thanks, knowing what He is able to do in our current situation?  How very shortsighted we can be!  But faith sees light in the darkness.  Hope holds on to the promise.  Love remains when all else fails. 

So rejoice and be glad!  Life has triumphed.  Light has won over darkness.  The veil is torn and we are invited to come freely and joyfully to Jesus, the very Face of Love Himself!

Happy Easter!