What do your eyes see when you go about your day? St.
Ignatius of Loyola said God is in everything.
When my daughter was young we played a game each evening to
see how many blessings we could count in our day. The Daily Examen, which is part of
the Spiritual Exercises developed by St. Ignatius encourage a similar approach. However, sometimes we can grow blind to the beauty in our
lives, to the blessings we receive throughout our day.
Pope Francis, in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium challenges us to live
the joy of the Gospel. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all
who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from
sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born
anew.” (1)
He reminds us also, “The great danger in today’s world,
pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a
complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and
a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own
interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the
poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer
felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers
too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no
way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is
it the life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen
Christ.” (EG 2)
Pope Francis writes, “There are Christians whose lives seem
like Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the
same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy
adapts and changes, but it always endures.” (EG 6)
“Sometimes we are tempted to find excuses and complain,
acting as if we could only be happy if a thousand conditions were met.” (EG 7).
As we rise to the pope’s challenge as Easter people, I say
we could each count 1,000 plus
blessings daily. At the top of my list are the people in my life, family, friends, coworkers, and others I meet. Add to that an awe for the innumerable gifts of beauty nature gives us. I find I need frequent doses of the outdoors to reenergize. It’s also a good way to slow down and take notice of what we might miss in our rush. For me each gardenia blooming outside my kitchen window, the salmon-colored bougainvilleas, the lizards scurrying on the window screens, are simple surprises I appreciate.
blessings daily. At the top of my list are the people in my life, family, friends, coworkers, and others I meet. Add to that an awe for the innumerable gifts of beauty nature gives us. I find I need frequent doses of the outdoors to reenergize. It’s also a good way to slow down and take notice of what we might miss in our rush. For me each gardenia blooming outside my kitchen window, the salmon-colored bougainvilleas, the lizards scurrying on the window screens, are simple surprises I appreciate.
Our lists keep growing the more we take notice. From people
and nature’s wonders to our health and the gifts we have each been given by the
Holy Spirit to serve.
Yes, life is messy; we can’t ignore the realities of manmade
disasters and those from Mother Nature. We can be blindsided, tempted into
cynicism from all the pain and suffering in the world.
If we get caught in the undercurrent of negativity, we run
the risk of becoming paralyzed and avoid finding ways to make a difference in
the world. Dewitt Jones, a freelance photographer for National Geographic has a
film titled “Celebrate What’s Right with the World” and now a workshop.
“Celebrating what’s right” he said, “helps us recognize the possibilities and
find solutions for many of the challenges before us.”
“By celebrating what’s right we find the energy to fix
what’s wrong,” he said. In his approach, Dewitt notes, “To celebrate what’s right in
the world means: believe it and you’ll see it; recognize abundance; look for
possibilities; unleash your energy to fix what’s wrong; ride the changes; take
yourself to the edge; be your best for the world.”
In this ever changing world and its varied moments of highs
and lows, let us celebrate what’s right, counting each blessing. Social media
sites make use of hashtags to link related subject matters and challenges are
often issued to share moments of our lives. Wouldn’t it be nice to see a stream
of posts utilizing some of the following hashtags #CountingMyBlessings,
#LifeIsGood, #CelebratingWhat’sRight.
(Originally published
in October 2016 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)
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