Msgr. Pope on Gratitude

"In developing gratitude, we do well to remember how intertwined our lives are. None of us lives in isolation - none of us can. We may think we're pretty self-sufficient, but we drive on roads that others built and paid for, and we do so in cars developed and built by others. We use electricity powered by coal that others mined, converted to power in power plants we neither built nor run, and delivered to us over wires that others set in place and maintain. Thousands of people stand behind that little light switch we so causally flip. 

"Think, too, of all the collective knowledge from which we benefit. It stretches back over the generations, one discovery building on another, one insight shared bringing about another, one discipline serving as a foundation for yet another.

"It is overwhelming to consider the astonishing number of other human beings whose collective ingenuity and hard work contribute to our present blessings. And we, too, contribute to the blessings of countless others.

"For all this we can praise God, from whom all blessings first come. But the vast majority of the blessings He gives us come through others. Bless God, the first giver, but also be grateful to those who are the means of His blessings."

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the interconnection of our lives and on the importance of gratitude for the people who help a variety of ways - usually unnoticed by us..

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: Ten Thousand Thanks Could Never Be Enough - A Meditation on the Astonishing Depth of Every Gift (26 JUL 16)