Deo Gratias

 

A pastoral bulletin has an article by a priest on happiness. He tells the story of a teacher who was always laughing and one of his disciples recalls he never showed any signs of sadness. Nearing death the disciple asked him what  was the secret of his happiness. 

"You are facing death, how is it that you can laugh about it? Without doubt there have been times in life when things have been unpleasant and you have experienced sadness, how come you  never showed that in your demeanor?"

The teacher quietly responded: "I met my teacher when I was 17 years old. I already knew sadness and suffering, and always felt depressed. My teacher was always laughing and I asked him the secret. 'Why are you always laughing?' He answered: 'I was like you for many years, overcome by sadness. One day the thought came to me that I was in charge in the way I was to live my life. From that time on when I woke up in the morning I would ask myself what would it be today? Would I be happy or unhappy?' "

Happiness is something that I will have to choose. Are we  walking with God or not?  Saints are those who have made the decision to walk with God and they are our example of a life well lived. This requires 'metanoia' -- change.

Every morning when we awake from sleep which is like death, we are born again to a new day. We like the saints are living a life of 'metanoia' and walk with God. It is my decision to make, and we know that we have the help that we need so life should be one long  'Deo Gratias' (Thanks be to God).

Paul Bourget (1852-1935), a French thinker said: "One must live the way one thinks or end up thinking the way one has lived." A person who is always walking with God will even at death be able to thank God for his life. 

Every morning  when we open our eyes, we give thanks. Our life is one of change and each day we are giving another chance to walk with God  which elicits from us a heartfelt: Deo Gratias.