In today’s epistle, Paul advises us to “be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Similarly, he recommends, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (I Thes.5:16-18) Clearly, Paul understands that all of life is God’s gift to us, and our only appropriate response is joyful thanksgiving.

Sometimes in our jaded lives, in order for praise to pour out of our hearts, we may need to prime the pump, following the suggestion of the old gospel hymn: “Count your blessings; name them one by one. Count your many blessings, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” That is a well-known spiritual practice, called the “daily examen” in the Ignatian tradition, taking time to look back over the day to notice where we have seen the hand of God at work in our lives. From time to time, maybe even often, our days may not feel like blessing, when everything seems to go wrong, when the world seems to be falling down around our ears, but even then, if we are alert, we may discover blessing in the smile of a friend, the beauty of a flower blooming on our path, the freshness of a breeze wafting past. In my experience, in time, it is often surprising to look back and see that what I thought at the time was a disaster has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. (Remember the Joseph story in Genesis (37:1—50:26) when his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, thus preparing the way for him to save the family from famine years later. “So it was not you who sent me here but God,” (45:8) he told his brothers as he recognized the blessing in it all.)

Br. David Stendl-Rast says, “Surprise . . . is the beginning of gratitude.” (Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness, p.10). It grabs us when we least expect it, opens our eyes to the wonder of the mystery of God’s steadfast love for us, and fills our hearts to overflowing with praise and thanksgiving.