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Someone said recently, “The one thing God receives more than anything else is complaints.”
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This could certainly be true for 2020.
Imagine how many people have cried out, “God, I’m tired of COVID, face masks and social distance! Bring an end to it!”
Or, “Please, Lord, let me go back to school. I can’t stand my siblings any longer!”
Or, “My clothes don’t fit. I fell victim to the quarantine-15!”
Or, I’m sure many of us have complained to God about not seeing our loved ones this Thanksgiving.
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God’s received his fair share of complaints this year.
But what might the Lord say to us in return?
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I’d imagine him saying something like, “2020 has been a difficult year, to be sure. But have an attitude of gratitude. Behind most of those complaints, there’s a reason to be grateful.”
For example, “My clothes don’t fit, BUT I’m well fed.”
Or, “I’m tired of learning online, BUT I’m receiving an education.”
Or in the case of the leper in today’s Gospel, “I’ve spent my entire life being shunned by society…BUT I was just healed by Jesus.”
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So much of life is perspective. We can spend our time complaining about what goes wrong, or we can look for a reason to be grateful.
For example, I’m grateful for the gift of faith. I’m grateful for this parish. I’m grateful I woke up today – and, please God, I’ll be grateful for waking up tomorrow.
So, what about you? What are you grateful for?
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Make a mental list. Then give thanks to God.
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