Rejoice in the Lord

November is a special time of thanksgiving

I don’t know who first coined this phrase, but I like the term “gratitude month” which is often applied to the month of November—perhaps because it’s the month when we observe the uniquely American holiday of Thanksgiving.

November is also the month that many thousands of religious and other non-profit organizations send out their year-end giving appeals. We may not be always grateful for the number of solicitations we receive, but we should thank God for all the good works that are carried out by our nation’s diverse and effective network of charitable organizations.

November could also be called “holiness month” because it’s the time of year when we remember all the hidden saints, the holy men and women who lived exemplary lives of closeness to God and their neighbors without being officially recognized by the Church or anyone else as saints. We give thanks for these unofficial but very real saints because their lives inspire us, and because their good works live on long after they have joined the company of saints in heaven.

I believe there’s a connection between gratitude and holiness. A grateful person is not self-centered. That’s because he or she recognizes that we are all indebted to God and to many other people (living and deceased) who have made it possible for us to live, to be healthy and happy, and to share in the freedom that comes from being human beings made in the image and likeness of God.

When I am grateful, my eyes are open and I recognize the truth about myself and our world. I am not the center of the universe. I am a member of the family of God, and I give thanks for all the gifts I have received from a generous and loving Father.

Holy people are grateful people. They are also humble and forgiving, always ready to help others, always conscious that they are called to follow in the footsteps of the holy people who have gone before us, including Jesus, his mother Mary and all the saints.

It’s difficult to imagine a saint who is bitter, angry, resentful or totally focused on self. Holiness requires an awareness of our giftedness and the desire to give thanks for all that God has given us in spite of our genuine sufferings, sorrows and fears in this life. Saints are not perfect, but they desire perfection and they pursue it with open and grateful hearts.

Earlier this month, we observed The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day, Nov. 2). This is the one day in the Church Year that calls particular attention to those who have died, but who are still struggling to atone for their sins and become holy enough to enter into the fullness of God’s eternal love. All Souls Day reminds us that everyone is called to holiness—to become a saint—and that our opportunities for growing closer to God don’t automatically end when we die. God’s mercy is stronger than death, and through our prayers on their behalf his grace reaches beyond the grave to the “poor souls” who repent their sins and deeply desire to see the face of God.

Leon Bloy, the French novelist who was quoted by Pope Francis during his first homily as pope, says that “the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.”

This doesn’t mean that we’re all condemned to failure or tragedy. On the contrary, it means that God gives us the grace during our years on Earth to live good lives and to become holy. None of us is perfect in our response to the Lord’s invitation to follow him on the way to holiness, but all of us are called to be grateful for the opportunities we are given to achieve some degree of holiness in accordance with God’s call.

Put another way, we might say that the greatest tragedy in life is our failure to take advantage of all the opportunities God gives us to be grateful, loving and generous people. Considering the extraordinary length, breadth and depth of God’s mercy, which is extended to us at every conceivable moment in our lives, it’s a tragedy indeed if our hearts remain hardened and we fail to grab onto the Lord’s outstretched hand.

Gratitude and holiness are signs that we are close to God. This November, let’s pray for the strength to be grateful in the face of life’s challenges. Let’s pray for one another—living and deceased. And let’s be on the lookout for those moments of grace that God gives us to grow in holiness and thanksgiving. †