psalm 106: developing an attitude of thankfulness - 18th week wednesday

Our responsorial psalm today begins with an admission of sin:  "We have sinned, we and our fathers;  we have committed crimes; we have done wrong." 

And where did these sins come from? Psalm 106 says, "Our fathers in Egypt considered not your wonders . . . soon they forgot his works."

Psalm 106 invites us to a life of thankfulness, to develop an attitude of thankfulness.  How do we develop an attitude of thankfulness?  
First, we need to consider the wonders God in our lives, that is, to be sensitive to the workings of grace in our day to day lives.  Be thankful.  When I was a little kid living in a farm my grandmother use to point out to two animals to remind me to be thankful.  Look at the chicken she said.  Every time it drinks water it looks up to heaven to thank God.  And look at the carabao, before lying down on the ground it would bend its knees first as if to thank God for the privilege of rest.  There are so many things to be thankful to God for, so many they outnumber our needs.  Just be sensitive to the good that you have.

Second, how do we develop the attitude of thankfulness – "do not forget the works of the Lord."  God created you, Christ saved you, Jesus loves you.  In the mass we sing, "we remember how you loved us, through your death and still we celebrate for you are with us here."  That is why the mass is called a memorial so that we will not forget.  When we don't go to mass we do not violate a law rather we fail to thank and the failure to thank is a sin. 

Develop in you an attitude of thankfulness.