CEDAR LAKE – Motivating his congregation to see the glass as half full, and not half empty, Father Patrick Gawrylewski OFM, encouraged the faithful to show more gratitude in their lives as he offered a Lenten reflection at Holy Name of Jesus on April 2.
“Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation, a recognition of the good around us,” said Father Gawrylewski. “We have a need for gratitude.”
The priest’s words came at the fourth and final session of a Lenten Parish Renewal, “A Journey to the Heart,” that addressed the topics of compassion, forgiveness, self-awareness and gratitude. “These were topics I brought up after speaking with people. Forgiveness came up in confession from people who said they couldn’t forgive someone.
Anna Freeman, a Holy Name parishioner, attended the first and last sessions, and appreciated being encouraged “to be kinder to other people. Mercedes (Austgen), our pastoral associate, spoke about compassion, and she reminded us that we don’t know what the other person is going through.”
“Our lives are pulled in so many directions that we may forget to take time to be grateful – to say thanks to mom and dad, thanks to our husband or wife – for the simple things of life, like providing a meal, helping with outdoor work or mowing the grass. Yet how often do we worry about the things we don’t have?
Father Gawrylewski told the story of a man who noticed that another man he knew was always happy, even on a cloudy day, he enjoyed the shapes of the clouds. When he asked the man how he could be so happy all the time, the other man replied with one word, said the priest, “Gratitude.”
“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,” added the Holy Name of Jesus administrator. “A good definition of happiness is not having what you like, but liking what you have. That’s the glass half full.”
So often when he listens to confessions, said Father Gawrylewski, “I hear, ‘I’m jealous. I wish I had more toys, a better vacation, a bigger home, and my response is, “Do you recognize what you do have? You don’t really know the condition of the other person you are jealous of … they might not have all that you have.”
To the young people in the church, some first- and second-year confirmandi fulfilling an assignment to attend at least one parish renewal session, Father Gawrylewski suggested: “Take time with your mom and dad, learn from them, and appreciate these precious moments in your life.”
Addressing all ages in the congregation, the Franciscan priest offered four suggestions on how to be more grateful in everyday life:
1. Keep a daily gratitude journal. “Start with 1-2 blessings you recognize that first day, write them down, and do it every day. You may be able to increase it to three things as you become more aware of God’s goodness,” he said.
2. Add more ‘thank you’s to your vocabulary. “Say thank you more often and brighten the day of someone else; you may find you brighten your day, too,” suggested the priest.
3. Write more thank you notes and letters to people who have influenced your life. “Maybe there is someone you haven’t communicated with in years, but you thought of them and how much they mean to you, like a teacher or a friend. Write and tell them how much you appreciate them,” Father Gawrylewski said.
4. Live in the present moment and be thankful to God.
5. Offer prayers praising God. “Thank Him for the small and simple things, for the wonders of each day,” added the priest.
As an example, Father Gawrylewski said, “I was making my bed this morning and I thought of the comfortable bed I have, and how the bedding is warm and comfortable and clean. The temperature in my room is warm so I sleep well, and that is something to be grateful for to God. We are provided with a cook, so we have healthy meals every day, which is a blessing.
“Also, I just had cataract surgery and as I wait to get new glasses, I realized that I’ve been wearing glasses since about sixth grade, and I have taken them for granted all these years.”
Parishioner Sandy Lewis, who served as lector for the Evening Prayer Service that included Father Gawrylewski’s reflection, agreed with the need for more gratitude in the world. “That’s what I tell name kids, that we need more gratitude and less attitude,” she said and the Soup and Bread Social that preceded the church service, which was filled with prayers, Scripture readings, hymns and psalms, and concluded with a time of Eucharistic adoration.
“I have liked the family atmosphere of these sessions,” said Jack Yauger, who contributed a pot of meatless chili to the supper. “We eat together and then go upstairs to the church for the service.”
Caption: Enjoying fellowship and some delicious soup at the Soup and Bread Social on April 2 at Holy Name of Jesus in Cedar Lake are St. John residents (from left) Denise Webb and her son Alex Webb, parishioners, and Tyler Rybicki and his father, Dave Rybicki, parishioners at St. Thomas More in Munster. The simple meal was followed by the fourth and final parish renewal session on gratitude, which the young men attended as a Generations of Faith confirmation class assignment at Holy Name. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
