By now, summer is in full swing. The t-shirts and shorts are out, the sandals are broken in and perhaps we have already made a trip or two to the beach. Winter seems long since passed and we are enjoying the slower-paced days while the kiddos are off of school and sports activities. It’s time for some much needed Vitamin D, some much needed exercise and some much needed family time.
In our family, a lot of our “trips to the beach” happen in a 10-ft blow up pool in the backyard. A lot of our “going out for ice cream” happens when we scoop it from a carton to a cone. And a lot of our “vacations” consist of visiting family. A trip to Disney World or the Carribean are not in the cards for us, yet that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun. We enjoy these times just as much or maybe even more than those who spend thousands of dollars.
It all comes down to gratitude. When we don’t take anything for granted, when we consider everything a gift, contentment is a natural consequence. We cannot be thankful and bitter at the same time. It would be like oil and water. When appreciation fills our soul, joy floods in as well, because we realize that we don’t deserve a single thing, yet it is given to us anyway. God gives it to us out of sheer love.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about those who have built their house on rock and how it did not collapse like the others. Those who built their house on sand watched it wash away with the wind and the rain. They did not build on a firm foundation. Their intentions were not pure; their actions were not done in love.
An attitude of gratitude constantly lifts our hearts to God. It helps us to realize that nothing comes of our own accord. It leads to humility of heart. It can be that firm foundation that we build upon that helps us to grow in virtue. It can prevent the “house” of our souls from crumbling down in anxiety and despair.
God loves us so much and he always provides for us. He can never be outdone in generosity, and for this let us give thanks!
Daily Reading
Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Am 2:6-10, 13-16 Thus says the LORD:For three crimes of Israel, and for four,I will not revoke my word;Because they sell the just man for silver,and the poor…
Saint of the Day
Saint Junipero Serra
Junípero Serra Ferrer, O.F.M., was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded missions 21 in California, including San Diego to San Francisco. He is often called The Apostle of California.
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