Faith: It’s Thanksgiving in July

The purple dinosaur of the 1990s was right when he said “Please and thank you, they’re called the magic words.” In Psalm 50:23, God says, “Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honors me.” In texting lingo, a little “ty” goes a long way.

After days of bickering and arguing recently, my daughter, Laura, gave me a tight hug and uttered the golden words, “Thank you, mom,” followed by an, “I really mean it” for added emphasis. It was the real deal, not the “Thank you for shopping with us today” or, in texting lingo, that “ty” was a “GR8” kind of thank you. It meant more to me than anything.

Today is July 1, and instead of Christmas in July, I am feeling “Thanksgiving in July.” Let me tell you why.

I read the daily Mass readings every morning along with a reflection from my “LivingFaith” booklet. Sister Margaret McTaggart gave me a year subscription to “LivingFaith” and recently renewed my subscription. Some of you knew Sister Margaret when she was at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Clovis. Now she lives in Chicago.

Psalm 50:23 was one of the Mass readings this past Monday. In the reflection, Kristin Armstrong wrote about how she writes a list of 10 things she is thankful for every night. I have heard of other people who do similar lists. You know the saying, “There is always something to be thankful for because there is always someone who has it worse than you.” But what happens when you’re the one who feels you’re at your worst? Sometimes pity parties can be so easy to plan and organize. I don’t think anyone gives themselves a surprise pity party.

How does giving thanks, even if you feel you have nothing to be thankful for, take away pain or frustration? Is it a sincere thanks? Is it, as I said above, “the real deal?"

As crazy as it may sound — but not so crazy once you have done it — is when you smile through pain and utter the magic words, “thanks.” “Thank you, Lord.” St. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, “For when I am weak, then I am strong,” (12:1).

Armstrong said that as she began to thank God for the good things, she started thanking him for the difficult and challenging things, too. And then, she writes, “I began to thank God in advance for help that I hadn’t received yet. This practice has changed my prayer life because now I thank God rather than petition him.”

Now that’s what I call an advance thank you. It’s called faith. And so, thanks isn’t just about receiving, it’s about trusting, too.

Helena Rodriguez is a Portales native. Contact her at: [email protected]