6/17/2013 – Giving thanks - Matthew 5:38 - 42 - Monday of 11th week in Ordinary time

          I am not having any weekday masses this week. I had hope to go on vacation to Michigan this week, hoping to leave Sunday evening on the Greyhound bus after all my masses had concluded, but I had a parishioner pass away early Sunday morning, and am having to remain here in Tupelo until Tuesday evening in order to have the wake service and funeral.  To be honest, I am so looking forward to a few days away from my ministry.  I am pretty tired and do not get a break for often. This is the first break away from my ministry since I took a couple of days off right after Christmas. 

         I recently came across this quote by Meister Eckhart – “If the only prayer I ever say is Thank You… that is enough.”  Eckhart was a Dominican priest from Germany who lived in the late 13th and early 14th century.  He is a philosopher, theologian, and mystic who is greatly admired in our modern era.  Gratitude and thanks seem to be missing so much in our society.  We so easily become frustrated, angry, and impatient.  We want everything quickly and on our own terms.  What can we give thanks for today, even in the midst of everything else we are going through?  

         In the Gospel today, Jesus challenges us against the culture of revenge and vengeance that exists in the world.  We want retribution when someone does something wrong to us.  We want to strike back at them and have the upper hand.  Seeking forgiveness and reconciliation is what we are called to do in our faith.  If St Paul can give thanks for the blessings he has and find joy even in the midst of being imprisoned for the faith, what things can we give thanks for in our own lives?  Even though I would have like to have been on the shores of Lake Michigan this morning as I had planned to do, I give thanks for having the privilege to serve as a priest in the Diocese of Jackson and here at St James Catholic Church in Tupelo.  I give great thanks for that.