In his remarks at the end of the Eucharistic Congress recently, Pope Francis reminded us that “Only the Lord is God and everything else is a gift of love.” Eucharist in Greek, we know, means “thanksgiving” and surely our celebration of Thanksgiving is an occasion to recall those “gifts of love’ and give thanks for them.
Sr Doryne Kirby's mantra was “we live in blessedness” and this slight adaptation of a prayer she composed seems like a lovely way to “give thanks”:
Gracious God,
We live in the Blessedness
of your presence, your love,
that surrounds and inundates us.
Your Blessedness permeates, envelops, encompasses us,
resides in every aspect of our being
forever gifting each and every moment of our life.
We honour and reverence your Blessedness
found in the diversity of cultures and religious tradition,
and in the incredible beauty of your creation.
Loving God,
We ask that we may ever
see clearly, hear plainly, smell sweetly,
touch tenderly, taste gracefully
the gift of Blessedness you abundantly bestow on us.
Finally, we ask that we may ever grow
in the awareness of our Blessedness,
In the amazement of our interconnectedness with
all of creation and with each and every person.
Bountiful God,
In awe and gratitude, we give thanks for
the mystery, of presence, of love,
that utterly enfolds and embraces us,
for all the ways we live in Blessedness.
WE LIVE IN BLESSEDNESS
