The Shepherd, November 2009
However, I must now round off the benefits of gratitude with their crowning point: love for God and love for ones neighbor. The Saints teach—and our own experience confirms it—that gratitude brings us closer to God, and thereby our love for the Lord becomes exceedingly fervent.
Let us give thanks to God continually. For, it is outrageous that when we enjoy His benefaction to us in deed every single day, we do not acknowledge the favor with so much as a word; and this, when the acknowledgment confers great benefit on us. He does not need anything of ours, but we stand in need of all things from Him.
In point of fact, thanksgiving adds nothing to Him, but it brings us closer to Him. For if, when we recall the benefactions of men, we are the more warmed by affection for them; much more, when we continually bring to mind the benefits of the Master towards us, shall we be more earnest with regard to His commandments.
For this cause Paul also said, Be ye thankful.25 For the best preservative of any benefaction is the remembrance of the benefaction, and a continual thanksgiving for it.26
At the same time that love for God in our hearts increases through gratitude, love for our neighbor also increases. Experience has shown that thanksgiving is a very effective method for curing whatever weaknesses we might have when it comes to fellowship with our neighbor.
It is striking how the Saints insist that we give thanks to our Lord, not only for the personal benefits that we receive, but also for common benefits and those granted to other people; such a thankful attitude on our part turns us from men into Angels: Let us be thankful, St. John Chrysostomos urges us, also for the blessings of others; this makes us Angels instead of men; let us give thanks continually.27 Indeed, it is worth our while to observe how this wondrous subject of love is analyzed by the Saints, who connect it with the sublime Mystery of the Divine Eucharist:
Let us therefore give thanks to Him continually, and let this precede both our words and our works. But let us be thankful not for our own blessings alone, but also for those of others; for in this way we shall be able both to destroy our envy and to reinforce our love and make it more genuine. For you will no longer be able to envy those on whose behalf you give thanks to the Master.
Wherefore, as you know, when this Sacrifice [of the Eucharist] is being offered, the Priest also enjoins us to give thanks for the whole world, for things past, for the things present, for what has previously happened to us, and for what will befall us hereafter.
For, this is what frees us from earth and translates us to Heaven, and makes us Angels instead of men.... We have been taught to treat our fellow-servants in such a way as to consider even their blessings ours. Hence, throughout his Epistles, St. Paul gives thanks for God’s benefactions to the world.
Let us, too, therefore continually give thanks, for our own blessings, and for those of others, alike for the small and for the great.28
Perhaps this is the most appropriate moment for me to mention something which I hope will contribute positively to your understanding of these thoughts concerning the two aspects of love expressed by means of gratitude. Some time ago, a certain monk confided to me a very beneficial experience of his, in order to edify me and fortify me spiritually; I will summarize his main points, and I especially ask our beloved brethren in Christ to pay attention to these:
As you know, brother, I am weak and have made no spiritual progress.... Despite my efforts, I have never succeeded in offering anything to our Lord.... I do not know how it happened, but I once began to invoke the prayers of my Elder and the help of the Panagia, and to ponder on the love and bounties of our Lord to me in my wretchedness.... Since then, I have not ceased to cultivate this inward activity.... My heart gradually began to soften and feel compunction.... A fire was kindled inside me and it blazes unceasingly.... And it dominates me more and more.... I cannot get my fill of love for Christ... or of love for my fellow-men and for the whole of creation.... Whenever I give thanks, this flame flares up. I continually entreat Christ, saying:
O my Christ, do not deprive me of Heavenly blessings for the sake of being satiated by earthly ones.... Deem me worthy to be in the celestial Paradise with the Heavenly Angels and to enjoy the good things of Heaven, just as I am in this earthly Paradise with the earthly Angels, my brothers, and enjoy the good things of this earth in such abundance.29
In referring to this truly wondrous experience and to the most sublime benefits which flow from gratitude, that is, the benefits of love for our Lord and for our brother, we have thus, now, attained to the highest pinnacle: Love is the fulfillment of the Law,30 the recapitulation31 of all the commandments, and the bond of perfection.32
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