DAILY MEDITATION: “I give you praise, Father”

Liturgical day: Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

Gospel text (Lk 10,21-24): At that very moment he rejoiced in the holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

“I give you praise, Father”

Fr. Jean GOTTIGNY
(Bruxelles, Belgium)

Today, we are reading an excerpt from chapter 10 of the Gospel according to Saint Luke. The Lord has sent seventy-two disciples to the places He intended to visit. And they return jubilant. Hearing them recount their deeds and feats, Jesus “rejoiced in the holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth’' (Lk 10, 21).

Gratitude is one of the facets of humility. The arrogant person considers that they owe nothing to anyone. But to be grateful, we need first to discover our insignificance. 'Thank you' is one of the first words we teach children. “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike” (Lk 10, 21).

Pope Benedict XVI, speaking of the attitude of worship, states that it presupposes an “acknowledgement of the presence of God, Creator and Lord of the Universe. This recognition is full of gratitude that wells up from the depths of their heart and floods their entire being, for it is only by adoring and loving God above all things.”

A sensitive soul feels the need to express its gratitude. This is the only thing we humans can do to respond to divine favors. “What joy should it not bring to the lowly hearts of men? Beloved, let us give thanks to God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit, because in his great love for us he took pity on us, and when we were dead in our sins he brought us to life with Christ, so that in him we might be a new creation.” (Saint Leo the Great).

Source: evangeli.net