We praise Thee, we bless Thee,
we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory.
(from the Divine Liturgy)
Today we will talk about the magic words, or rather, about the feeling that is expressed by them. As children we were taught to be good boys and girls and say the magic words “thank you”. Now we are adults, and we must learn to live a Christian life, filling our whole lives with gratitude. How can we move from magic words to spiritual work? We are talking about this with Archpriest Eugene Popichenko, dean of the Holy Dormition Cathedral in the city of Ekaterinburg.
—We are taught gratitude from childhood: it is expected and sometimes even demanded from us. So what is gratitude?
—There are two words that sound very similar in Russian—these are “gratitude” and “grace” (“blagodarnost” and “blagodat’”). Grace is a gift that is given to a person. And gratitude is his answer to a gift. The Lord gave man the whole world—in fact, the world was created for a blissful and grace-filled life in close communion with the Creator. Possessing the whole world and having the possibility of unity with God, man can only thank God in return, expressing his love for God, his attention to Him and joy from the fact that the Lord exists.
Just as relationships with other people begin only when a person notices someone besides himself, when he notices the care coming from outside and expresses it in gratitude, so does a relationship with God begin. It is no coincidence that the English writer G. K. Chesterton once noted that a child’s religious upbringing does not begin when his father starts talking with him about God, but when his mother teaches him to say, “thank you,” for a delicious cake.
Only a grateful soul can find God. St. John Chrysostom emphasizes, “Faith is the lot of grateful souls.” Throughout history the Lord has taught man gratitude.
—Gratitude towards people is understandable: We tell them, “Thank you! May God save you!”—that is, we wish for the salvation of their souls in response to kindness on their part. But how can we respond to God? How can we express our gratitude to Him?
—After the fall the first people, Adam and Eve, expressed their gratitude to God simply and clearly—in sacrifices and words of praise. God Himself did not need their sacrifices and thanksgiving prayers—they needed them. But even these acts do not fully express gratitude to God. There is something more important—to give thanks with your whole life: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven (Mt. 5:16).
Gratitude is an expression of love. And how can we express our love for God, or at least our desire for such love? Its expression is a life according to the commandments. Christ says, If a man love Me, he will keep My words (Jn. 14:23). Therefore, first of all, gratitude is not words, but deeds!
The Apostle Paul exhorts us: Warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men… Ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:14–19). And St. Ambrose of Optina adds that we should begin with the last point, namely, with gratitude. Only then can we fulfill what is written above.
“Thank You”
The origin of this expression varies from country to country. The etymology of the Russian “spasibo” is an established abbreviation of the phrase, “May God save you,” which was how gratitude was expressed in old Russia. That is why in the early atheist USSR there was a struggle against the use of this form of gratitude. People were supposed to say instead, “Thank you, comrade!”, using the verb “blagodarit” (the Russian for “to thank”). So “spasibo” is a word hardened in battle. At the same time, it is a kind and “magic” word that should be used as often as possible, with full awareness of its deep meaning. [Today, in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving Day.] International Thank You Day is celebrated annually on January 11.
—How and when should we learn gratitude?
—Both faith and gratitude must be taught and learned from childhood. A person who has not learned to thank will never understand that there is Someone in his life to Who he owes his very existence, happiness, love, family, friends, the ability to breathe and walk, see the sun and feel rain on his face. He will take all these gifts for granted. “I have all this in my life because I am a good person—everyone respects me, and I deserve happiness,” and so on. Besides, he will consume all these blessings and even complain. “The sun is too hot, the rain is too wet, and my friends are boring...” He will not understand that he is unworthy of any of his friends. It was the Lord Who touched the hearts of people who, for some reason, began to love, tolerate, and serve us. Seeing our true colors, seeing the weaknesses of our souls, if they did not love us they would have run away from us, if it were not for God.
All this remains hidden for the kind of person we are describing. He regards his misfortunes as something undeserved and, as a result, suffers and complains about everyone and everything. And first of all, he grumbles to God: “What have I done to deserve this!”
There is an amazing akathist hymn, “Glory to God for All Things”, composed in the 1920s by Metropolitan Tryphon (Turkestanov). Vladyka Tryphon had lived through revolutions and wars and reposed in 1934 when the persecutions were particularly cruel. But as we read the lines of this akathist, we feel its author’s very joyful and peaceful disposition of soul. We understand how pure, chaste and holy the person who composed it was. It also becomes clear that externally difficult living conditions are not an obstacle; they are needed for the development of these qualities.
“The dark storm clouds of life bring no terror to those in whose hearts Thy fire is burning brightly. Outside is the darkness of the whirlwind, the terror and howling of the storm, but in the heart, in the presence of Christ, there is light and peace, silence: Alleluia!” (Kontakion 5).
When a person trusts God, when their relationship is very close, then despite the external sorrows that have filled his life, he can sincerely exclaim with Righteous Job: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21).
—In what state must our soul be in order to bless God for everything? And how can we mature to such a state?
—We should reflect on the words of the Apostle Paul, which precede the words about gratitude: Pray without ceasing. If a person really wants to restore a living and permanent contact with God, he learns to pray, learns for years and decades. At the same time, he keeps in mind that the Lord, as a loving Father, will never do anything to him that will harm his soul. In this case, it is easy for him to trust God and accept everything from Him. This is the state of righteousness and holiness, and we are all called to it. This is not just an abstract ideal, because that’s exactly what God intended us to be. The ability to pray without ceasing stems from the unceasing memory of God and communion with Him. We have to learn this for years and years.
—Suppose I’ve decided to learn to be grateful for everything. The easiest way is to be thankful for good things: here I just need to remember Who sent me such blessings and gifts and keep in mind that I am unworthy of them at all. I remembered and thanked Him from the bottom of my heart.
But learning to thank God sincerely for sorrows is much harder. I can mentally remember that I deserve even greater sorrows for my way of life and thank the Lord. But my heart resists this gratitude. That is, I understand the situation with my mind and express gratitude to God, but my heart responds with protest. Wouldn’t it be hypocrisy on my part to say, “Glory to Thee, O God!” while protesting against it with my heart?
—It is not hypocrisy, but a therapy necessary for our souls, which have hardened because of the sins they committed. Suppose a person has injured his leg. At first, it will be very painful to stand on it. But if he does not try to walk and develop it, he will eventually lose the ability to move. Therefore, he walks, suffers pain when a specialist massages his sore leg, and then thanks him for the procedure. It is the same here—the Lord sends us sorrows to heal us, and we are expected to endure and be thankful. At first, we should thank Him only with our mind, and then our heart will begin to respond. And maybe even there will be joy over our sorrows.
It is impossible to be formally happy. Joy—and gratitude—is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, a result of our life and understanding it. There is a wonderful episode in the Gospel that we read at every thanksgiving service: And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And He said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole (Lk. 17:12–19).
St. Ambrose of Optina:
“We are sad and forgetful, and from despondency and forgetfulness we often cease to be grateful to God. Gratitude in a Christian is such a great thing that, together with love, it will follow him into the life to come, where he will celebrate everlasting Pascha.”
Interestingly, the Samaritan was in the same company as the Jews. Because of their illness the Jews ignored this, although according to Jewish understanding they could not consort with Samaritans or touch them. Apparently, the illness had humbled them, erasing all boundaries.
It is also remarkable that they trusted Christ and went to their priests at His command before receiving healing, and only on the way were they cleansed from leprosy. But it is only to the Samaritan that the Lord says, Thy faith hath made thee whole, because faith and humility had aroused gratitude in this man. And this is another example of the mysterious connection of true faith and gratitude that lead to salvation!
—Fr. Eugene, saints often wrote that church services are the best textbook of faith. The very word “gratitude” is constantly heard in prayers and services. Can church services teach us gratitude?
—Let’s start with the most primitive sacred act... lighting a candle bought in a church shop. For many people (in modern Russia) it is a whole event that they prepare for in advance and then are proud of it, telling their friends about how they “were in church and placed a candle.” It seems to be central to their relationship with God. So why is this small act performed? What is the meaning of this lace-patterned paraffin wax? The candle is a symbol of material sacrifice, the “great–granddaughter” of the sacrifices of the first people.
Do you remember how Cain and Abel offered sacrifices? If lighting a candle is not accompanied by prayer to God (even if brief, but sincere), if after leaving church you begin to condemn church workers for high candle prices—this is Cain’s sacrifice. It is formal, there is no love and no gratitude in it. So did Cain, whose sacrifice the Lord rejected. Whereas Abel offered the best—out of the abundance of his heart, out of love and with gratitude. Cain’s sacrifice paralyzes the soul even more, and Abel’s brings it closer to God.
We can digress from our subject and give the following example. A young man gives a young lady a bunch of flowers, expressing his love for her and joy in the fact that she exists. The lady is not a cow that is happy with a bunch of grass, but she is happy because she sees love behind the flowers. But flowers can be given without love, formally, and will not bring any joy to either the giver or the recipient, and may even cool their relationship.E
Even the high point of liturgical life is called “thanksgiving”—in Greek “Eucharist”. The heart of the Divine Liturgy is the Anaphora, or the Eucharistic—that is, “thanksgiving”—Canon. The priest exclaims: “Let us give thanks unto the Lord!”, and in the secret prayers he thanks the Lord for creating heaven and earth, for sending His Only Begotten Son to save people. And people, for whom the world was created and for whom Christ suffered, strive in gratitude to participate in the Eucharist, for only by unity with God, accepting Him as the dearest Guest in his heart, can a person express active and genuine love towards Him.
—It follows that gratitude is based on joy in the fact that God exists, and on love as the striving for the One Who exists. This is true for any interpersonal relationship, whether with God or between people. Any Christian longs for God, preparing for Communion through repentance. But what if I do not feel joy from the fact that I live and can receive Communion? What joy is there if I am overcome by passions and wandering thoughts, if I pray absent-mindedly?...
—Here we must clarify the concept of joy, otherwise there may be a misconception that joy is a strong emotion, similar to exultation. Do you remember how the holy Prophet Elias experienced the appearance of the Lord? And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice (3 Kings 19:11–12). The Prophet Elias did not find God in a strong wind that destroys mountains and crushes rocks, or in an earthquake or fire, but in a still small voice.
Speaking about the Kingdom of God, the Apostle Paul says that it is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14:17). How can we describe the Heavenly Kingdom? How can we express joy in the Holy Spirit? It is very difficult to do it in human terms, so for us ordinary people the feeling of God’s presence or of true joy remain somewhat hidden. But we understand worldly joy well. For some it is in laughing and smiles, for others, in playing an accordion, for others joy becomes synonymous with contentment. But this has nothing to do with true joy. Therefore, we should not strive to experience joy in a worldly sense when we are trying to live a spiritual life. We need not jump with delight as we approach the Holy Chalice. On the contrary, such feelings can be symptoms of serious errors in our spiritual life. If we strive for irrepressible joy and other powerful emotions we will most likely attain them, but it will be a state of delusion.
If a person does not feel joy from Communion, it means that his soul is still burdened with sins and has not been freed from passions. Because it is natural for a healthy soul to long for God and rejoice when there is a chance to unite with Him. If you are not happy, it means that you are spiritually still seriously ill (as most of us are). In that case you must go to Communion out of obedience. After all, a child is taught to say “thank you” when he is given something pleasant. He is not yet ready to be thankful consciously and joyfully, but he is taught, and in due time he says “thank you” very sincerely.
So Communion is recommended to us for the recovery of our souls, for educational purposes. But it is not a mere recommendation. The Lord offers His Body and Blood to the faithful at every Liturgy. That’s what we should thank Him for above all when we take Communion, and not just reflect on the way home from church: “Oh, how nice it is that we Orthodox have it!” without taking Communion.
—Is gratitude a commandment?
—It certainly is. Gratitude is the norm of life. This is a commandment both in relation to God and to people. Gratitude normalizes our lives. The Apostle Paul wrote: For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:15-16). That is, the Lord arranges our lives in the way that is saving for us. He also helps us walk through this life, bearing our cross. This cross may be so heavy that outwardly we get tired, but it saves our souls, renews and regenerates them.
Afterword
St. Theophan the Recluse:
“It is impossible to ignore the fact that many often remain ungrateful to God. This usually happens from forgetting the blessings of God, from a false opinion of one’s own merits, from unwise comparison of one’s situation with the happier situation of others, and from the rashness to consider oneself or those who were only instruments of God’s goodness as the givers of happiness.
“True gratitude requires us:
1) To try to reveal and use the powers and abilities bestowed by God in order to act for the glory of God;
2) To try to reform and improve our lives;
3) To help our brothers in need and distress in any way we can, for in their person the Lord Himself is pleased to accept our gifts, as if we giving hem to Him: Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me (Mt. 25:40).”
From the book, A Brief Teaching on Worship of God
