# Novena to my Father
*2015-07-30*

> On the feast of St. Jeanne Jugan, Bill Young leads a prayer of thanksgiving and reparation, reflecting on the importance of gratitude to God the Father.

## The Importance of Gratitude

Today is Sunday, August 30th, the feast day of St. Jeanne Jugan. She was a great saint born during the French Revolutionary War who started the Sisters of the Poor and gave so much back to her community. She was a humble woman who preferred to stay quiet in her monastery.

Today we are praying a Novena to the Father. This is essentially a prayer of thanksgiving. Jesus gave us the example when he cured ten lepers, but only one returned to thank him. Jesus wondered what happened to the other nine. We should thank the Lord every day for everything he has done, for both the small things and the big things. For instance, I asked that a storm not hit Florida and that it dissipate, and it did. However, we must also remember those who suffered, such as the people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti who lost lives and homes. Let us pray for those lost souls and the damages caused by the tropical storm.

## A Call to Reparation

The introduction to this Novena describes it as a hymn of thanksgiving for the many gifts given to us, but also a request for further graces. It is intended as an act of reparation for those who did not show gratitude to the Lord. Many Christians, even those living good lives, do not feel the need to thank Jesus for the numerous benefits and graces he lavishes upon them. Neglecting this fundamental duty of thanksgiving is an offense to the Lord, who gently fills every living creature with gifts every moment of every day. When we need graces, we pray earnestly to God, Our Lady, and the saints, but perhaps only one out of ten people returns to thank them.

## Thanksgiving for Spiritual and Material Gifts

In the name of Jesus and his infinite merits, we come before the Father in humility to ask for grace, but first to repay our debt of gratitude. We thank God for the beauty of creation and for the providence that manifests itself daily. We give thanks for the Incarnation of the Son and the work of Redemption on the Cross. We thank Him for the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which make the sacrifice of the crucifixion perpetual.

We are grateful for the institution of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, the bishops, and the priests whose ministry helps us navigate the treacherous sea of this life. We thank God for the spirits of faith, hope, and love, and for the doctrine of the Gospel—especially the Beatitudes, which comfort us in our sorrows.

## Intercessions and Personal Petitions

Having fulfilled the duty of thanksgiving, we dare to ask for specific graces. I pray for the poor people in the islands affected by the tropical storm—in the Dominican Republic and Haiti—that those who lost property or family members may find peace and that the souls of the deceased may go straight to heaven.

I also thank God for the inspirations given to me, for freeing me from spiritual and material dangers, and for the promise of paradise. I am grateful for the Blessed Virgin Mary, our heavenly mother, and for St. Joseph, the patron of a holy death. I thank God for my guardian angel and for the devotions of the Church, such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Eucharist. I also pray for my son, that he may believe again in the Lord Jesus Christ, just as St. Monica's son converted and became a great saint.

## Finding God in All Things

Finally, we thank the Father even for the troubles, pains, and illnesses we experience, as they lead us to the sacrifice necessary to follow the Divine Son, who told us that whoever does not carry his cross cannot be his disciple. We thank Him for the universe, the stars, the sun, the water, and the flowers. We are grateful for the peace in society and for the daily bread and material comforts that many others lack.

I thank God for my family—my wife, my son, and my mother-in-law—and for all my brothers and sisters in Christ. We recognize the graces we know and those we will only come to understand in heaven.

*A spirit of thanksgiving is the foundation and orientation of the spiritual life.*