10 November 1984
Saragossa, Spain

My dear Sisters,

Of all the letters that St. Paul wrote, for many people the one that is the most personal is that which he sent to the Christians at Philippi. There had grown up between St. Paul and the Philippian Church a friendship closer than that which existed between him and any other Church. It was St. Paul's proud boast that he had never taken help from any man or from any Church and that he had provided for his needs by the work of his hands. It was from the Philippians alone that St. Paul agreed to accept a gift. When he had left them and gone to Thessalonica, they sent him a present (cf. Phil 4:16), and when he had arrived in Corinth, the Philippians had sent him more gifts (cf. 2 Cor. 11:9). So in his letter to them it is not surprising that he addresses them as "my brethren whom I love and long for, my joy and crown." (Phil 4:1). In the first reading of today's Mass, St. Paul expresses his sense of gratitude to the Philippians. The gratitude which is in his heart flows out from it like a pure mountain stream. Gratitude, when it comes from the heart, is as refreshing as water from a mountain stream. Two months ago when I was in Bolivia, I came out of the Provincial House of the Sisters and, as I did so, a woman passed by pushing a small wooden cart with what looked like all her possessions on it. She was accompanied by two small children. As she passed, the articles on the cart fell off. For fifteen seconds or so I helped her put them back on again. I will never forget the depth and the warmth of the way she said, "muchisimas gracias, Padre." It was a lesson to me on gratitude. The service I gave her was tiny, but her expression of gratitude was as profound as if I had given her a thousand dollars.

Gratitude is a good barometer of our spiritual condition. If you find that you are giving thanks to God frequently in your prayer, for big things and small; if you find yourself showing gratitude to others, your spiritual life is probably in a healthy condition. To give thanks is a sign of humility. Failure to give thanks is a sign of pride and self-sufficiency. It is St. Vincent who remarks in one of his letters that "ingratitude (is) the crime of crimes." (Coste III, Eng. ed., ltr. 850, p. 42). Gratitude is a sign of humility. If we are humble, we will certainly be in God's favor, and His love, the most valuable gift we can offer to the poor, will be in our hearts.

Perhaps it was St. Paul's profound sense of gratitude for everything that enabled him to have what St. Vincent used to call the virtue of indifference. Listen again to the words of the first reading: "I do not complain of want, for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me." (Phil 4:11-13). If we have a grateful heart, we will see everything as gifts of God. We will give thanks, as St. Paul so often reminded the Christians of his day, in all things and in all circumstances. There is a beautiful prayer of St. Thomas More who, when he was rich and enjoyed much favor from King Henry VIII, always kept his heart detached from the things of this life. The prayer goes: "Thanks be to You, Lord Jesus Christ, for all that You have given me. Thanks be to You, Lord Jesus Christ, for all that You have taken from me. Thanks be to You, Lord Jesus Christ, for all that You have left me."

May God give us the grace to be grateful for everything He has given us and to show that gratitude by generosity to others and to the poor. May He give us also the grace to be detached in heart from all things and the grace to be content in our vocation. With St. Louise I say: