How to Live Gratitude to God

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Family,

The Virgin Mary was a perfect human – not born with original sin like the rest of us, and sinless throughout her entire life (Pope Pius IX). Yet, she understood that all her goodness was a gift; in her Magnificat, after her cousin Elizabeth hails her, the Mother of God’s, visit, Mary praises God: “My soul proclaims the greatness of God; my spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Gospel of Luke Chapter 1).

The Magnificat is a famous sort-of “song” that Mary says shortly after she was visited by the Angel Gabriel and told she would be the Mother of the Messiah, the Mother of Jesus. She also says:

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Gospel of Luke chapter 1)

The Assumption of the Virgin by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682)

Mary’s song of praise to God gives us perspective of how also to live gratitude in all that we have and are: we recognize their source in God. And another component of this gratitude is that we also make a handsome return to God by helping God’s Church and the world, our brothers and sisters.

The most fundamental gift God has given us is our life, and our eternal life. It is a humbling gift, because before its immensity we realize that this is something that we couldn’t possibly pay back, and that’s OK. But we can live a life of service to God through service to the Church and the world, that to a certain extent gives life, or enhances life, for others.

A clear example of this is what to do if God heals us from serious illness. Serious illness can obstruct desires we may have to perform certain works: to spend time with and raise family and extended family, to serve at our parish, to volunteer at a local charity. But if in His goodness, God’s will is for us to be healed, either through prayer, someone else’s prayer, through the Anointing of the Sick, etc., our healing is a sign to use this “new life” to serve God. The reason this is so important is that God’s Kingdom is and will be built through human effort, including our effort, since from the beginning of creation, God assigned man to “cultivate and care for it” (Genesis chapter 2) – so by serving God, including through these ideas, of helping your family, the parish, or a local charity, we are building God’s Kingdom and spreading goodness, goodness that without, first, God’s healing, and then our effort, wouldn’t be present. Of course, the most direct way of building God’s Kingdom, is to support the Catholic Church, her ministries, and Catholic apostolates, because these works are those directly assigned to man by Jesus, to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth (see Matthew chapter 28).

Jesus Healing the Blind by Carl Bloch (1834–1890)

In the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus actually assigns one of these good works to a man He healed. The man who was struggling was a demoniac, a man with an unclean spirit, full of demons, to the point that he was very violent, deeply afflicted, and would hurt himself (Chapter 5). The Lord exorcised the demons and though the man wanted to remain with Jesus in his earthly journeys, Jesus told him: “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his [mercy and compassion] has done for you.” Jesus told him to announce the power of Jesus Christ, to a certain extent, to proclaim God, Jesus, and His kingdom. We can only imagine how this work and his testimony brought others closer, if not to, God.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, we are called, with our blessings and our life, in gratitude, to build the Kingdom of God as much possible. Needless to say, in our busy lives in this extraordinarily high-paced world, time may be limited, but a significant way we can build is monetarily. The Church’s most renowned thinkers like St. Thomas Aquinas from the 1200s give us a guide on different works the church participates in so we can look for ways to contribute (Aquinas part2-2, q188): the Church herself is one of the most important ministries, because the Church is chiefly responsible for proclaiming the Gospel, besides providing for the Sacramental life of the Church, like Mass, Confession, Baptism, etc. Her work in religious education of both children and adults is also of supreme importance, helping us to follow Jesus Christ. St. Thomas Aquinas also describes the importance of the contemplative life, of a life of deep intimacy with God, that many formal religious live. So, supporting vocations is very important, not only to the Diocesan priesthood (those who become priests through the local diocese, for the local diocese), but also to the religious priesthood and religious life, to religious orders of both men and women who become religious but not through the Diocese, though they may work in a given Diocese, like Jesuits, Franciscans, and the Salesian sisters to name a few. Apostolates, organizations that may be independent from any given diocese and run by lay people, that perform these same works of proclaiming the Gospel and teaching are also very important.

St Thomas Aquinas by Carlo Crivelli (1430-1495), from the Demidoff Altarpiece

Nevertheless, an important point is that we cannot neglect the material needs of our brothers and sisters. St. James in his letter rebukes us who think it’s important to only focus on the spiritual needs of the world:

“If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?” (Chapter 2)

Pope Leo XIV’s name choice is also important to consider, because experts comment that the name choice reflects the direction he wishes to take in his papacy (McDonald). Pope Leo XIV indeed mentioned that his name choice was influenced by ongoing economic developments and artificial intelligence and challenges they may pose to “human dignity, justice and labor,” similar to how the previous Pope to have the name Leo, Pope Leo XIII, wrote Rerum Novarum and addressed these challenges in light of the Industrial Revolution of the late 1800s. Of note in Rerum Novarum, first, Pope Leo XIII clearly states, including by quoting St. Thomas Aquinas:

“Private ownership, as we have seen, is the natural right of man, and to exercise that right, especially as members of society, is not only lawful, but absolutely necessary. ‘It is lawful,’ says St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘for a man to hold private property; and it is also necessary for the carrying on of human existence.’” (#22)

Nevertheless, the Pope further quotes St. Thomas Aquinas on those whose material blessings overflow, past their needs, those of their household, and office in life:

“Man…[should] share…without hesitation when others are in need. …the Apostle [Paul] says, ‘Command the rich of this world…[to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share]’” (#22)

Pope Leo XIV (1955- , 1st image) and Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903, 2nd image)

The world is increasingly being divided into the “haves and have nots,” and as Venerable Fulton Sheen, an American hero, explained and worried about, capitalism without limit can include joblessness and have exploitative practices, and these can be of concern because great human suffering threatens the future stability of our societies (Patterson 06:00-16:00). Some of us may have lived these challenges of joblessness or being economically exploited, or know people who have.

This call from God to generosity with our brothers out of gratitude to God is a sharp contrast to an extremely individualistic world where each is so worried about his and his own, that fraternity is nonexistent. Pope Francis wrote that such a system “of ‘every man for himself’ will rapidly degenerate into a free-for-all” (#36).

So, indeed, we are called to give generously if we are well-off or haven’t previously thought about giving to help out our brother, and it can absolutely be on a personal/direct level: $500-$1000 monthly if they face joblessness, while they get back on their feet, or if they have another need. Parishes also should feel encouraged to have a few times a week breakfast, lunch, and dinner served at Parish kitchens so that those in trouble or under pressure may have an outlet and be able to taste God’s consoling presence. In case these are not possible in the parish, Catholics are most definitely encouraged to use their creativity to make this a reality elsewhere using pooled, private funds.

Besides these few examples, of course donations to local soup kitchens, homeless shelters, victim shelters (like of domestic abuse, human trafficking, etc.), organizations that provide medical care to those in need, and those that provide education/job placement services are excellent ideas to help continue to build God’s kingdom (though the USA has a generous system of subsidized medical insurance, although there are certain work requirements).

In terms of numbers, large percentages of income are most welcome, again, for those who are well-off; it’s normal as a family with children to not have much to spare, but these messages are more aimed for those for whom it is “easy” to make these type of commitments or those who haven’t previously thought of any giving. Scripture also guides our giving amount: in the Old Testament, tithing, returning 10% of income to God, was common practice (see Leviticus chapter 27), a way of offering your first and best to God and recognizing your dependence on Him, so commitments by percentage before personal and family expenses are one way to live this call to gratitude (for example, 5-10% of pre-tax income). The Lord also mentioned this concept of giving before personal expenses, criticizing those that only give from what is left over from their personal expenses, “those…[making] offerings from their surplus wealth” (Gospel of Luke chapter 21).

Abraham and Melchizedek by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante (1633–1669), where Abraham makes an offering to high priest Melchizedek

Besides your current giving, if you are well-off or are significantly under a 5-10% measure of pre-tax income, you may consider an extra 1-2% to the parish, and 1-2% for each needs of family/friends; supporting vocations; local soup kitchens, homeless/victim shelters, organizations that provide medical care, or those that provide education and job placement services; and Catholic apostolates like evangelization, education, and those that serve charisms like family life. For other ideas, feel free to message us or email us!

Family, God has given us so much, that with Mary we can also say: “My spirit rejoices in God my savior.” The life and blessings He has given us have one response, living in gratitude by serving God through service to the Church and others, with our time, but also and especially with our treasure, our money. While the Spiritual works of the Church are most important, we cannot neglect the material needs of the church and our human family, especially in the US, where our capitalist system can cause joblessness and can be exploitative. If we are well off, let’s be sure, besides our current giving, to appropriate blessing through giving to the parish, supporting vocations, and Catholic apostolic works, but also to those we may know in need, and organizations that provide food, housing, medical care, and education/employment assistance to those among us who are most vulnerable and may be going through a storm in life.

May God bless us, deliver us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life,

Juan B

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Corrections:

*2025 Oct 15: Reference to Rerum Novarum paragraph #22 was corrected to reference the Apostle Paul from the Apostle Timothy


Citations:

Aquinas, St Thomas. Summa Theologiae (Kevin Knight, Online Edition 2017) (Original work published 1920, Fathers of the English Dominican Province, trans.), New Advent.org, https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3188.htm. Accessed 6 Sep 2025

McDonald, Matthew, “What Name Will the Next Pope Choose?,” National Catholic Register, Features,https://www.ncregister.com/feat/what-name-will-the-next-pope-choose. Accessed 6 Sep 2025

Patterson, Dr. James. The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen, Episode 2: “A Criticism of Liberalism and Capitalism.” The Pursuit of Wisdom, Ave Maria University. Accessed on FORMED, https://app.formed.org/app/videos/3520925?cid=1105575.

Pope Francis. (2020). Fratelli Tutti. Vatican.va, https://vatican.va/cont/fran-/en/enc-/doc-/papa-franc-_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html. Accessed 4 Sep 2025

Pope Leo XIII. (1891). Rerum Novarum. Vatican.va, https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html. Accessed 15 Jul 2025

Pope Leo XIV, May 10, 2025, [Video of speech]. Catholic News Service Rome (@catholic_news_service). 2025, May 10. “Pope Leo: A.I inspired Name Choice.” Video. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJeVgCoPXc4/?igsh=bGRkajFkMXNrMTVo. Accessed 10 May 2025

Pope Pius IX, Blessed. “Ineffabilis Deus,” Apostolic Constitution on the Immaculate Conception, 1854, New Advent.org, https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs-pi09id.htm. Accessed 6 Sep 2025

Image credits

1 – Public domain

2 – Public domain

3 – Public domain

4 – The Vatican, https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/it/special/habemus-papam/habemus-papam-2025/foto-leone-xiv.html. Accessed 4 Sep 2025.

5 – Public domain

6 – Public domain

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