HOW TO LIVE A BLESSED LIFE

The Beatitudes remind us to live in gratitude, live a life of joy and live in hope

January 29—4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146, R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Gospel—Matthew 5:1-12a

How does one live a life blessed? In today’s Gospel, the Beatitudes from Matthew, Jesus gives us the state of life we ought to aspire for as his followers.

To be blessed is to live in gratitude. To be blessed is to live a life of joy. To be blessed is to live in hope.

A “practical” grace we can pray for in the day to day is gratitude. From the time we wake up to the time we sleep, we can give thanks.

We give thanks for the very gift of life, good health and the whole of creation. Every little act of kindness and any good deed extended to us we can give thanks for.

To say thank you to the people we encounter in the ordinary moments daily— our staff in our offices or homes, the security guards, the person who held the door for us or the one who let us pass first, the elevator person, the driver of the tricycle we took, etc.

In an experiment on the effects of gratitude conducted by Harvard professor Francesca Gino and Wharton professor Adam Grant, Gino pointed out: “Receiving expressions of gratitude makes us feel a heightened sense of selfworth, and that in turn triggers other helpful behaviors toward both the person we are helping and other people, too ... ”

This experiment showed the effects of gratitude to those who received it. Imagine the effects on those who express or share it—on us who give thanks.

Environment of gratitude

Imagine how an environment of gratitude can create a positive atmosphere. As the Gino-Grant study pointed out, one that can heighten a sense of self-worth and trigger helpful behaviors.

This is fertile ground for joy. Living a life of gratitude consistently, day in, day out, generates joy.

The natural flow of gratitude, its best expression, is to give back in return. This fosters a greater sense of service.

As Ignatius of Loyola put it, realizing God’s love for us, out of gratitude we return love for love, and love is best expressed in deeds; deeds of love and service.

This too has a direct correlation with joy. Those who did volunteer work were also more joyful. Deeds of love and service brought greater joy not just to the ones who were served, but also to those who served.

Gratitude and joy go hand in hand, like two peas in a pod.

In many studies conducted, e.g., by Carnegie Mellon University, they saw that people who had a more positive environment were more healthy and lived longer.

The tradition of giving back, volunteer work, likewise, fostered greater joy.

To be blessed is to live in hope. The beatitudes themselves are promises of some future state of being in the Kingdom. Thus, by its very nature we hope in the promise when we pray the beatitudes.

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven.”

To be blessed is to live in gratitude. To be blessed is to live a life of joy. To be blessed is to live in hope.