Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ;

Grace and peace to you.  Recently I had the opportunity to direct an overnight retreat for a group of recovering alcoholics.  I very much appreciated this opportunity.  As a recovering alcoholic myself, this retreat gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own recovery and the gift of new life that is mine through the grace of God and the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. 

It has been many years, over twenty, since I’ve had a drink, and so I don’t always stop to reflect on this gift that has changed me and given me my life back.  In fact, sometimes I take it for granted.   I don’t stop as often as I’d like, in the midst of whatever’s happening in a given moment or within the course of a day, and say, “Thank you” to God for this sacred gift.  I know that not everyone gets it.  I think of myself as a ‘grateful alcoholic’- through this disease I have learned a great deal about life, dependence on God, and how alike we all are in so many ways.   I also know that because I have this gift I am expected to share it, to do something with it.  To that end, I make no secret of my recovery as a way for people in our parish and beyond to know that they can approach me at any time with their own problems or issues with alcohol or drug abuse. 

In recovery circles we talk about the necessity of having “an attitude of gratitude”.  What this means is that our fundamental position toward the world and toward life is one of being grateful for the blessings and gifts that surround us each and every day.   When I stop to reflect on the gift of my recovery, that brings to mind the fact that there are many other blessings I am the recipient of – all the time- and I am called to express gratitude for these, as well.  Having a relationship with Christ, life itself, loving relationships, use of my senses and faculties, the other abilities and gifts God has given me, are all sources of gratitude. 

Thomas Merton wrote, “To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us- and He has given us everything… Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise the goodness of God.  For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience.” 

Do you have an ‘attitude of gratitude’?   -Fr. Scott