For St Ignatius of Loyola, the act of gratitude is very important. In the daily Examen, it begins with being thankful for God’s gifts. In the Spiritual Exercises, it is crammed with references to expressing gratitude for God’s gifts. For Ignatius, ingratitude was the “most abominable of sins.” As we end the work week, let use the pray below, as way of recognizing God’s graciousness in our lives.

A Litany of Gratitude by Tim Muldoon (from An Ignatian Book of Days)

Begin by picturing yourself in God’s presence, ask God to give you awareness of all the gifts God has given you over the course of your life, ask further for a spirit of gratitude. As you pay attention to these gifts, consider the ways that you might use them for God’s greater glory and how you might offer them back to God.

“Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – Colossians 3:17

Give thanks for Creation itself.
Your ancestors and those who struggled to give you life.
Your biological mother and father, whether you know them or not.
Your immediate family, whether related by blood or not.
Your body, whether you like the way it is nor not.
Your faculties of sense, even if some seem faulty.
Your intelligence, whether or not you think you have enough of it.
Your special talents, whether or not you think them useful.
Your friends and loved ones, whether alive or dead.
Your work, whether for money or not.
Your play, even though it may seem infrequent.
Your possessions, no matter how much money they are worth.
Your time to live, no matter how quickly it seem to pass.
*Pray the litany everyday for the next several days.

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