Ascension Presents
A Way to Practice Gratitude (That Actually Sticks)
It can be easy in our modern world to fall into the trap of envy and jealousy. When we dedicate our energy and focus on what others have, we can get lost in what we don't have.
But God hopes to remind us of a powerful truth through the practice of gratitude.
Today, Fr. Mark-Mary shares a secret for growing in gratitude and harnessing the power of living in the reality of who God has chosen us to be.
(See Ephesians 1:3-10)
For more wise counsel in your journey to God, check out Fr. Mark-Mary's book Habits for Holiness: Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress (https://ascensionpress.com/products/habits-for-holiness-small-steps-for-big)
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let's move from greed to gratitude with one easy step for $9.99 hey I'm Father Mark Mary with the Franciscan Fri the renewal and this is Ascension presents I'm pretty convinced of this I'm pretty convinced that uh a movement from greed towards gratitude is not actually the fruit of having more or less stuff but it's just a matter of focus The Grateful heart the one who lives in this place of gratitude is the one who focuses on what they have the person of greed the person of jealousy the person of Envy well ultimately they get to that place because they focus on what they do not have and the person of gratitude and the person of greed can have the exact same external circumstances but if one focuses on what they have it'll lead to gratitude if one Focus what they do not have it will lead to to discontentment discouragement and and this sort of pursuit this greedy Pursuit when I talk about like focusing on what you have right it's not just again this isn't just material things but we want our gratitude to be built on Rock we want to be our gratitude to be built on that which uh will not change with the seasons of the world that will not change with our age that will not change with sort of our job or our looks or physical health so what like so what is that rock right what is that that rock that enduring uh rock on which we can build our gratitude the the TR the realities of our faith we can be grateful for God's fatherhood grateful for the gift of our baptism which has given us a share in Jesus's own relationship with with the father we can be grateful for the way that he knows us that he loves us that he created us in love um that he knit us together in our mother's womb that he knows us and he calls us by name we' be grateful for his salvation that we are purchased by the blood of Christ grateful for his presence grateful for his voice grateful for his word grateful for his presence in the sacrament grateful for for his Mercy in the sacrament of confession grateful for the Hope like the sure hope of everlasting life um that right we have this this hope that and that we're on this journey towards Eternal beatitude right these are true and these are important and these are causes of great joy and great gratitude uh and a gratitude which can endure again like whatever happens and we get in trouble we move towards this greed we move towards this end we we move towards this jealousy when what like when we put we we we're out there we're out there and we're saying well I'm not as tall or I'm not as handsome or I'm not as successful or I'm not in the relationship I'm not as healthy as I I I was or I'm not as fit as I was and and we just we spend so much time and energy looking on these things that we don't have or that we're not and we take our eyes off of like who we are and what we have and the fruit of that is discouragement the fruit of that is self- condemnation the fruit of that is forgetting who we are the fruit of that is is murmuring and complaining um the fruit of that is greed the fruit of that is sin and it's just like we have a remedy my friends and it's just a matter of like like hey let's focus let's focus on what we have and why it is truly right and just always and everywhere to give the Lord thanks the character to Mark the Christian because of all that we have is one of gratitude I get it I get the human reality and and the temptation but the call is to fight that Temptation the call is to focus on on on the most essential and deepest and profound and meaningful truths I'm I'm going to offer you one way perhaps it could be a daily prayer to keep these truths before you perhaps this is something that you can go you can ideally memorize it um but you can kind of keep this before for you and this is from it's from the briy here we pray this um Ephesians 1: 3:10 Ephesians 1 3:10 this is this is what St Paul writes here right praise be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens by our baptism in Christ God the father has bestowed on us every spiritual blessing in the heavens we like the father says to us all I have is yours and right it's like we we like what are we what are we doing what are we doing people feeling like we don't have enough like looking all over the place when when all of all of the treasury of all of the grace and the treasures of Heaven have been bestowed on us in Christ by our baptism like let's keep that before us God chose us in him before the world began to be holy and blameless in his sight you and I are chosen by God you and I are chosen you are chosen you are chosen you are chosen and you are chosen what defines you is not like okay I'm single on relationship what like you are chosen by God himself right like and this is true and this is sure he predestined us to be his adopted Sons through Jesus Christ such was his will and pleasure that all all might praise the Glorious favor he has bestowed on us and his beloved in him and through his blood we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven so immeasurably generous as God's favor to us in him and through his blood we have been redeemed you and I we have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus ready and we get to keep receiving that and keep letting it enter more deeply in our lives as we return to him again and again in Mercy but we have been redeemed purchased by the blood of Jesus let's keep this before us the response to being rooted and living from this truth is one is a heart of gratitude God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery the plan he has decreed in Christ uh a plan to be carried out in Christ in the fullness of time to bring all things into one in him in the heavens on the earth God has shown us the path he's shown us the way way he's shown us the truth the destination like like he has shown us like his will he's shown us the the end of like heaven like you and I are made for heaven this ET place again Eternal Union with almighty god father Son and Holy Spirit Eternal beatitude and we know how to get there as God has revealed this path to us through Jesus Christ through the scripture continue to guide us uh through the church like we have we have a father we have a father he has bestow upon us all of all of the treasures of Heaven through baptism as Jesus gives us his own relationship with the father we have been chosen we've been redeemed by the blood of God and and we know we've been promised the home and shown the way to get there my brothers and sisters we got to keep this before us we got to be disciplined and keeping our eyes here and if we stay focused on what we have um and we don't get distracted by focusing on and falling into the temptation of what we don't have um we'll have hearts of gratitude we will have hearts of gratitude the Lord has just given us so much you and I are so blessed in him and let's just keep that before us and not forget not forget our inheritance not forget what we have been given and to allow this this this authentic deep enduring gratitude built on Rock to overflow in our hearts all right friends thank you again for watching and uh remember we are pilgrims on this Earth s padrinos poco poco little by little bomb sear we're going to make it one more time Ephesians 1: 3 to 10 all right thanks everybody see you next week [Music] peace
#Practice #Gratitude #Sticks
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Thank you!! This makes life giving sense!!!
Lots of blessings…..
Beautiful is what I need to hear today
Thank you, that's true
Amen amen 😊
You can be grateful for every breath you take, every step you take. Thank you for this video.
Thank you Father Mark-Mary for this message of gratitude! I was recently diagnosed with cancer, and I will never ask why to God, because I know I will be healed and He is showing me what truly matters in life. I am grateful for his promises that He will fight this battle for me! Thank you Lord for I surrender this illness! Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to all the blessings you give me each day! All glory and honor to you our Father!
Word.
In today's showcase of the hypocrisy and lies of the Trump-Republican-Jesus Taliban….let's talk about how Christian's become incredulous about my personal observations on the lie of prayers. Even though the largest scientific study ever conducted proved beyond any doubt that prayer doesn't work. That study – “Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP).” showed the people who were prayed for had worse outcomes after their surgeries than people who were not prayed for. Which brings me to your own observations on the prayers Chritians have said for gun violence in this nation. Why don't you believe your own personal obseravations? Do you know what is more powerful than every prayer ever said about gun violence in this nation? The common sense laws of every other civilized nation on the planet!! So while Christians keep voting for and supporting those that actively fight against common sense gun laws…let's remember how your prayers have utterly failed this nation. Let us all acknowledge how the lie of christ has failed this nation. If we do pray…let's pray for the day that Christianity is thrown into the dustbin of history where it belongs.
“For $9.99.”
😂😂😂😂
Why did that make me laugh so hard?!🤣
Focusing on gratitude for God and His many gifts has saved my mental health countless times ❤ 🙏
It's true what you are saying, but I am drowning in depression. I struggle to find gratitude.:(
Honestly I would pay 9.99 for your advice
Beautiful, father. Thank you and thank God that you are journeying more and more deeply spiritually. I will keep you in prayer and on my screen and in my ears!
Thank you, Father.
Greetings Father Mark,
Thoughts :-
-> Message reflect with, "The Clear Distinction between True Devotion and Temptation in The Path of Lord Jesus Christ in Every aspects of One's Own Life."
-> Thanks, Father for Valuable Insights.
With regards,
Ranjith Joseph (R.J)
We have so much to grateful for and need to thank God for everything good or bad in our lives. For me, it is a daily ritual to be thankful for all the blessings in my life. Thank you Lord Jesus.
thanks
Thank you for preaching on gratitude!!!! ❤
It was very insightful.
God Bless!!
Amém 🙏
Thank you father! 🙂
Such a simple task to do, practicing gratitude daily. One thought that helps me is thanking the Lord for allowing me another day of life each morning. Without life, I have nothing 😊
Thanks!
Ladies, how do you avoid being envious of women who are extremely beautiful, have a significant other, wealthy, and with a fun outgoing personality?
I am intimidated by opinionated and assertive women.
I feel so small compared to them.
I am always wish I had what others have
Gratitude is an action step for me. I first act out of gratitude, then the sense of being grateful follows. I believe that God allows me to see it or sense it only after I have acted. It doesn't arise simply by thought or even contemplation. I must confess it and act. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the reflections brother. 🙏
So true. Thank you Fr
Who is grateful for Fr. Mark-Mary? ✝❤😀
Just wanted to share too. Forgot which video I got this, but during times when we feel like not being grateful, take the effort of finding the good, even with the smallest things. Eventually, you'll reach the gratitude flow. Every night, I list down things I'm grateful for. It's become a chore sometimes, but every time I do it, I'm just happy I enter the gratitude flow. Even the act of pushing myself to write my daily gratitude, I become grateful for. I become grateful for the chance to look back on the things I may have neglected and become grateful for it. It's a beautiful habit. I hope you can give it a try 🙂