Primera parte. Capítulo VII. Del hacimiento de gracias
The Practice of Thanksgiving
The author explains how to transition from meditation into a spirit of gratitude by connecting specific reflections to the benefits received from God.
Once these three parts are finished, you can move on to giving thanks for the benefits you've received. To keep from breaking the thread of your devotion with different topics, you can connect this part to the one before it, using your previous thoughts as an occasion to thank our Lord for the benefit He gave you there, and then include all His other benefits in that same prayer of thanks. For instance, when you've just finished reflecting on a step of the Passion, you can thank our Lord for the benefit of our redemption, especially for His willingness to redeem us at the cost of so many labors; then, thank Him for all His other benefits as well.1 Likewise, when we've thought about our sins, we can thank Him because He waited for us so long and called us to repentance.✦ And when about the miseries of this life: for the many from which He will have delivered us.2 And when about the passage of death: because He has given us life and waited for us to repent. And when about the glory of paradise: because He created us for so great a good. And so it goes with everything else.
Universal Praise and Gratitude
The practitioner is encouraged to expand their gratitude to include all divine benefits and to invite all creation to join in praising the Lord.
Then, as we said, you should connect this benefit to all others—such as the benefits of creation, preservation, redemption, and glorification (which were discussed above in the Sunday night meditation). For these and countless other benefits, both public and secret, offer all the thanks you can, and call on every creature in heaven and on earth to help you in this work. In this spirit, you might at times recite that canticle: Benedicite, omnia opera Domini, Domino, and so on.3 Or the psalm: Benedic, anima mea, Domino, et omnia quæ, and so on.4
Read the original Latin
Acabadas estas tres partes, se puede luego seguir hacimiento de gracias por los beneficios recibidos. Y, por no cortar el hilo de la devoción con diversos afectos y materias, puede el hombre continuar esta parte con la precedente, tomando ocasión, de lo que ha pensado, para dar gracias a nuestro Señor por el beneficio que en aquello le hizo; y juntar con este beneficio todos los otros, y darle gracias por ellos. Porque, acabando de pensar algún paso de la Pasión, podemos dar luego gracias a nuestro Señor por aquel beneficio de nuestra redención, y especialmente por habernos querido redimir con tantos trabajos; y luego darle también gracias por todos los otros beneficios. Asimismo, cuando hubiéremos pensado en nuestros pecados, podemos darle gracias porque nos esperó tanto tiempo y nos llamó a penitencia. Y cuando en las miserias de esta vida: por las muchas de que nos habrá librado. Y cuando en el paso de la muerte: porque nos ha dado vida y esperado a penitencia. Y cuando en la gloria del paraíso: porque nos crió para tan grande bien. Y así en todo lo demás.
Y, después, según dijimos, debe el hombre juntar con este beneficio todos los otros beneficios, como son el beneficio de la creación, y conservación, y redención y glorificación (de los cuales se trató arriba, en la meditación del domingo en la noche). Por estos y otros infinitos beneficios, así públicos como secretos, dé todas cuantas gracias pudiere, y llame a todas las criaturas del cielo y de la tierra para que le ayuden en este oficio. Y con este espíritu podía alguna vez decir aquel cántico Benedicite, omnia opera Domini, Domino, etc. , o el salmo Benedic, anima mea, Domino, et omnia quæ etc.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Rom.2.4;2Pet.3.9 — Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 2Pet.3.9 — The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing any to perish but all to come to repentance.
Notes
- 1 ↩trabajos here means the toils and sufferings of the Passion, not mere occupational work.
- 2 ↩Elliptical continuation of the pattern in s4 ('when we have thought… we can thank Him'); 'habrá librado' is future perfect with a likely inferential force about past deliverances.
- 3 ↩Latin liturgical incipit retained from the source: the Canticle of the Three Young Men (Dan 3 Vulgate), 'Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord.'
- 4 ↩Latin psalm incipit retained from the source: Ps 102/103, 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me.'
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