When was the last time you thanked God? Do you remember how you thanked God? If we tend to think that thanking God is merely saying a quick “thank you,” then we ought to know other ways in which we can fittingly thank God.
For Catholics, the most fundamental way to thank God is to go to Mass. That is because Holy Mass is the celebration of the Eucharist, which is an action of thanksgiving to God (CCC 1328). But just being physically present in Mass is not enough; in order for Mass to be an action of thanksgiving to God, we must actively participate at Mass by maintaining a prayerful and thankful heart.
Another way to fittingly thank God is to live out what Jesus taught us. People naturally show their gratitude by doing what they have been told by the person they are thankful to. For example, children show their gratitude to their parents by obeying them, or workers show their gratitude by doing the work their employers have asked them to do. Similarly, we show our gratitude to God when we do what Jesus told us in the Gospels; i.e., by loving God and our neighbor.
Still another way that we can fittingly thank God is by using the gifts which God gave us to serve others. Whenever we give someone a gift, does it not please us when the receiver made good use of the gift? Similarly, we please God when we use His gifts in a good way. St. Peter wrote in his letter: “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1Peter 4:10) Therefore, one who has the gift of teaching should teach others well, one who has the gift of hospitality should welcome people wholeheartedly, and one who has a certain skill should use it unselfishly.
One other point that people may not be aware of is that giving thanks to God is a demonstration of our faith. Let us take a closer look at the story of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). Ten lepers were healed, but only one returned to thank Jesus. Moreover, he did not just say a quick thank you to Jesus; rather, the Gospel tells us that he glorified God in a loud voice and fell at the feet of Jesus. That tells us that thanking God should be an act which also glorifies and worships God; it should be an act that demonstrates our faith.
Jesus said to the cleansed Samaritan leper, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” (Luke 17:19) Here is one final point: In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you” also to the sinful woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair and anointed them with ointment (Luke 7:50), and to the woman who was healed of hemorrhage (Luke 8:48). For the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet, her act of love despite the ridicule of others demonstrated her faith. For the woman healed of hemorrhage, it was her unrelenting desire to touch Jesus despite the physical difficulties which stood in her way. All three demonstrated their faith in differently ways, but all three were given a fresh start in life on their path to salvation. Thank God we can all do the same.