The Order of Eremitic Servants
  • OES Home
  • Vocations
  • Resources
  • The Hermitage Window

Joy and Gratitude

7/11/2018

0 Comments

 
By Fr. Bjorn, OES (This post appears on his personal blog, The Tiniest Hermit)

One of the core practices of any monastic life is that of gratitude. The regular practice of taking inventory of and recognizing all that we have to be grateful for is one of the direct causes of a deep and abiding joy in our lives.
The monastic practice of gratitude is not just about giving thanks for all that is going right in the life of the monastic. Things such as change, emotion and life experience are all causes for the monastic to give thanks, but these are not always positive things. Change can be painful, emotions can be uncomfortable and life experiences that shape who we are can be troublesome. Giving thanks for both good and happy things as well as difficult things is a discipline that takes time to master, just as any monastic discipline takes time to accomplish effectively.

On the front page of the OES website is a video from TED concerning joy and gratitude. The monk, David Steindl-Rast lists a few things that mark what we ought to be grateful for, and the thing that sticks out for me is that anything that I didn't earn is something I ought to be grateful for (this covers a great many things in my life).

So, dear readers, I encourage you to take stock of all the things in your life that you have to be grateful for. Take time out of your day to inventory and then give thanks for what you believe is a gift, even for menial things like the meals you eat. You may find that over time, you are more joyful by default. 

If you'd like to watch the video about joy and gratitude, it can be found under our "Featured Faith Talks" section on the homepage at http://eremiticservants.org
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Reflections from the monks and nuns of OES.

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • OES Home
  • Vocations
  • Resources
  • The Hermitage Window