The Paradise of the Soul is brimming with heavenly insights on forty-two virtues. In this excerpt, St. Albert the Great covers the virtue of gratitude.
What Is Gratitude?
The virtue of gratitude shows itself to be true and perfect when the soul constantly praises and extolls the greatness and splendor of all the gifts of the Lord, with all sincerity and reverence. This virtue of gratitude was exhibited by King David, when he glorified the mandates of the Lord, saying, “I have loved your mandates above gold and topaz.” And Solomon extolled God’s gift of wisdom with similar exuberance and sincerity when he exclaimed, “The Lord’s wisdom transcends and surpasses all precious things, and no desirable treasure is worthy of being compared to it!”
The person who truly possesses the virtue of gratitude will recognize that he is unworthy of the great gifts which God has bestowed upon him. And, insofar as he recognizes his unworthiness, the feeling of gratitude will be increased and purified. It is in accordance with this principle that Saint John Chrysostom said, “O Christ, for all that you have given us, you expect nothing in return—except that we should be saved. And this salvation You grant to us graciously and gratuitously, and so, as we recognize all that we have received from Your hand, we offer You our unbounded thanks!”
Gratitude For Gifts
We ought to be inspired with true gratitude when we consider the infinite greatness and goodness of the One who bestows such spiritual gifts upon us—namely, God Himself. For the celestial Giver of the gifts we receive is omnipotent, infinitely loving, most blessed, and utterly perfect and incomparable in every possible respect.
As well as the splendor and magnificence of the Giver, we should also consider the immensity and preciousness of the gifts which we receive from Him. For the gifts which we receive from God, both spiritual and material, are not mere trinkets or trivial benefits. Rather, they all partake of the immense and unfathomable goodness of God Himself. [For such gifts include existence itself, life, intelligence, faith, mercy, and the promise of eternal bliss.]
It behooves us also to consider the love with which God bestows His gifts upon us. For the affections of the one who gives contribute much to the value of the gift—something given with love acquires a particular and wonderful value for this very reason. Now, God gives us His gifts in no half-hearted manner, nor with anger, nor in the mercenary hope of receiving something in return. Rather, God gives to us with pure, complete, and unselfish love, out of the immensity of His own divine goodness and limitless generosity.
We should reflect, too, on the superlative benefits which we derive from these gifts which we receive from God. For God confers upon us each of His gifts for no other purpose than that we may gain knowledge of His perfection and love, and come, at last, to enjoy eternal beatitude and glory. We should be mindful of our own unworthiness as recipients of these incalculable and priceless gifts. For nothing we could ever do in our own lives could possibly make us worthy of all that God gives to us.
Finally, we should not overlook the great usefulness of the virtue of gratitude. For our gratitude opens the font of heaven’s mercy, and unfailingly moves God to compassion. Conversely, ingratitude causes the fountain of mercy to dry up. It makes the dew of clemency vanish, and the streams of grace cease to flow. The more a soul is filled with gratitude, the more will it receive graces and mercy. In this way, our gratitude for the gifts we have received leads to even more and greater gifts being given to us. This, then, increases the virtue of gratitude even more.
A sign of genuine gratitude is when a person gives thanks to God with all his heart for each of the benefits he has received from Him, however great or small. A grateful person will treat these gifts with reverence, and do his utmost to retain them and preserve them in pristine and immaculate condition. For how could a friend be considered truly grateful for a gift if he treated it negligently and carelessly, or soon lost it?
Gratitude For Sufferings
It behooves us not to cultivate gratitude only for those things which bring us comfort and consolation but even for those things which cause us some suffering or affliction. For all of these, both consolations and afflictions, come from one and the same wisdom and goodness of God. Accordingly, Tobit said, “I bless You, Lord God of Israel, for You have castigated me, and, [by means of this,] You have saved me!” God both bestows blessings upon us and permits tribulation to befall us for one and the same purpose—namely, the attainment of grace in this present life, and future glory in the world to come. And very often something which is experienced as an affliction at the time will lead to some more useful outcome in the longer term. Thus Job said, “If we accept good things from the hand of God, must we not also accept evil?” In these words, he is counselling us that we should accept both with gratitude and graciousness.
Signs Of Ingratitude
A sure sign of ingratitude is when a person closes his heart to accepting good spiritual gifts from God. How is the heart closed to receiving these spiritual gifts? By allowing it to be filled with bad will, or rancor, or flippancy, or excessive delight in temporal things, or carnal attachments. For the heart which is filled with such things cannot easily accept the graces which God would confer upon it.
Another indication of ingratitude is when a person does not take due care to preserve the gifts he has received from God, or when he does not make adequate efforts to develop and increase his graces and talents, or when he does not employ them usefully and in accordance with the divine plan.199 And another, and even more grave, display of ingratitude is when a person misuses the gifts he has received from God (whether powers of mind, body, or soul) to do things which are contrary to His commandments. Alas, this happens all too often! And whoever is so ungrateful as to use the gifts he has received in a manner which is opposed to, or dishonors, the supreme Giver surely deserves to be deprived of them completely!
Prayer For Gratitude
O Lord, explain to me, I beg You, just who You are. For You have given me such immense and unimaginable benefits—to me, who have done absolutely nothing to deserve them! And it is not only innumerable graces and benefits You have conferred upon me but Your very self. And I barely deserve to be counted amongst the very least and most lowly of Your creatures. Is it that Your own glory will be increased if I love You and am thankful to You? Far from it!
Rather, it is Your most pure and overflowing goodness alone which impels You to draw mankind to Yourself, and for You to give Yourself to us. This same infinite goodness leads You to make us sharers in Your own perfect and eternal beatitude, which is Your most perfect gift. May I recognize that what I receive from Your hand, O Lord—whether it is consolation or affliction, joy or sorrow—is given to me solely to bring me to this final and perfect happiness. May I feel for You always due gratitude, for You have given to me a gift beyond all imagining—Your very self! Amen.
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This article is taken from a chapter in The Paradise of the Soul by St. Albert the Great which is available from TAN Books.
