This past Sunday, the message that resonated most significantly with me was the call to glorify the Lord for the wondrous gifts He has given to us. In the First Reading, we were encouraged to "Sing aloud with gladness... raise shouts... proclaim, [and] give praise". Similarly, the Psalm response read: "What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad."
In keeping with this idea, my choir sang a traditional yet lively Processional hymn: "Sing a New Song" by Dan Schutte. For anyone unfamiliar with this hymn, here are some of the words:
Sing a new song unto the Lord
Let your song be sung from mountains high
Sing a new song unto the Lord
Sing a new song unto the Lord
Singing alleluia
Yahweh's people dance for joy
O come before the Lord
O come before the Lord
And play for Him on glad tambourines
And let your trumpet sound
And let your trumpet sound
Indeed, we are called to give thanks and praise to our God, for He is truly an amazing, generous, loving God!
First, let us consider what the marvels are that the Lord has worked for us.
What, or who, makes you truly happy?
What, or who, enriches your life? Inspires you? Moves you to be a better person? Gives you a sense of purpose?
First, let us consider what the marvels are that the Lord has worked for us.
What, or who, makes you truly happy?
What, or who, enriches your life? Inspires you? Moves you to be a better person? Gives you a sense of purpose?
I am incredibly blessed to have many wonderful people in my life, including a terrific family and group of friends. I am thankful for them every day. In addition, there have been two major developments for me in the last two years that have completely changed my life, 100% for the better, and have brought to fruition God's plans for me. The first was meeting the man who has since become my fiance. He is my soulmate, the person for whom God created me. Through his loving example, he has inspired me to better myself every day, in every facet of life, and to constantly strive to further develop my relationship with God. I have never known such profound joy as I have since being with this amazing man!
The second significant marvel in my life has been my teaching job. For the past 19 months, I have had the incredible privilege of working with a variety of fantastic students, ranging in age from kindergarten to high school. Where I work, we employ a "whole student" approach; rather than just seeing a subject or skill that needs to be taught, we see each student as a whole person with different academic, social, intellectual, and emotional needs, and we individually tailor our teaching for each one. Working with these tremendous students and seeing them learn and grow, not only academically but personally, has been an invaluable gift. I try my best to remember to pray before each session, asking God to give me the clarity and insight to see how to best help these students, and the patience, perseverance, energy, and positivity to do so in a way that is nurturing and empowering. To see a student light up with confidence and happiness upon learning a new skill or overcoming a difficult challenge is incredibly moving, and I thank God for the opportunity and ability to be a part of these students' amazing journeys.
The second significant marvel in my life has been my teaching job. For the past 19 months, I have had the incredible privilege of working with a variety of fantastic students, ranging in age from kindergarten to high school. Where I work, we employ a "whole student" approach; rather than just seeing a subject or skill that needs to be taught, we see each student as a whole person with different academic, social, intellectual, and emotional needs, and we individually tailor our teaching for each one. Working with these tremendous students and seeing them learn and grow, not only academically but personally, has been an invaluable gift. I try my best to remember to pray before each session, asking God to give me the clarity and insight to see how to best help these students, and the patience, perseverance, energy, and positivity to do so in a way that is nurturing and empowering. To see a student light up with confidence and happiness upon learning a new skill or overcoming a difficult challenge is incredibly moving, and I thank God for the opportunity and ability to be a part of these students' amazing journeys.
Yes, we all undoubtedly have many things to be thankful for! Do we make that gratitude known? Do we sing unto the Lord, with glad tambourines and the sound of trumpets? Let us strive to take time each day to thank and glorify God for the many marvels He has given to us. This can be done in many ways. First, we can pray! We can offer a prayer of thanks when we wake up to a beautiful morning with a sunny, cloudless sky. We can say a prayer of Grace at mealtime to thank God for not only the physical nourishment, but also the spiritual nourishment with which we have been provided. We can pray at the end of the day, thanking God for all of the lovely things and amazing people we have encountered.
In addition to prayer, let us also show our thanks and praise unto God in more lively, outward ways! Let us be like the triumphant, joyous music mentioned in the song. Let us spread the Good News of Christ to others, to share with them the love and mercy of our Lord. Let us speak about God, sing about God, and yes, in today's electronic world, even post about God! It might sound silly, but we never know how significant something as seemingly simple as a Facebook status glorifying God can be; we never know who else might be inspired to look at his or her life and find reasons for gratitude and praise.
Let us always cultivate our love for and appreciate of God in our hearts, and in turn, share it outwardly, singing from the highest mountains!
May God bless you today and always!
Karen
In addition to prayer, let us also show our thanks and praise unto God in more lively, outward ways! Let us be like the triumphant, joyous music mentioned in the song. Let us spread the Good News of Christ to others, to share with them the love and mercy of our Lord. Let us speak about God, sing about God, and yes, in today's electronic world, even post about God! It might sound silly, but we never know how significant something as seemingly simple as a Facebook status glorifying God can be; we never know who else might be inspired to look at his or her life and find reasons for gratitude and praise.
Let us always cultivate our love for and appreciate of God in our hearts, and in turn, share it outwardly, singing from the highest mountains!
May God bless you today and always!
Karen
Karen, Your students are very lucky to have such a caring, dedicated and intelligent teacher to help them in so many positive ways! Keep up the great work! Love, Mom
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