47. Is God merciful to all who call on Him? . ........ ....... 61
46. What is thanksgiving?
"Nothing will be sweeter in heaven than to thank Christ for his Blood by which we have been saved.""'
Thanksgiving implies recognition of favors received. Thus, it is an expression that attempts to pay back, if only in word, the benefactor who has gratuitously and generously given of himself.
"How can I repay the Lord for all the good done for me (Ps. 116:12) for even as my memory recalls these things, my soul is not repulsed by them? I will love you, 0 Lord, and thank you, and profess your name, because you have taken from me these evil and reprehensible deeds of mine.
"I attribute it to your grace and to your mercy, that you have melted my sins like so much ice. I attribute to your grace also the evil I did not commit, for what was I capable of doing, loving sin for the sake of sin? Yes, I confess that you have forgiven me what I have committed through maliciousness and what I did not commit, thanks to your guidance.""'
After recognizing the gifts received, gratitude praises with thanksgiving, and then sets out to give something back. To God who has everything, we give him what only we can give him: our hearts and our tireless service for his glory.
"Thanks be to God! Is there something better we could have in our hearts or on our lips, or written by our pens? Thanks be to God! Nothing more easily said, nothing more pleasant to the ear or as profound in meaning, and profitable in practice than this.""'