A life of profound "gratitude''

2. "'Tibi gratias agens benedixit.'

"At every Mass we remember and relive the first sentiment expressed by Jesus as he broke the bread: that of thanksgiving.

"Gratitude is the disposition which lies at the root of the very word 'Eucharist.' This expression of thanksgiving contains the whole Biblical spirituality of praise for the mirabilia Dei.

"God loves us, he goes before us in his Providence, he accompanies us with his continuous saving acts.

"In the Eucharist Jesus thanks the Father with us and for us.

"How could this thanksgiving of Jesus fail to shape the life of a priest? He knows that he must cultivate a constant sense of gratitude for the many gifts he has received in the course of his life: in particular, for the gift of faith, which it is his task to proclaim, and for the gift of the priesthood, which consecrates him totally to the service of the Kingdom of God.

"We have our crosses to bear — and we are certainly not the only ones! — but the gifts we have received are so great that we cannot fail to sing from the depths of our hearts our own Magnificat."

John Paul II
Holy Thursday Letter to Priests 2005 (excerpt)