Gratefulness Part 5
September 20, 2025
Gratefulness Part 5
In Christianity, the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed and Eastern Orthodox churches all use a variation of the phrase "it is right to give him thanks and praise" during the opening dialogue of the Eucharistic prayer. This dialogue between the priest and the congregation, is known as the Sursum Corda, an ancient part of the Christian liturgy.
The flow of the Christian Eucharistic Prayer:
Celebrant: “Lift up your hearts”
People: “We lift them to the Lord”
Celebrant: “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God”
People: “It is right to give him thanks and praise”
Celebrant: It is right and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth”
As we can see, “thanks to God” is the central theme in this ancient prayer said by the celebrant and congregation before communion. But why is thanks so prominent instead of guilt, the fall, separation from God, healing, forgiveness, mercy, or another part of Christianity? The Eucharist is a repeat of the last supper when Jesus instructed the disciples about what was to come and how they were to stay in contact with him after his death. In the last super, Jesus gave a gift to the disciples: a new covenant between God and God’s people, and a way to feel Jesus’s very presence after he is no longer physically on earth. Thanks and praise are the responses to having been given such supreme gifts. And they are the crux of Christianity itself.
In God’s spiritual gifts to us, the act of expressing gratefulness means the gift is accepted and appreciated by us. Gratefulness also asserts that we could not have done this on our own and are thankful for what has been given. Expressing gratefulness affirms the power of the gift. And the gift of the new covenant and of the presence of God lays the foundation for all other spiritual gifts.
Spiritual practice: As you re-read the Eucharistic prayer, what are the most important lines from your standpoint, and why?
Self-inquiry: What would be some of your reasons for not wanting to express gratefulness?
Prayer: Dear God, Please accept my thanks and praise. Amen
