GRACE OF GRATITUDE, THE

Gratitude is a choice not a circumstance. Two people can be living in essentially the same situation and one will be bitter, frustrated and angry and the other filled with joy, peace and a delight in life. Bitterness and self?pity rob us of the fruit of a spiritual life, which is so important to a humane existence, basic happiness. Fr. Rossetti demonstrates ways that a person can build up a grateful spirit and in the process become a more effective witness to the life and liberation that comes from following Christ. Ingratitude deflates the human spirit and turns lives into states of personal desperation. Gratitude heals hurts, overcomes the effects of failure and makes a creative and free human being. Gratitude that is unshakeable is based on the grace of God and at the same time allows the grace to bear visible fruit in the individual's life. Too, many even in priesthood and religious life, towards the end of their days are glad that finally their lives and work are coming to an end. At the end of a life's journey Fr. Rossetti would have all his listeners wish that they could do it all over again. The listener will be “grateful” for this tape on “gratitude” because it will affirm the importance of every life and its significance in the very plan of God.

Produced in collaboration with the National Institute of Clergy Formation of Seton Hall University.