THE VIRTUE OF GRATITUDE AND PRAISE | KAIROS GLOBAL | NOVEMBER 2026

Author: Fr Jijo Jose Manjackal MSFS

Audio

Intro: Through Psalms 96, 113 and 29 Fr Jijo Jose Manjackal MSFS writes about being grateful to and giving praise to God.

Gratitude is the recognition of God as the source of every good gift, while praise is the joyful response of the heart that acknowledges His greatness and His goodness. St Therese of Lisieux gives us a beautiful insight into the spirit of praise and gratitude when she says, ‘Jesus does not demand great actions from us, but simply surrender and gratitude.’

Gratitude changes the way we see our lives. It teaches us to recognise that what we possess, who we are and every good thing we receive ultimately comes from God. Praise then becomes more than words spoken in prayer; it becomes an attitude of the heart that continually turns toward God with love. St Paul reminds us to, Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). 

The Psalms are a school of gratitude and praise. They teach us to remember God's works, recognise His goodness, proclaim His salvation and allow our entire life to become an act of praise.

Psalm 96 – Gratitude that remembers God's saving goodness

O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! (Psalm 96:1)

Psalm 96 is a magnificent invitation to praise God because of who He is and because of what He has done. The Psalmist calls the whole earth to sing, bless God's name and proclaim His salvation. Gratitude naturally becomes proclamation: when we recognise God's goodness, we want others to know it too.

Gratitude here is presented as remembering and proclaiming – seeing God's goodness and making His saving works known.

• Take time each day to remember specific blessings you have received from God.

• Thank God not only for what He gives, but for who He is.

• Allow gratitude to become a testimony by speaking about God's goodness to others.

Psalm 113 – Gratitude that recognises God's goodness to the lowly

Who is like the Lord our God, Who is seated on high, who looks far down upon the heavens and the earth? (Psalm 113:5-6)

Psalm 113 begins and ends with praise: Praise the Lord! It presents the greatness of God who is exalted above all creation, yet who bends down to raise the poor and needy. Gratitude therefore becomes deeply personal: we praise God because He sees, remembers and lifts those who are forgotten by the world.

Gratitude here is presented as recognition – understanding God's loving action in our own lives and in the lives of the humble and forgotten.

• Never take God's blessings for granted; pause and recognise His action in your life.

• Give thanks for the people, opportunities and situations by which God has lifted and supported you.

• Learn to notice God's goodness especially in places and people whom the world overlooks.

Psalm 29 – Praise that recognises God's glory

Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendour (Psalm 29:2).

Psalm 29 is a majestic hymn of praise. The Psalmist repeatedly calls the heavenly beings to ascribe glory to the Lord, while describing the powerful ‘voice of the Lord’ moving through the storm, the waters and the cedars. 

Praise here is presented as acknowledgement – acknowledging God's greatness and rendering the glory that belongs to Him.

• Let your work, service and duties of life become acts of gratitude.

• Acknowledge God not only with your lips but through the way you live.

• When you do not know what to pray, begin simply by praising God for who He is.

This month, let us specially practise the virtues of gratitude and praise. Gratitude thanks God for His gifts, while praise glorifies God for who He is.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that ‘Thanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is… the thanksgiving of the members of the Body participates in that of their Head. Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS.’ (CCC 2637, 2639). The word Eucharist comes from the Greek Eucharistia, meaning ‘thanksgiving’. Every celebration of the Eucharist therefore teaches us that we receive God's gifts, we recognise their source and we return everything to God in thanksgiving.

Through Psalms 96, 113 and 29, we are invited to remember God's goodness, recognise and acknowledge His loving action and make our whole life an offering of praise. Let the charismatic words of Pope St John Paul II be an inspiration: Remember the past with gratitude. Live the present with enthusiasm. Look forward to the future with confidence.

May our life boldly proclaim: Lord, I lift Your Name on high!

God Bless! Live Jesus!