Editor’s Note: Post originally published on April 28, 2017.
This week I was researching for an article I am writing about G.K. Chesterton and I came across this gem of a quote from Chapter 4 of his work Orthodoxy. He states, “The test of happiness is gratitude.” There are few phrases that make me pause when I am reading and this was one of them. I have thought about this quote a lot today and figured it would be a good message to pass along.
Gratitude is defined as the quality of feeling or being thankful. Why a feeling may be arbitrary and susceptible to change “being” thankful has a more lasting feature to it. Because of this, I want to make this slight change to Chesterton’s quote—the test of happiness is [being] thankful!
Chick-fil-a Harnessed the Power of Gratitude
According to a recent article I read online about the success of the restaurant chain Chick-fil-a, the power of saying “thank you” is quite tangible. The main thrust of the article states that Chick-fil-a’s leadership stresses the importance of manners and expressing gratitude towards customers in their employee training. As an occasional customer of Chik-fil-a, I can attest to the superb customer service and appreciation among workers when I visit their establishment.
Thanksgiving and the Eucharist
“We must not separate our life from the Eucharist. The moment we do so, something shatters.” —Saint Teresa of Calcutta
On a more profound level, the Catholic Church has been proclaiming Chesterton’s message “The Test of Happiness is Gratitude” for over 2,000 years. In fact the most important thing Catholics participate in on a weekly or daily basis— the Mass— is centered on thanksgiving! The sacrament of the Eucharist, housed within the Mass, along with being the source and summit of the Catholic faith, actually is a transliteration of the Greek word eucharistia which means “thanksgiving”. I always come out of Mass being happier than when I came in. It is nice to have a reminder of thankfulness to re-orient myself if I stray away from this mindset during the week.
I believe that the connection between being thankful and the Catholic Mass and the success of Chick-fil-a is not a coincidence. God knows that mankind can only be truly happy when experiencing life as a gift. So to conclude, I want to thank all that have read my posts and for anyone who is reading my writing for the first time. I thank God for my faith, family, and friends. I hope you find at least three things to be thankful of today after reading this. Thank you again!
Related Links
Mathematics of Living a Joyful Life
Learning Gratitude from G.K. Chesterton – Jeff Miller
