In chapter 58 of the second part of Don Quixote, Don Quixote and Sancho are riding in a forest where they find two beautiful and young shepherdesses who invite them for dinner. Don Quixote accepts the invitation, and upon finishing the meal, he pronounces a wise speech on gratitude.
“Although some may say pride is the greatest sin men commit, I say it is ingratitude, for I am guided by the adage that says hell is filled with the ungrateful. This sin is one I have attempted to flee, as much as it was possible for me to do so, since I reached the age of reason; if I cannot repay the good deeds done for me with other deeds, in their place I put the desire I have to perform them, and if that is not enough, I proclaim those good deeds far and wide, because the person who tells about and proclaims the good deeds that have been performed on his behalf would also recompense them with other deeds if he could, because of the time those who receive are subordinate to those who give: therefore God is above all, because He gives to us all, and the gifts of man cannot be compared to those of God, for they are separated by an infinite distance; this paucity and dearth in a certain sense, can be made up for by gratitude.” [1]
It is important to understand that Don Quixote is “mad in patches, full of lucid intervals.” The Don is only mad in areas concerning “books of chivalry.” In everything else, he shows intelligence, wisdom, depth of knowledge, and goodness. Hence, it is reasonable to assume that Don Quixote is acting as Cervantes’ mouthpiece.
In his speech, Don Quixote recommends gratitude with others but above all with God because we have received everything from Him. As St. Paul says in the Acts of the Apostles: ‘for in Him we live and move and have our being.” (17: 28)
St. Teresa of Avila, in her Autobiography, agrees with Cervantes: “ It is most evident truth, that our love for a person is greater, the more distinctly we remember the good he has done to us. If, then, it is lawful, as so meritorious, always to remember that we have our being from God, that He has created us out of nothing, that He preserves us, and also to remember all the benefits of His death and Passion, which He suffered long before He made us for every one of us alive.” [2] (10, 5) Furthermore, for this saint, gratitude is a school of love: “for if we do not recognize the gifts received at His hands, we shall never be moved to love Him.” (10, 4)
St. josemaria Escrivá also recommends being grateful: “Get used to lifting your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day. Because He gives you this and that. Because you have been despised. Because you haven’t what you need of because you have.
Because He made His Mother so beautiful, His Mother who is also your mother. Because He created the sun and the moon and this animal and that plant. Because He made that man eloquent and you He left tongue-tied…
Thank Him for everything, because everything is good.” (The Way, n. 268)
For St. Josemaria: “The best way to show our gratitude to God is to be passionately in love with the fact that we are His children.”(The Forge, n. 333)
“Everything works for good with those who love Him” as St. Paul said to the Romans (8: 28).
In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, gratitude is central. In doing the General Examination of Conscience the saint advices: “The first point is to give thanks to God for the favors received.” [3] (n. 43)
At the end of the Exercises in the Contemplation to Attain the Love of God, St. Ignatius recommends: “Here it will be to ask for an intimate knowledge of the many blessings received that filled with gratitude for all, I may in all things love and serve the Divine Majesty.” (n. 233) He also invites us to reflect on the following points: 1) How much God our Lord has done for me. 2) How much He has given me of what He possesses. 3) How God works and labors for me in all creatures, and 4) How all the blessings and gifts as descending from above and pointing to the Lord. (n. 234-237)
It is evident, that St. Ignatius, as well as St. Teresa of Avila, is convinced that gratitude is a school of love, and love is key to happiness. “Love ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words” because “love consists in mutual sharing of goods.” (n. 231)
The Virgin Mary, in the Magnificat, full of gratitude praises the Lord: “ My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” (Lk 1: 46-48)
In the Gospels, Jesus’ life is a continual thanksgiving to the Father. In the multiplication of loaves and fishes: “Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.” (Jn 6: 11) In the Institution of the Eucharist, St. Luke writes: “When He had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves.’” (Lk 22: 17) The Mass is the celebration of the Eucharist, which in Greek means thanksgiving. Each Mass is an invitation to meditate on all the blessings that we have received from God and to respond with gratitude and joy.
Certainly, Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the saints knew that to be happy, in this life and the next, we have to be grateful, loving and forgiving. What is amazing is that, according to contemporary positive psychology, all these practices are keys to achieving happiness. [4] Therefore, Catholics have at their reach a treasure of teachings and practices to guide them in the way to happiness.
Egberto Bermúdez
[1] Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote. Edith Grossman translation. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
[2] https://www.catholicspiritualdirection.org/lifeofteresa.pdf
[3] http://spex.ignatianspirituality.com/SpiritualExercises/Puhl
[4] Christopher Kaczor. The Gospel of Happiness. New York: Image, 2015 and Francisco Ugarte. El camino de la felicidad. México: Panorama, 2010.
