Mercy and compassion flow naturally from gratitude. I’ve seen this exemplified in people who have instinctively grateful personalities. One especially inspiring, grateful-by-nature person I’ve observed was Dr. Lester Sauvage. I was lucky enough (and very grateful!) to work with him on his final book Opening Hearts, which was his treatise on everything he found important: faith, healing, love, and living a life of meaning.
Dr. Sauvage’s gratitude flowed from the awe he felt contemplating the “magnificent human body,” or nature, or the universe—all the handiwork and gifts of loving God. One of the reasons he wrote the book was to share his belief that we can only be fully alive when our hearts are conscious of such treasures.
His gratitude was inspired by, and grounded in, his faith. He served the God he loved because God first loved him. In gratitude for that love, he chose a life of service; a life filled with mercy and compassion.
During his half-century of work, he became world renowned as cardiovascular surgeon and researcher, and he added incredible knowledge to the field. Yet what was more important to him was that as a physician he could love his patients back to health.
Dr. Sauvage observed that helping people become more conscious of their treasure was a vital part of healing and health. Perhaps the same is true for us.
When he died peacefully in his sleep just after publication of Opening Hearts, I was sad. But more than sadness I felt gratitude.
While he was physically gone from my life and his presence would no longer order my days, I was deeply grateful that I had been able to spend so much time with such a saintly and inspiring man. I was also grateful that he was free; unencumbered by an 88-year-old body that had become quite infirm. And I was grateful that I could witness the results that flow from life dedicated to mercy.
That we live in incredibly complex self-healing bodies within an awe inspiring universe is only the beginning of the treasures we possess. How would our lives be different if we were aware of all our treasures every day?
The reflection questions to ponder today follow (or you may reflect on the questions in the preparation post):
- What am I grateful for in the last twenty-four hours; can I recognize God within it?
- If I could find something to be grateful for in the obstacles, illnesses, or trials I endure, would that change me in any way?
- Thinking over my day, did I miss or reject an opportunity to see the Divine Spark in myself or another or offer mercy, forgiveness, or love?
Our prayer today
May we always recognize the sacredness of gratitude; may we allow gratitude to deepen our sense of wonder and our ability to love more fully.
Photo of Dr. Sauvage by Stephen Brashear; see his work at StephenBrashear.com