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SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer

Contemplation in action
 ーIn relation with othersー

[22] With the heart of returning favor

 When we receive love, we feel warm because of the favor we receive. We feel thankful. And we may want to return the favor. Especially when we receive a big favor, we really want to return the favor.
 When we notice full of love that we receive from God, we want to return the favor.
 How much favor do we receive from God?
 When we were innocent children, our birth/nursing parents gave us food, drink, house that protects us from heat and cold, and hygienic environment that keeps us healthy. God’s hand always creates the basis for such work of human parents.
 We can also find God’s constant favor somewhere closer to us. Our body has a highly advanced structure such as the function to see, function of our brain, advanced heart function, and wonderful function of blood. We realize that these functions are maintained in order for a long period of time just because of God’s support.
 Those who have faith in God can recognize with appreciation that God answers to our prayers and fosters us with sacraments and liturgy. We feel even more thankful as we recognize that sacraments and liturgy are more precious than what the society and world can offer.
 So far, we looked at ourselves, who receive God’s love. Besides this, we constantly show the favor with each other and exchange love between us human beings. We always try to support each other and offer good things. In other words, we exchange love with each other.
 If we keep in mind that we receive love and favor, we naturally feel that we want to, and we should return the favor. It is precious to cherish that thought, make preparation, and put it into practice.
 When we feel like returning the favor, we can produce good things in our lives. When we have burdens in our life, feel lonely or weak in sick, the feeling of wanting to return the favor makes us feel like extending our helping hand for others with burden, suffering, and depression. Or, if we do not reach suffering people, we try to deliver a seed of joy to daily lives. 
 The wonderful thought of wanting to return the favor even makes us want to accept things that others do not want to accept. We start feeling that dedicating ourselves like that is appropriate for what we have received. How wonderful it is to devote ourselves!
 Developing the attitude to return the favor and giving shape to it helps us always have a lively feeling that we receive plentiful favor from God. With gratitude, we feel that we live together with God.

 

 

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