While I was driving back to the parish last week, I did an exercise that many people recommend: I counted my blessings! I have a loving family, I mused, many loyal friends, a wonderful parish, dedicated leaders, volunteers and staff, a good health, a comfortable home, some savings, a retirement plan, advanced degrees. What more can I ask? I told myself again. I should stop complaining to God.

At times, I’m one of those people who become blind to see their numerous blessings or gifts. It’s because I think more of what I lack, what’s missing in my life. If I start to reflect on the fate of other people who are not as lucky as I am, then I’d quit thinking of my needs and be grateful to God for what I have.

The widow in this Sunday’s Gospel puts me to shame. She gave everything she had: her two coins. What a grateful heart she had! Despite her misfortunes, she was still willing to give. Perhaps, she recognized that in spite of losing her husband, she was still alive and has her children. She still counted her blessings and responded with generosity.

Grand illusions of prestige and a desire for other things also cripple the generosity of our hearts. Again, we should have the humility of the widow in this Sunday’s Gospel; she accepted her fate and, by giving all that she had, she entrusted her whole life to God.

This exercise of counting our blessing should be part of our daily prayer life. It softens our hearts and open doors of service to God and others. For us who serve the Church, it makes us grounded on our true calling: to walk with people in their struggles and pains, to be attentive to their faith and the stories of their lives, to do anything possible to help, to simplify our own lives.

I know that it’s easy to say this than to do it. It’s because we are always affected by self-centeredness, selfishness, personal traumas, and constant preoccupation with mundane matters. But, again, the discipline of prayer would help us achieve contentment, peace, humility, and most of all, charity in service to God.

The words of St. Paul should occupy our minds: “For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me…” (Romans 15: 18). These words speak of a humble spirit who claims that we are nothing without God, that all that we are and have achieved come from God. When we keep these words in mind, then we become peaceful even with the little that we have. We’ll be more open to God’s will, our lives, and yes, we’ll be more open to receive and to serve others.