Gratitude doesn’t always feel easy, or feel at all. But in the quiet spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, it’s not something reserved for a good mood or a perfect day — it’s a habit of the heart, rooted in how we choose to live and see. As Thanksgiving arrives, with its mix of celebration and stress, Ignatian wisdom reminds us that we don’t have to feel grateful to begin living gratefully.
In fact, St. Ignatius saw gratitude as the foundation of the spiritual life.
“Ingratitude,” he once wrote, “is the cause, beginning, and origin of all evils and sins.”
That may sound intense — but for him, missing God’s gifts was missing everything. The antidote? Living with eyes wide open, trained to notice grace in the ordinary.
So if you need a little help to feel more gratitude this Thanksgiving and beyond, here are four Ignatian-inspired ways to practice gratitude this season — even if your turkey burns, your heart aches, your bank account has zeroes in the wrong spots, or your to-do list feels endless.
1Start with noticing
Before trying to force a feeling of gratitude, try simply paying attention. That’s where Ignatius always begins: awareness. The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins famously wrote:
“Give beauty back, beauty, beauty, beauty, back to God, beauty’s self and beauty’s giver.”
Even something as small as the way sunlight moves through a window or the quiet pause between two conversations can draw us into wonder. Gratitude grows when we train our eyes to see what we might normally overlook. And by acknowledging the beauty and showing gratitude, we "give back to God."
2See your day as a story — and look for grace in it
At the heart of Ignatian prayer is the Examen, a way of reflecting on your day and recognizing the presence of grace. It’s not just about replaying events — it’s about discovering God’s fingerprints in them. Jesuit Fr. Timothy Gallagher's podcasts show how the Examen is a way of "uncovering patterns of grace and weakness, and opening us to God’s loving action."
Through this prayer you can ask yourself: What gave me life today? What challenged me? Where did I respond with love? Did I notice the places where God was trying to show his love for me? These daily reflections slowly reveal how much we’ve been given.
3Let interruptions become invitations
Ignatius believed that God is not only found in the planned and the polished, but in the interruptions and imperfections we often try to avoid. The burned pie. The awkward silence. The conversation that goes off-script. These are not spiritual setbacks — they’re actually invitations.
“God can meet you in the place you least expect.” That includes detours, delays, and disruptions. Gratitude doesn’t mean liking those moments — but it does mean being open to what they might teach.
4Offer yourself back to God
Ignatius ends his Spiritual Exercises with the simple but powerful Suscipe prayer:
“To you, O Lord, I return it. All is yours. Dispose of it wholly according to your will.”
Gratitude matures when we realize we’re not the center of the story, or as the teens are saying these days, we're not the main character! We are beloved characters in a much larger narrative — one in which giving becomes the most honest response to receiving. Whether it’s your time, your talents, or your trials, returning them to God with trust is the deepest kind of thanksgiving.
This Thanksgiving, whether you feel full of joy or a little stretched thin, consider walking in the footsteps of St. Ignatius. Gratitude, he teaches us, isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. It’s about seeing that even in the mess, God is near — and saying thank you for that.
You can find further, related tips here.
