Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving….A good time to ask myself, what am I thankful for?

Even better, whom should I thank on this 4th Thursday in November?

Often it looks like it’s a person who deserves our thanks.  Sometimes we think circumstance gets the credit.  Yet ultimately, everything we have is a gift from God.  Even who we are is a gift from God. God uses people and situations to bring His gifts to us.  He alone is the Great Gift-giver. It is good to know Who to thank.

Today, we gather for the Thanksgiving Day as a sign of our love and gratitude to the Almighty God.  We remember the reasons to be thankful – our freedoms, our families, our parents, our spouse, our children, our friends, our homes, our jobs, our clothes, our stuff, our health, our life itself and the many gifts we have received from God– although our lists may be different our feelings are the same.  We should also take time to thank our brothers and sisters who have served our country and thank the brave citizens who continue to serve our nation.  They are the reason we can celebrate this holiday.

As we prepare for this day of thanksgiving, we pause to reflect on all of our blessings and successes.  Thank you for the great job we do everyday.

Let us not forget, however, to include a special thank you to our families, relatives, friends, and people whom we loved. We want to also thank all of our wonderful parishioners who dedicate their time and resources, talents, abilities and God-given gifts they shared with their fellowmen and women.

We praise God for this Thanksgiving Day, for the abundant blessings and mercies He has poured forth upon us, for the greatest gift of life He has given us.  May God continue to bless our country as a refuge for people from all corners of the earth and from every faith. May He strengthens us in our trials and held us up in the face of adversity. He has granted us this beautiful and bountiful land, filled with the fruits of freedom, worship, and hard work.

In this harvest time, as we gather together on the table with our family and friends, we give thanks to our Lord, the giver of life. May this be a reminder for us to be humble in our abundance and to remember the sacrifice of our forefathers. May their example inspire us to be generous and hospitable to others especially the needy and poor of our communities.

Dear Lord, please send Your grace upon those who are not with us at this Eucharistic table, especially those serving our country, and grant them the comfort of Your love.  Thank You Lord.