Today, we come together to give thanks to
the Lord. We should give thanks to the Lord each and
every day, but we do so today in a special way in anticipation of Thanksgiving. Our
national holiday of Thanksgiving has its roots in who we are as a nation: of
Pilgrim immigrants who came from England in search of religious freedom, of the
native people here in America who helped them grow food and adapt to the harsh
environment of this new land. Giving thanks also has roots in who we are
as Catholics. The word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek
word for thanksgiving. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist around
the Lord’s table as a community, we give thanks to the Lord for the many
blessing he has bestowed upon us, and we also give thanks for the grace he gives us
to overcome those challenges we have in life.
Today’s first reading is from the book of
Sirach. Ben Sirach was a Jewish scribe who lived in
Jerusalem a couple of centuries before the birth of Jesus. Sircah was known for his great wisdom. Sirach gives his blessing to the Lord of
all, knowing that the Lord has done so many wondrous things here on
earth. Sirach blesses the Lord who created us in our
mothers’ wombs, who fashions us as we grow through life, who helps us and
guides us according to his will. In our joys and in our sorrows, we're
called to give thanks for the way the Lord has accompanied us through the ups
and downs of life.
Even in our struggles, we can find
blessings and find reasons to give thanks. Every week, I go to both the federal and the state prisons here in Yazoo City to minister to the men there. Many of the young men I meet in prison tell
me that they were in symbolic prisons even before they became inmates. In the outside world, many were imprisoned by addictions to drugs and alcohol, by violence and uncontrolled
desires. By coming to prison, for many of them it is
a wakeup call, an awareness of God, of how they need to follow
him in their lives. One inmate told me that he was living a
life consumed by his addictions to drugs before he was incarcerated. He said that he would pass a Catholic
church on his way home from work, and would sometimes stop off at that church to
pray even though he was not Catholic. He said that going into that church was one
of the only reminders of God’s goodness and beautiful in the midst of terrible ugliness of his life. Indeed, God will give us glimpses of his love and
mercy no matter what else is going on in our lives.
In today’s Gospel, we hear of the leper who
gives thanks to God, who recognizes God’s healing power in his life. As
we gather with our families and friends on Thanksgiving for good food and good fellowship,
we as Christians are called to give thanks to the Lord for all of the blessings
he gives us. We can get so absorbed with the day-to-day
reality and the struggles we go through in our lives. Yet, in the midst of that reality, we are
called to take a moment to recognize all of the things for which we need to be
thankful. Let us join the psalmist in
saying, “I will praise your name for ever, Lord”. Let us give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and kindness.
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