Thanksgiving is a very American holiday, as we celebrate in the spirit of an event from the beginnings of the our nation’s history. Thanksgiving is so much a part of our national identity. It is so much a part of our families and our communities. But, also, giving thanks and showing gratitude and appreciation are a big part of our faith as well. We in the Catholic Church have a tradition of having Mass on Thanksgiving, I tradition I love very much. I would like to start out with a quote from Pope Francis. He states: “Gratitude is always a powerful weapon. Only if we are able to contemplate and feel genuine gratitude for all those ways we have experienced God’s love, generosity, solidarity and trust, as well as his forgiveness, patience, forbearance and compassion, will we allow the Spirit to grant us the freshness that can renew… our life and mission. Like Peter on the morning of the miraculous draught of fishes, may we let the recognition of all the blessings we have received awaken in us the amazement and gratitude that can enable us to say: ‘Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man’ (Luke 5:8). Only then to hear the Lord repeat his summons: ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be fishers of men’ (Luke 5:10). ‘For his mercy endures forever.’”
By practicing an attitude of thanksgiving in our daily lives, we as disciples of Christ follow the model set by Jesus himself, who expressed gratitude to the Father many times throughout his life and ministry. This gratitude and thanksgiving that is such an important part of Jesus’ life is also an important part of our liturgical celebrations, as the Eucharist begins with a prayer of Thanksgiving, modeled after the example of Jesus at the Last Supper with the apostles. Gratitude indeed is our appropriate response to God who is our Creator, Lord, and Savior, for out of his goodness, God redeems and sustains us. Ingratitude, which St Ignatius of Loyola saw as the gravest sin, is really at the heart of all sin, as ingratitude is associated with those who are in rebellion against God.
The lepers who met Jesus as he was entering a village were in difficult circumstances. Not only were they social outcasts in society, but physically, they were afflicted with a terrible, painful disease. Yet, in the midst of their difficult circumstances, the one leper out of the group of ten came back to Jesus to give thanks, feeling the need and responsibility to express his gratitude for having been healed. God asks all of us to have faith and to give thanks in the midst of our difficult circumstances. We are to love God and to give thanks even in the midst of the pandemic, in the midst of any physical afflictions or limitations we might have, in the midst of the resources that we lack, in the midst of our frustration and confusion, in the midst of our lack of self-esteem and low self-worth, in the midst of our depression or anxiety, in the midst of the dark nights we may be experiencing.
Lord, today, whatever our reality, help us to give thanks and to recognize our blessings. Help us to grow in our faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment