Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. We might call it our “national holyday” since it is a summons to all our citizens to acknowledge and thank Almighty God for the blessings received.
One of the first things we learn as children is the importance of giving thanks. Whenever I was given a gift or a kindness was shown me, my mom or dad would say to me: “What do you say?” “Thank you” was the response they wanted to hear. Once I learned to write, our gratitude was to be conveyed in thank you notes. Sadly, thank you notes are becoming a lost art, but how important they are to the recipient.
Here are few actual thank you notes written by kids:
From Zack to his teacher: “Dear Mr. McMahon, Thank you for everything you do. You’re a good teacher, but not my most favorite.”
From Joyce to her parents: “Thank you for the baby brother but I asked for a puppy
From Rebecca: “Thank you, Mom for making me food so that I don’t die!”
Gratitude is a basic duty that is impressed upon us from our earliest days. In relation to God, it is even more fundamental. It is the first duty, the obligation, a creature owes to the Creator. There is not a Mass we celebrate that does not reference our thanks to God. In fact, “Eucharist” is a Greek word that means “thanksgiving.” After hearing the word of God proclaimed, we say, “Thanks be to God.” As we enter into the very heart of the Mass, the priest bids us, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God” and he goes on: “It is truly right and just that we should always and everywhere give thanks to God.” Not just now and then, but always and everywhere.
Giving thanks perfects us as God’s children. It maintains our proper relationship with him. By voicing our indebtedness, we learn just how poor in spirit we are, and that without him we can do nothing.
St. Ignatius recommends that the first step in prayer is not to think about our sins, or listing all our needs (how often we just do that!), but to reflect on God’s goodness, his generosity, and to give thanks.
The fundamental truth about our relationship with God is not our sinfulness but his goodness. In other words, before “I am sorry,” comes, “Thank you, Lord!” Before “Here are my needs, Lord,” comes, “Thank you, Lord!” The more we reflect on all that God has done for us, the more we can face the future with confidence.
But there is another aspect of true gratitude. We should not only thank God for the good things we receive. We can easily divide our lives into good things for which to celebrate and be grateful and painful things we’d rather forget.
True gratitude embraces all of our past, the good as well as the bad, the joys as well as the sorrows. Of course, not everything that happens in life is good. There are things we simply wish never happened…right? But true gratitude helps us understand that even the bad didn’t happen outside the loving presence of God.
God’s plan is never to harm us but to strengthen, mold and shape us into great and good disciples. Remember the image that Jesus gives us of the Father—that of a vine grower who must often prune the vine in order to produce abundant and rich fruit. Today let us look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will see in it the guiding hand of God.
Everything, yes everything is a gift, and it is right that we should always and everywhere give thanks to the Lord. Enjoy this Thanksgiving Day! May God bless us and preserve and keep united our beloved nation.
