Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell
Dear Parishioners:
St. Ambrose, the great Bishop and Doctor of the Church of the 4th Century, said: “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” And that’s what we do this Thursday on Thanksgiving Day. We gather with our family and friends and as a people of faith to thank God for our many blessings and great bounty.
Thanksgiving is one of the most American national holidays that we celebrate. When Abraham Lincoln instituted the national holiday, he called on his “fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Our country has celebrated Thanksgiving as a national holiday since 1863. Though President Lincoln began the national tradition, it followed a long tradition of setting aside a Thursday to thank God, which George Washington began in 1789. The practice of stopping to give thanks to God as a people is part of the earliest traditions of the nation. We recall that the First Thanksgiving in 1619 was celebrated by those “Pilgrims” who landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was a celebration of gratitude to God for their blessings.
Following a harsh winter, during which much of its population perished from scurvy and inadequate shelter, these Plymouth settlers were able to grow enough crops to provide for the colony. After the abundant harvest, the fifty remaining settlers spent three days feasting and giving thanks to God for his blessings. The colonists who survived the winter were joined by ninety Wampanoags, who had been instrumental in helping them survive the tough conditions of that first winter.
The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1914
Thanksgiving Day is a great opportunity for us as Catholics to witness the need to thank the Father for his bountiful gifts. We must also unite ourselves with the greatest act of Thanksgiving we can make as a Church, the Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: “Eucharist is an action of thanksgiving to God.” In fact, the Greek word for Eucharist means Thanksgiving. One of the earliest Catholic texts on the Sacraments is the Didache, written around the beginning of the second century. The author of the text encourages us, after having been filled with the Eucharist, to thank the Father for his bountiful love.
I invite you to join us at Mass on Thanksgiving Day at 9:00 am as we give thanks to the Father for his bountiful love. It is a national holiday but not a holy day of obligation. Yet, I cannot think of a better way to celebrate this day than to begin by giving thanks through Christ Jesus in his offering to the Father at Holy Mass. And while we need to remember to be thankful for the many blessings in our lives, we should be all the more thankful for the sacrifice Christ offered on our behalf on the Cross on Calvary. St. Thérèse of Lisieux said: “Jesus does not demand great action from us but simply surrender and gratitude.”
We completed training for eleven of our newest OLM Altar Servers this week. They join the many servers who faithfully and dutifully serve Mass at OLM. We are grateful for their willingness to serve our parish. St. Peter Julian Eymard said: “Know, O Christian, that the Mass is the holiest act of religion. You cannot do anything to glorify God more, nor profit your soul more, than by devoutly assisting at it and assisting as often as possible.” Pray for our OLM Altar Servers.
Today, we celebrate the last Sunday of the Church Year, the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe. Established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to counter the growing secularism and atheism of communism and fascism taking root in Europe to underscore the truth that Jesus Christ is King, and his Kingdom embraces all of heaven and earth. Pope Pius XI declared, “When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace, and harmony.”
I wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving! Let us: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!” Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats!