Thanksgiving Day
On this Thanksgiving Day, the scripture readings highlight God’s generous giving. Although gratitude is on our minds today, our gratefulness can often be overwhelmed with the fears, frustrations, and bad news that surrounds us in our daily lives. The leper in today’s gospel reminds us that we need to pay attention, since God is working many miracles in our midst.
Our first reading from Sirach reminds us of the many “wondrous things” God has done on the earth. God provides the joy, peace, and goodness and helps to “foster people’s growth.” St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they have been enriched by God who provides all the necessary spiritual gifts to remain faithful. In the gospel, 10 lepers approach Jesus and ask for healing. Only one “realizes that he has been healed” and returns “glorifying God” and gives thanks to Jesus. Did the other lepers not notice that they had been healed? When did they recognize that that they had been made clean?
We receive many gifts from God throughout our daily lives, but how often do we not notice? The first step to being thankful is paying attention to the gifts from the Giver. Sometimes the small details of our day are filled with blessings. Take for example our morning cup of coffee- the coffee bean and the water- both are gifts of God’s creation. Our magnificent body and our senses that allow us to experience the world- what an incredible gift! The more we slow down and pay attention, the more we recognize that we are being blessed every single second of our lives. The mundane becomes the miraculous if we increase our awareness of God’s goodness all around us.
Like the leper, once we realize that we have received a gift, our faith invites us to joyfully return to the Giver and express our thanks. God does not need our thanks and praise, but the act of expressing our gratitude reminds us that all we have is a gift. This awareness of God’s love and generosity increases our faith and deepens our relationship with God.
I recently came across a beautiful practice called the “gratitude rosary.” On each bead you give thanks to God for a person, a thing, a circumstance etc. At the end of each decade you share a “hope” thanking God ahead of time for something that is in the future. This practice of thanking God for future blessings was something Bl. Solanus Casey encouraged people to do. Praying this as you prepare for your Thanksgiving celebration might look like this: “Thank you God for bringing gratitude, peace, and joy into our family’s gathering this afternoon.”
Today, consider taking time to pray the Gratitude Rosary. Pay attention and be grateful for the many past, present and future ways God’s generous love is being poured out in your life.
—Marylynn Herchline