Nov. 28, 2019: Thanksgiving Day

Nov. 28, 2019: Thanksgiving Day

On Thanksgiving Day we pause to give thanks for all the blessings we received this year. Many may recall this children’s prayer:

Thank you for the world so sweet,

Thank you for the food we eat.

Thank you for the birds that sing,

Thank you God for everything.

We acknowledge, that gratitude doesn’t always come easily. Yet, to give thanks is to extend ourself; to go out of our way to acknowledge the gift giver. For what are we thankful? The good and the bad we have experienced?

How do we show our thanks even in difficult times--in the midst of challenges in the world and challenges in our lives? St. Gianna Beretta Molla, a Saint who passed this world leaving behind young children and beloved husband reflected, “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.”

Long before Thanksgiving Day was established, Our Lord instituted Eucharist as a way for us to experience and recall the great sacrifice of Our Lord. The term Eucharist comes from a Greek word which means ‘thanksgiving’. The Eucharistic liturgy is always a call to return to the source of every gift, the God who gave Himself for us, the God who is always with us in the joys and sorrows of our lives.

So on this day when we pause from the busyness of our lives, set aside our differences, and gather around the table for a meal sharing stories and laughter, be sure to give thanks to those who provided the food and prepared the delicious meal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Fr. Paul Yi