I love living in a part of the country where the weather changes along with the seasons. These changes in the weather help mark the passage of time and moving into a new season provides a great opportunity for reflection. I use these times to reflect on my experiences from the prior months, to learn from my mistakes and to make adjustments for the future. I look forward to these seasonal transitions throughout the year, especially late fall into early winter. During this time the trees display one of God’s most amazing gifts, the beauty of the fall colors. The weather starts to get cooler which is a welcome relief from the unbearable heat and humidity we experience in summer and early fall. The busyness of fall sports comes to an end which means more time at home with my family. This timeframe also includes one of my favorite days of the year, Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days because of what it symbolizes; humility, joy and togetherness. It is a day set aside for no other purpose than to gather with family, eat a home cooked meal and most importantly, to give thanks. It is a day that makes our senses come alive. The sight of relatives we have not seen in a while, the loving touch of a hug from a family member, the sound of everyone talking at once over the dinner table, the smell of turkey and pumpkin pie and the taste of all the delicious food. We have a tradition in our family, after we have all gathered but before we eat, to go around the table and say what we are thankful for in our lives. It is heartwarming to hear the responses of my family and I especially look forward to hearing what my children have to say, they are always so thoughtful with their comments. I love participating in this offering of thanks and gratitude, but it is important to remember that this should not be an exercise reserved for only one day a year.
I give thanks to God every day for the blessings in my life. No matter what challenges I am facing or how bad things may seem, I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful for my wonderful wife and my four healthy children. I am thankful for the roof over our heads and the food on our table. I am thankful for the loving Catholic school that our children attend and our supportive church community. This year, I am especially thankful that with God’s love and grace, I made it through one of the most difficult experiences of my life, the loss of my job. I am humbled by my many blessings but the thing that I am most thankful for is God’s undying love and his presence in my life.
This past weekend my family and I brought up the gifts at Sunday Mass. As I was approaching the altar, gathered with my family and preparing to celebrate the spiritual meal of the Eucharist, a feeling of thankfulness came over me. I was thankful for the gift of the Eucharist that I was about to receive and that my kids, especially my two youngest daughters who have not yet received their First Holy Communion, were able to participate in the offering of the gifts. As I thought about the experience, I started to reflect on how the Eucharistic celebration is the ultimate form of thanksgiving, both in name and in action. The word Eucharist comes from the Greek “eucharistia” meaning “thanksgiving” and the sacrament includes many of the same elements that define our yearly celebration of the holiday – gathering as a faith family to share a meal and give thanks. When we receive Holy Communion, we are thanking God for the gift of salvation. Through the act of receiving the body and blood of Christ we are thanking Jesus for his sacrifice.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states – The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all “thanksgiving.”
In the central prayer of the Eucharistic celebration the priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God” and then he continues “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks.” Everything in our lives comes from God and we should strive to be in a constant state of thanksgiving for the many gifts we have received. When we attend Mass, we humbly give ourselves to Christ and as we come to his table to receive his sacrifice, we should do so with the utmost feeling of gratitude and appreciation. Just as we leave our Thanksgiving meal with a feeling of fullness, we should leave Mass on Sundays with the same feeling. Receiving the spiritual nourishment of the Holy Eucharist should leave us with a fullness that fills our hearts and minds with God’s love.
As we gather this week with family and friends, let us give praise to God and thank him for our many blessings. As we sit down at the table and prepare for a feast of turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings, let us remember the most important meal of all and how we are spiritually nourished through the Eucharist. As we leave our holiday celebrations, let us bring with us feelings of gratitude and joy. The fourth Thursday of November may be set aside each year as a national day to give thanks, but through our faith and with God’s love, we are called to live a life of thanksgiving each and every day.