- Thanksgiving Day, U.S.
The best way to show my gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.
- St. Teresa of Calcutta
(In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thes. 5:8.)
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SIR 50:22-24; PS 145:2-11; 1 COR 1:3-9
LK 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you."
Reflection on the Scriptures |
It is the day of the year when so many of us in the US, wake up thinking of turkey, parades with floats, football, and reading the ads for Black Friday. But, of course, it is the day for giving thanks – for reflecting upon our lives and all our blessings. The day when we are filled with gratitude and open our hearts. Our readings today also speak of thanks and giving praise in
gratitude although sometimes we forget all that we have to be thankful for and to count our numerous blessings.
Our first reading and responsorial psalm reflect on giving praise and point to the splendor of your glorious majesty and . . . your wondrous works. When we stop and truly look around us, it is easy to see these wonders – the sunrises and sunsets, the bright autumn trees in the northern hemisphere, mountains and the oceans. Sadly, we all too often just take it all for granted. We
complain about the leaves to rake and pile up – no time to delight in their brilliant colors; the sun is an annoying glare as we head east to work in the morning – our rush negates the beauty that was welcoming us to the new day; the physical terrain another annoyance to be dealt with as we go about our goals and duties. And when children see the first snow and stand in awe of the uniqueness of each snowflake, we are moaning the clean-up, the scraping, the crazy traffic (‘cuz no one
remembers how to drive in the snow since a few months have passed). When did we stop remembering these wonders and become so jaded? So lacking of gratitude and thankfulness?
There’s a variety of stories about the first Thanksgiving – perhaps not really the joyous welcoming of everyone even those not like us and the sharing of our bounty. But regardless of what really happened then, our tradition is that this day is a day to pause, to take that moment and truly appreciate all around us – to sing praises even for the challenges of life. Sometimes, I can just talk
myself into a real pity party – the litany of all the ills of the world, the disappointments in my life, the things not going well. As I’ve heard said so many times, it is easy to sing praise and be grateful when you’re getting everything you want. I have to remind myself that this IS life – the beautiful parts and the warts – it all comes together.
- by Nancy Shirley
Revelations of Divine Love
- by Julian of Norwich
Fourteenth Revelation, Chapter 53
“In every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall.” “Ere that He made us He loved us, and when we were made we loved Him”
And in this that I have now told was my desire in part answered, and my great difficulty some deal eased, by the lovely, gracious Shewing of our good Lord. In which Shewing I saw and understood full surely that in every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall: which Will is so good that it may never will evil, but evermore continually it willeth good; and worketh good in the
sight of God. Therefore our Lord willeth that we know this in the Faith and the belief; and especially that we have all this blessed Will whole and safe in our Lord Jesus Christ. For that same Kind that Heaven shall be filled with behoveth needs, of God’s rightfulness, so to have been knit and oned to Him, that therein was kept a Substance which might never, nor should, be parted from Him; and that through His own Good Will in His endless foreseeing purpose.
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