Our Debt of Gratitude to God

As American Catholics, we are blessed to have the celebration of Thanksgiving as our Church year comes to an end next weekend and we prepare to begin anew a week later with the start of Advent. In between the meal or travel plans and “high-shopping season," it is important that we make a little time to truly reflect back on the many ways we have been blessed in the past year.

Many of our blessings take the form of good things and happy memories: a new job, making the team, im-proved health, a special event or something else we have been hoping for. Even if we have faced difficult times this year, we can also count the blessings that helped to get us through: a disappointment or failure lessened by the support of a friend or mentor, or the loss of a loved one tempered by people who shared the impact that person had on their lives.

When we think of “giving thanks” we should express this to the people who have touched our lives, but ulti-mately our gratitude is owed to God, the “source of all good things” (Eucharistic Prayer III). So Thanksgiving is a perfect occasion to gather as people of faith across different religious communities, celebrating what we have in common. Please consider attending our annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service this Tuesday, November 20 at 7:30pm at Original Congregational Church, One East Street, Wrentham, MA. 

You’re also invited to either of our Masses of Thanksgiving: Wednesday 7pm at St Martha Church and Thursday 8:30am at St. Mary Church. (note the new start time to allow folks to get to the KP game in time). You are encouraged to bring something from your dinner to be blessed at the Mass. May you and all your loved ones be blessed this Thanksgiving – your priests and deacons give thanks for you!

 

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Father all-powerful, Your gifts of love are countless and Your goodness infinite. On Thanksgiving Day, we come before You with gratitude for Your kindness: open our hearts to concern for our fellow men and women, so that we may share Your gifts in loving ser-vice. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spir-it, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.