May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
When I was a child my family spent Thanksgiving Day with my
maternal grandparents. I think it was
the year before my grandfather passed away when we had two additional guests
for Thanksgiving dinner: a couple from Italy that my grandfather knew from his
business. As we sat down to dinner, my
grandfather either asked or informed me that I was to explain the reason for
this particular holiday and recount the blessings for which we were
thankful. So after obediently recalling
our history and numbering the blessings of the year, I looked to my grandfather
so that the meal could begin. And then
he said to me, “Now you say the prayer.”
And the twelve year old future priest of God Most High responded, “I
really don’t like to pray in front of other people.” My grandfather, not to be outdone, responded,
“I will give you 50 cents if you say the prayer.” I have always thought of that as my first
Mass stipend.
Today we gather and we recount our sacred history. We remember the blessings that God has
bestowed upon his people. We recall the
blessing of the Chosen People and their deliverance from the bondage of
Pharaoh. We remember the pilgrims who
fled Europe seeking to worship according to the dictates of their
conscience. We recall the blessings that
God in his goodness has bestowed upon each of us. But chiefly, dear brothers and sisters, we
remember that the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father made the pilgrimage from
heaven and has dwelt among us. The Lord
Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, invites us to join in his Great Thanksgiving to
the Father.
We have recalled our history. We have recounted our blessings. And now, dear brothers and sisters, we offer the
prayer.
Happy Thanksgiving. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic
Church, Monroe, NC
