Today we celebrate a national holiday.\u00a0 There should be no surprise there as we have several national holidays.\u00a0 Most of them get us a day off from work or school.\u00a0 How much do we really do anything to celebrate some of these holidays?\u00a0 Do you really do anything to celebrate Columbus\u2019 Day?\u00a0 How about Presidents\u2019 Day?<\/p>\n
As a Church we don\u2019t do anything to celebrate these two holidays.\u00a0 However, there are others we do celebrate.\u00a0 Labor Day is a national holiday but as people of faith we are called to recognize the good work that we do through the gifts that God gives us.<\/p>\n
Today is another national holiday that we should celebrate.\u00a0 Today is Thanksgiving.\u00a0 What are you thankful for?\u00a0 Are you thankful for your car, for a home, or a place to live?\u00a0 Going a little deeper are you thankful for getting an education?\u00a0 Are you thankful for your job?\u00a0 Are you thankful for your family and friends?\u00a0 Are you thankful for your freedom?<\/p>\n
The thought of our \u201cfreedom\u201d should lead us back to the story of what we consider the first Thanksgiving.\u00a0 The Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth in Massachusetts in the Fall of 1620.\u00a0 They had made the long and difficult voyage across the ocean.\u00a0 They arrived here in the Fall so nothing could be planted until spring.\u00a0 Arriving in a northern climate food was scarce at this time of year.\u00a0 So, even though they had completed the long ocean voyage, life remained very difficult.<\/p>\n
They were blessed with help from the local Native Americans.\u00a0 They helped them find food and plant the spring crop.\u00a0 Then that Fall, they gathered to give thanks.\u00a0 They knew they had much to be thankful for.\u00a0 For basic survival, for food, for shelter, for their new Native American friends, and for the harvest.<\/p>\n
There was something else they knew they should be thankful for, freedom<\/em>.\u00a0 Do you remember why the pilgrims came to America?\u00a0 They were Puritans and had not been allowed to freely practice their faith.\u00a0 So, they made the decision to come to America for religious freedom.\u00a0 They were thankful for the opportunity to freely practice their faith.<\/p>\n Four hundred years later, the struggle for religious freedom is taking a new face but the bottom line is, while it can be difficult to publicly talk about and live out our faith, we are free to worship as we please.\u00a0 For this we need to be thankful because even today there are people in the world that are not allowed to practice their Christian faith.<\/p>\n So, what am I thankful for?\u00a0 Of course, there are the basics, food, clothing, a home to live in, and a good car.\u00a0 Going beyond these earthly basics, I am thankful for life itself.\u00a0 I see life as a gift.\u00a0 Life comes with challenges but in life we come to know God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n I am thankful for the gift of faith.\u00a0 I am thankful that God has chosen to reveal himself to us through the Bible and in nature.\u00a0 I am thankful for the example of the martyrs who showed us that our faith is important enough to die for.<\/p>\n I am thankful for the Eucharist.\u00a0 The very word \u201cEucharist\u201d means \u201cthanksgiving.\u201d\u00a0 I am thankful that Jesus gives us his Body and Blood to strengthen us.\u00a0 I am thankful that Jesus died on the Cross so that our sins can be forgiven.<\/p>\n I am thankful for our parish.\u00a0 I have only been here five months but I have felt very welcomed and appreciated here.<\/p>\n I am thankful that I grew up without having a lot.\u00a0 This might seem odd but I am thankful for not growing up with a lot because I know I can have joy in my life without having a lot of things.\u00a0 When we want a lot of things, there is always more to have and so we might feel lacking.\u00a0 When we let go of the things, we can realize that it is faith in God that we can find what truly makes us whole.<\/p>\n I said before that Thanksgiving is a holiday we should<\/em> celebrate.\u00a0 I would like to change that.\u00a0 Thanksgiving is a holiday that we need<\/em> to celebrate.\u00a0 We need to recognize that God has given us much to be thankful for.\u00a0 We need to express our thanks to God.\u00a0 We need to let \u201cthanksgiving\u201d be not just something we do, but something that is part of us.\u00a0 When we live with an \u201cattitude of gratitude<\/a>\u201d we recognize how much we do have instead of what we don\u2019t have.<\/p>\n What are you thankful for?<\/p>\n Peace,<\/p>\n Fr. Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today we celebrate a national holiday.\u00a0 There should be no surprise there as we have several national holidays.\u00a0 Most of them get us a day off from work or school.\u00a0 How much do we really do anything to celebrate some of these holidays?\u00a0 Do you really do anything to celebrate Columbus\u2019 Day?\u00a0 How about Presidents\u2019 …<\/p>\n