Give thanks always

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving to be observed on the final Thursday in November throughout the United States. The precedents for such a day of thanksgiving go back much further in our history. 

We celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a nation by taking time to be thankful and express gratitude for the good things we have received: our life, our family, our friends, our freedom and, for us Catholics, our faith. On this one day every year, everyone in our country, no matter how divided we may be politically, socially or economically can be united in gratitude.

For us as Christians, however, this gratitude for the good things we have received in life is not meant to be a confined to a single day in November. 

Saint Paul exhorts us, “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess 5:16-18). In another place he tells us, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6). 

The witness of Scripture is clear that gratitude is a daily duty of those who follow Christ. The same attitude we have on Thanksgiving Day, in which we call to mind the blessings we have received, ought to be our attitude every single day of our lives, in every circumstance in which we find ourselves. This poses a challenge to each of us: How do I foster this sense of gratitude with which I am called to live constantly as a Christian disciple? I would like to offer two very simple ways in which we can better foster this virtue of thanksgiving or gratitude in our own spiritual lives.

The first is to make a daily examination of our lives. At the end of your day, before going to bed, spend a little time looking back at your day. Go hour by hour and recall the events of your day. As you do so, search in your memory for the ways in which the Lord worked in your life. Whether it be through a good conversation with a friend or one of our beautiful Oklahoma sunsets or a particular word you received from the Lord while praying with Scripture.
God is constantly bestowing blessings upon us. In everything that happens in our lives, it is possible to discern the hand of God inviting us closer to himself. 

This daily habit of prayerfully examining how God has been present and active in our lives will open our hearts to recognize him more clearly. It also will foster a greater sense of wonder and gratitude as we live our lives each day.

A second thing we can do to foster thankfulness is found again in Sacred Scripture. In Psalm 116, we pray, “How can I repay the Lord for the good done for me? I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord” (Ps 116: 12,17). When I was ordained a priest, my parents gave me a beautiful chalice as an ordination gift. I had those words engraved on the chalice as a reminder to be thankful always. 

Eucharist means thanksgiving. The celebration of the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian Life” (Lumen Gentium 11). Every day at Mass, the Christian faithful throughout the world gather to celebrate the Eucharist and participate in the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. What better way is there to foster a eucharistic heart, a heart filled with gratitude, than by participating often in the Paschal Mystery of Christ that brings us salvation? 

During this time of our national Eucharistic Revival, I encourage each of you to participate in daily Mass whenever possible. If it isn’t possible for you, I at least challenge you to deepen your appreciation for participating fully in Sunday Mass. If we all grow in our appreciation for the Eucharist, we will grow together as the Body of Christ, and fulfill our Christian calling to live and offer our lives in thanksgiving to God through, with and in Christ.