Living Thanksgiving

A presentation to the Palm Beach Diocese Southern Deanery Conference of Catholic Women, Autumn, 2022

In our collective national imagination, Thanksgiving has become a remembrance of Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag people at Plymouth. But on October 3, 1862, when Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation calling for a day of thanksgiving, he made no mention of that. He pointed instead to “the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies” and other blessings, even in the midst of the Civil War, which he called “the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” Lincoln designated the “day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

How, today, can we celebrate Thanksgiving in the spirit of Lincoln’s proclamation? One way is to center our day in prayer. If at all possible, start the day with Mass and Communion. Make prayer part of the Thanksgiving meal. The best way to pray is with your heart, your mind, and your lips. Write your own prayer! Prayer is conversation with God. Just as you converse with your friends and family without needing a written script, so ought you converse with God.

But it can be overwhelming to say your inner thoughts aloud in front of others. Perhaps you would rather use a formal, written prayer. There are plenty of online sources for Thanksgiving prayers. If you visit https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/thanksgiving-prayers, you can pick a prayer, confident that you are using a genuine Catholic source. For some of the prayers, you can even print prayer cards and posters.

We can also live our faith by going beyond prayer, and reaching out to others. Here, we can look to the Corporal Works of Mercy for suggestions. The seven corporal works of mercy are to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to give shelter to travelers, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, and to bury the dead. Donate as generously as you are able to your local food pantries. Donate funds to your church outreach ministry so that they can, in turn, help those in need. Donate to homeless shelters. Research volunteer opportunities in your area where you can donate your time and talents.

And make this thanks-and-giving part of your everyday life. We should be thankful to God for all his gifts every day of the year, not just on certain holidays. We should live our lives in love and community, striving to do God’s will for us, and helping others to recognize his goodness and mercy. Have a happy, healthy, gratitude filled Thanksgiving!

(All quotes are from https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm, where you can read the full text of Lincoln’s proclamation.)