"Did you say thank you?” If you haven’t said this to a child, then you probably heard it from your parents every time you received a gift from someone. Just as we teach our children to say “thank you” when they receive a gift, God our Father calls us all to give thanks for the gifts He so generously gave us.
While Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday to reflect on the gifts God has given us as the many blessings in our life, it is important to remember that we are called to give thanks throughout the year.
“In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (Thessalonians 5:18).
We remember to say our blessing before meals and give thanks at Mass, but what about our family, our priests, the roof over our head or our many gifts and talents. Life gets hectic especially around holidays and it is easy to forget to thank God for all the blessings in our life. As faithful stewards we must listen to God’s call in scripture and make an effort each and every day to appreciate God’s gifts, nurture them, and share them generously.
The Bible is overflowing with scripture instructing us to give thanks to our Lord always and in everything. In Psalm 100:4 we are told to “Give thanks to God, bless his name.” In Jeremiah 33:11 we are told to “…Give thanks to the LORD Almighty…” St. Paul was passionate about giving thanks to our Lord. He reminds us in almost every letter he wrote that we are called to be thankful to God in all that we do.
Have you ever noticed how many times we give thanks during Mass? From the Gloria to our responses after each reading, we give thanks to God. During the Eucharistic prayer we respond “It is right and just” to give thanks to the Lord our God. We are also reminded that Jesus gave thanks before breaking the bread at the last supper. The pinnacle of the Mass is the Eucharist and the meaning of Eucharist is thanksgiving. Then the Mass is ended with a final sending of “Go in peace” where we the faithful reply “Thanks be to God.” With God there are no coincidences.
It is right and just to give the Lord thanks. God has blessed each of us in so many ways, let’s remember to embrace an attitude of gratitude in all that we do every day.
For a reflection on Thanksgiving, check out: 1 Corinthians 1:4, 2 Corinthians 9:11, Ephesians 5:20, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 1:3, 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Chronicles 16:34.
— Shannon Roh is the Executive Director of the Office of Development and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile.