Thanksgiving Reflection

Yes, love makes us be. We exist because we love. If we don't love, and every time we don't love, we are not, we do not exist. There's nothing left to do but to love, without holding back.

- Thanksgiving brings us together as a Nation. In the rich tapestry of our diversity we rediscover our unity in the values which inform and ground the American experiment in ordered liberty.

 Many Catholics will participate in the Liturgy and hear the Gospel chosen for this day from St. Luke (Luke 17:11-19); the familiar story of the ten lepers who were miraculously healed by Jesus during his journey to Jerusalem. Only one came back to give thanks. The challenge leaps forth - are we that one?

It is the invitation to give thanks which gathers us as families around the dinner table today. We will tell stories of our past and toast the hopes for our future. Although a "secular" holiday, the celebration is profoundly religious at its core. Even in the midst of the struggles we have face in the United States, we really do need to stop and give thanks! We are a truly blessed people. 

That is really what this Holiday invites us to consider. A readiness to give thanks in all circumstances - and for everything and everyone - is a sign of holiness in the lives of so many.

On this Thanksgiving Day, "Let us give concretely to those around us, knowing that by giving to them we are giving to God. Let's give always; let's give a smile, let's offer understanding, and forgiveness. Let's listen, let's share our knowledge, our availability; let's give our time, our talents, our ideas, our work; let's give our experience, our skills; let's share our goods with others so that we don't accumulate things and everything circulates.

"Our giving opens the hands of God and He, in his providence, fills us with such an abundance that we can give again, and give more, and then receive again, and in this way, we can meet the immense needs of many."

This beautifully simple yet profound truth was also regularly expressed by Blessed John Paul II. In his 1979 Encyclical Letter "The Redeemer of Man" he put it this way:

"Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This, as has already been said, is why Christ the Redeemer "fully reveals man to himself". If we may use the expression, this is the human dimension of the mystery of the Redemption. In this dimension man finds again the greatness, dignity and value that belong to his humanity. In the mystery of the Redemption man becomes newly "expressed" and, in a way, is newly created." (Par. 10)

The Feast we celebrate in the "secular" arena today, Thanksgiving Day, reveals that there really is no separation between the secular and the spiritual. After all, God is the Creator of all and the Author of life. He is also the source of all that is good - whether He is acknowledged to be so or not. As the beloved disciple John said "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God." (1 John 1:4-7)

We will love today. We will reach out to one another and to the less fortunate. When we choose to love, we participate in the love of God. This is true for even those who do not - yet - acknowledge Him. We will give thanks today, for all the great gifts we have received. As we do, we draw His presence more deeply into our daily life together. Love and gratitude are the keys to unlock the deeper meaning of life and the goodness of this day.

The smell of turkey will soon fill this home as it will homes around this beautiful Nation. It arises from the early preparation of the gravy and dressing and lingers throughout the day. . The table will soon be set for the Feast. And what a wonderful Feast it is - this unique American celebration called Thanksgiving. It is a rather extraordinary tradition. An entire Nation, in the beauty of all of its rich diversity and pluralism, pauses as one - to love and to give thanks for all of our blessings and our bounty.

We gather to express our gratitude for our health, our happiness and our life together. Around tables throughout America, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will gather with mothers and fathers, Grandpas and Grandmas, extended family, neighbors and friends to thank God and one another. And then, we all feast; not only on the food, but even more importantly, on the gift of the love which informs all family relationships and true friendships, the real source of lasting joy.

Let us remember that we were indeed made for love. "God is Love." Love is the very meaning of life and loving is the very essence of what it means to be a human person.

Love will call us to share our stories in countless homes throughout the United States and abroad this Thanksgiving Day. Even the times that seemed so painful and difficult when lived in love, take on new beauty. Time has a way of revealing the mysterious plan of a loving God who was at work - not in spite of those problems but through them - drawing us closer to Him, to each other and to what really matters most in life.

Learning to Love is learning to Live. We are called to be a People of Thanksgiving. We are called to love. Happy Thanksgiving.