Editorial

Add a heaping helping of gratitude to your plate this Thanksgiving for all of God’s blessings

We are a few days away from celebrating Thanksgiving, a time to count the blessings God has bestowed on us.

As we’ve shared before, November is also National Gratitude Month, a time to encourage people to focus on the power of gratitude and, for Christians, to draw them closer to God.

On Thanksgiving, many of us thank our Creator for family, friends, a roof over our heads, employment and the gifts he has provided to us and our families.

The day for many of us will also include several staples: turkey and all the trimmings, football and quality time with family and friends—the people who are important in our lives. It should be a time of coming together.

Despite what some pundits are saying on radio, television and through social media outlets, we must not let what happened in the 2024 elections build unscalable walls of division, separation or animosity between people whose bonds run deep. We must move beyond any differences of opinion, strive for healing and let love guide us.

Many faith traditions also hold services on Thanksgiving to allow people to gather in community and pray as the calendar year nears its end, with Advent and Christmas not far away.

As Catholics, we are blessed because our churches offer liturgies on that day where we can receive our faith’s greatest gift—the Eucharist. The word originates from the Greek word eucharistia, which means “thanksgiving.” The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and we believe being able to receive it on this day is the blessing of all blessings.

Sadly, there are still many who will go without during this special time of year—the hungry, the homeless, the lost and broken. We cannot forget the unemployed, underemployed and those who are alone and have no one to spend this day with. They too, are our brothers and sisters in Christ who should be remembered and shown care.

While it may be challenging to reach every person in need, Thanksgiving Day offers another opportune time to include them in our prayers. Pray they are not forgotten on this day and are able to always find the sustenance and necessities they need through life’s challenges. It is, after all, among our calls as disciples of Christ.

There are those blessed beyond measure, and those who struggle to find their next meal. As we approach Advent and Christmas, now is especially a time to be the hands and feet of Christ to those in need. Donate to food banks, the

St. Vincent de Paul Society in your area and other organizations whose missions include feeding, clothing and getting necessities to those who often go without them.

Many of us have much to be thankful for. But how often do we truly take the time to thank God for all he has provided? Everything we have is gift, and we would do well to always remember that reality. Let us take to heart the words Pope Francis shared at a general audience in late 2020:

“Above all, let us not forget to thank: If we are bearers of gratitude, the world itself will become better, even if only a little bit, but that is enough to transmit a bit of hope. The world needs hope. And with gratitude, with this habit of saying thank you, we transmit a bit of hope,” the pope said. “Everything is united and everything is connected, and everyone needs to do his or her part wherever we are. The path to happiness is the one St. Paul described at the end of one of his letters: ‘Pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit’ [1 Thes 5:17-19]. Do not quench the Spirit—what a beautiful project of life! Do not quench the Spirit within us that leads us to gratitude.”

Please Lord, this Thanksgiving and beyond, may our hearts be filled with gratitude to you for all our gifts.

—Mike Krokos