Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 28, 2024 - Thursday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rev 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a and Luke 21:20-28]And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; who fosters people's growth from their mother's womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you; may his goodness toward us endure in Israel to deliver us in our days. [Sirach] I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way.....[1 Corinthians] "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" [Luke]
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2024 THANKSGIVING DAY, USA
[Thursday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time. Reflections for the ordinary scriptures for this day: Rev. 18:1-2, 21-23;19:1-3, 9a and Luke 21:20-28 may be found at my website <rbwords.com> using the search feature. Suggested scriptures for Thanksgiving Day, USA are: Sirach 50:22-24; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Luke 17:11-19]
In the U.S.A., Thanksgiving Day is a recognition of the importance of being grateful for the good things that are part of living in this nation. It can be enjoyed by anyone, whether religious or not. For Christians, Jews and Muslims, who share a faith in the one God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, it is a time to recognize God's hand in all that we consider a blessing. And it is a challenge to share those blessings with those who struggle even in the USA to enjoy them: the poor, the homeless and the marginalized persons. Jesus reached out to all the lepers in the group in today's gospel, but only the most marginalized person, a Samaritan, came back to give thanks. Could it be that we are all in that group?
From the broad vision of gratitude in Sirach, to the gratitude of St. Paul for blessings on the Corinthian church, to the ten lepers who are cleansed, faith demands a recognition of God's presence in our midst in one another and in the shared civil freedoms enshrined in the U.S.Constitution. Faith, Hope and Love are all calling to us on this day. The Samaritan who was healed and the one in the parable who stopped to help are our teachers today in the ways of giving thanks! AMEN