Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 27, 2025 - Thursday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Dan 6:12-28 and Luke 21:20-28]And now, bless the Lord 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. [Sirach] I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift.... [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]
FOURTH THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER [Thanksgiving Day, U.S.A.]
[Sirach 50:22-24; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 and Luke 17:11-19. These scriptures are given for possible use on this day in the Lectionary. The ordinary readings from Daniel 3 and Luke 21, or others related to "Thanksgiving to God" may also be used.]
A book on aging that I return to often is entitled VESPER TIME - THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE OF GROWING OLDER by Frank Cunningham. One of the principal topics he mentions is GRATITUDE. He quotes a retreat director as once saying: "Gratitude is the first movement of the spiritual life." He goes on to ask: "How do we develop an awareness of the value of gratitude in ourselves? By recognizing that as the first movement in the spiritual life, gratitude is a virtue to be practiced, that is a way of prayer, and that it can be nourished by wonder."
The history of Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.A. is readily available on the internet. The celebration can be a challenge because of the national, local and familial traditions that have grown up around it. Much of it on a practical level is associated with FOOD! Even liturgically, the celebration of the Eucharist is about FOOD and the word "eucharist" comes from Greek, meaning "to give thanks!" Our gratitude for food, however, should transcend the meal itself. God feeds us in multiple ways. I am particularly grateful for the way I have been fed by family, friends and the Dominican Order over my 82 years of life. My "daily bread" is LOVE. It is not the "food" itself that is the subject of gratitude but the GIVING that should spark the movement of gratitude. The gift of love can be lost in the abundance (or lack of it) of food. We can be grateful to God and one another on Thanksgiving Day for the sheer ability and opportunity to give and receive love. Gratitude for this gift can help us through the hectic days of "the holiday season" when all sense of perspective can get distorted by popular expectations.
It is a singular gift to be able to say to even one person, "I love you!" Gratitude for this gift, alone, can make any Thanksgiving Day a spiritual event on all levels! AMEN
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