A few weeks ago, I told the students that Thank You comes from the word “think.” And they were surprised. I explained to them that giving thanks is connected to the act of remembering. I remember the gift, so I give thanks. I remember your kindness, so I say:  thank you. In fact, remembering is the very foundation of the Jewish Passover. Every year they gather because they remember and give thanks for what God did for them - their freedom from slavery. This is also at the heart of the celebration of the Eucharist. We give thanks because we remember the paschal mystery, the passion, death, and resurrection - the Lord, the Christian Passover, Jesus’ passing over from death to new life.

Every year, we are given the opportunity to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. Historically, it is to give thanks for the gift of the harvest. But more and more that has evolved. Thanksgiving is a time for us to pause and remember the blessings we have received and yes, even the challenges we encountered along the way. It might not make sense to be grateful for the challenges. But in hindsight, aren’t these moments of learning, growing, maturing, love, hope, and faith? Therefore, I believe these are also worth remembering and saying, “thank you.”

On Thursday, we are going to celebrate one of the most beautiful holidays - Thanksgiving. Before we get into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I invite all of us to pause and think - better yet remember those moments of grace. Remember a person, an experience, a prayer, a place, a word that made us say “Thank You!”  

Henri Nouwen, my favorite spiritual writer once said: Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint. . . . The choice for gratitude rarely comes without some real effort. But each time I make it, the next choice is a little easier, a little freer, a little less self-conscious. . . . There is an Estonian proverb that says: “Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” Acts of gratitude make one grateful because, step by step, they reveal that all is grace.

I assure you that I include you in my daily prayer, and I thank God for the gift that you are to me and my ministry. Please remember me in your prayers as well. On behalf of Fr. Robert, Msgr. Browne and the rest of the parish and school staff, I wish all of you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.