Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. What does Thanksgiving mean to you? For me, it means gratitude for my life and for all the wonderful people who have been a part of it. I am grateful for my parents and for the heritage that they bequeathed me. I am grateful for being a friar minor and for the call to meet God more intimately in the Franciscan tradition. I am grateful for my health, physical, psychological, and intellectual. I am grateful for my education and the opportunities which it has given me. I am grateful for the many wonderful people who have been a part of my life. I am grateful for God’s love as I have come to experience that love in the people and events of my life.
I was not entitled to any of those many blessings. I don’t deny that I have worked relatively long and hard and that I have done a reasonably good job, but the joy of resting in God’s love is a gift, not a reward. No one is entitled to a gift, for a gift is freely bestowed at the discretion of the giver. That awareness can be pretty deflating, even terrifying, when we allow ourselves to get caught up in our own egos. It can be liberating when we allow ourselves truly to hear the Gospel: God’s love knows no bounds. God does not weigh our merits and failures. Rather, God lavishly pours out God’s love on every one of us. As Saint Francis came to understand, all we have to do is let go of ourselves and accept the gift. That is cause for giving thanks, for loving others in return, and even for celebrating with turkey, cranberries, and mincemeat pie!
In the words of St. Francis,Peace and every Blessing!
Loren Connell, OFM,
sacramental minister
November 8, 2011
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