November 21, 2023
Dear Friends in Christ,
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, many of us are busily preparing and making arrangements. Some will be traveling to see loved ones, others are welcoming guests, perhaps some whom they have not seen for quite some time. This a truly blessed time of year, but one that often moves so quickly. In the midst of this frenzy perhaps it is all the more important to pause for a moment, to pray and reflect on something that is key to the spiritual life: gratitude.
All that we have is God’s gift to us. Everything has been given to us by a Father who love us. This holiday gives us a moment to take stock of all that we have been given and to give thanks for these blessings. Beyond that perhaps we might also consider those strange blessings we have received, challenges we have faced, difficulties we have had to overcome, which have, in the working of God’s grace, turned out to be a blessing, helping us to grow closer to the Lord and deepening our capacity to love those whom the Lord has placed in our life.
It is worth recalling that a similar pattern is seen every time we celebrate our greatest act of thanksgiving: the Eucharist. The gifts that God has given us are recognized, offered and, by the working of his grace, transformed into something beyond our imagining: His very Body and Blood.
Gratitude is of central importance for growth in the spiritual life. For that reason, Pope Francis encourages each of us to be “bearers of gratitude.” He reminds us that as we live as people of gratitude, “the world itself will become better, even if only a little bit, but that is enough to transmit a bit of hope.”
How deeply our world and our Church is in need of a bit of hope. God has blessed us, is blessing us and will bless us. As we enjoy this Thanksgiving Day and the time we are able to spend with our family and friends, we pray for the grace to see God’s blessing and to give him thanks and praise.
Faithfully in Christ,
Most Reverend William E. Lori
Archbishop of Baltimore
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