Thanksgiving weekend is
a special time for families. It is often
a poignant time as well, especially for those who have lost loved ones
recently. Holidays are an annual reminder
to all of us of the importance of relationships. As many of you know, since 1988, I have been
the host for Thanksgiving for my family.
That year, I was in a house that I noticed was larger than our family home
and volunteered to my mother to take it on.
I did not realize that it would be a lifetime commitment.
Apart from one year
when I was away for studies, I have worked to prepare a place for the family
and extended family to gather. I also learned
from my grandmother how to cook the turkey (with stuffing) and I do it Grandma’s
way each year, starting it in the oven at midnight the night before
Thanksgiving. We have had four different
settings, but have made it work wherever I happened to live. This year, our count was a bit down, only 24 at table. We have memories of years with 50
or more, including family from Pittsburgh, in-laws and guests.
Rituals are a way that
a family keeps together. This is the
reason why the Church calls us to gather each week and on days of special
importance for Mass (Sundays and “Holy Days of obligation”). The rituals we experience tell us who we are
and form us as a community. As a priest,
I have been able to offer a special family Mass before we share the
Thanksgiving meal. We all take a turn
sharing what we are thankful for in the year past.
As you have heard many
times, Eucharist means Thanksgiving.
Gathering to give God thanks, hearing His Word and being fed and
nourished by the Risen Lord, we are given the strength to proclaim the truth of
the Gospel to an often hostile world.
God’s Love has been
shown to us in so many ways. We are
grateful. May we continue to show our
gratitude by coming together as a family and by sharing our Faith so that Jesus
may truly be the Savior for all.
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