Thanksgiving Day 2011

How simple is the expression "Thank You!"  Needless to say, Thanksgiving Day in the United States ushers in a season packed with occasions and signals that remind us of the almost countless blessings we have received and continue to  receive.

For me in this early hour of the morning, I sit before a tabernacle and the vary presence of Jesus Christ.  In a few hours I will stand at an altar and join in the words of consecration during a Thanksgiving Day Liturgy.  How gifted am I!  Could there ever be enough times that I could utter those two words?  I think not!

The gospel today is the account of Jesus meeting ten lepers.  He was moved by consequences of the illness that had made their lives so very different and obviously difficult.  "Have pity on us!"  Four words and a lifetime was changed.

Yet the human tragedy continued:  not the terrible disease but the apparent failure of giving thanks in 90% of those who were cured.  Is there something in the 9 to 1 ration of this story that might have a relationship to us today in our world and time?  If we were to take the time to recall the many gifts God has bestowed upon us, would we remember more than 10% of all the graces and gifts God has bestowed upon us?

A Dominican friar, a recognized mystic, after considering how blessed we are each, day, each hour, each minute for a lifetime suggested this insight for our prayer:  "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was "Thank You!" that would be sufficient.

Today many people in our world are suffering great financial distress.  Fortunes have been lost, homes are no longer "owned."  Food lines and outreach kitchens are serving greatly increased numbers.  Am I grateful simply for the chapel in which I pray and prepare these thoughts?  Do I have to worry about not having breakfast later this morning?  Will I share in a Thanksgiving Meal?

Let us give thanks today in a special way for more than we can imagine.