Happy Thanksgiving – Grateful to God, His Church, & The Eucharist
On Thanksgiving Day, we gather to celebrate our many blessings, all that we are grateful for as we enjoy a spectacular or even a simple meal together.
As Catholics, do we realize that we experience this same reality every time we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist?
Let’s intentionally renew our mindset and rediscover the deep connection between the Eucharist and thanksgiving. The link is right in front of us. Every time the priest begins the Eucharistic Prayer, he proclaims, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” and we respond, “It is right and just.”
The word Eucharist itself comes from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning thanksgiving. The very heart of our Catholic worship is an act of gratitude.
Bishop Mark Brennan often reminds us that the Eucharist is nothing less than Jesus Christ Himself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully brings both ideas together: the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life… the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ Himself” (CCC 1324). Yet at the same time, it is called Eucharist precisely because it is “an action of thanksgiving to God” (CCC 1328).
This means that every time we receive Holy Communion, our hearts can be filled with the same joy, pride, and gratitude that we experience around the Thanksgiving table—only deeper, because we are receiving Christ Himself. LET YOURSELF GO THERE!
So, each time you approach the altar, take your trials, tribulations, and sufferings, and leave them at there, and then receive Christ with a grateful heart. Allow the Bread of Life and Cup of Salvation to nourish your mind, body, and soul. Praise God!
The second reading for Thanksgiving Day, 1 Corinthians 1:3–9, reminds us of the importance of our encounter with the Lord and our call to seek a continual, lifelong relationship with Him as we prepare for eternity. Receiving the Eucharist is the way God dwells within us so that His grace can work for good in our lives and the lives of others.Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.Thanksgiving blessings to all!
