Thanksgiving Day, a time to pause with awe and see the grace awaiting us!
Sr. Yolanda Cruz, M.T.S.
Date published: November 23, 2020 | Version en español por favor oprima aquí
This day is rooted especially in God’s grace and life that comes from gratitude, faith, love, family, and hope even in the midst of a pandemic. A time that invites us to come together, today in creative ways nonetheless, that will unite us as we continue to turn to the digital world; jumping into zoom, FaceTime, Skype, Messenger, phone and any available means to connect with each other. There is a grace awaiting in these encounters that enrich us and remind us what matters in life.
As we enter this special time to celebrate with joy and gratitude, we pray for each other and the world; for our country; for peace and hope to flourish through the most difficult of experiences so many are living at this moment. Challenges awaken the gifts we never imagined we had, and offer opportunities for newness of life to stem from them. Even in the thrust of an unexpected wave of Covid-19, there is a grace found around the corner of each startling encounter. We are aware and grateful for the first responders who take care of our medical, physical, emotional needs. God bless them! We are grateful for family and friends who love us and encourage us. We are grateful for individuals, churches, non-profits, organizations that band together to feed those in need. We are awed by their generosity. We are grateful that we live in a country where we can pursue our dreams, that nourishes us with ‘spacious skies, amber waves of grain, and purple mountains majesties above the fruited plain. This is the grace of having each other with God’s spirit blessing us and guiding us every minute of our lives. Nothing is impossible for God who assures us that we can forge forward standing firm in faith, rooted in tradition and tested by fire.
St. Paul reminds us in Romans 8:38 “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus”. We can join our voices to sing in thanksgiving for the gratitude that flows from within our hearts for ALL we have received, trusting that good triumphs in the end, and love surpasses all. We pray for spiritual enlightenment to see a new day dawning, to know we are deeply blessed, surrounded by the love and kindness of others and to let our hearts sing out in praise, hope and thanksgiving!
God, source of all good, love and joy, as we gather around our table this Thanksgiving, we pause to praise and thank you from the depth of our hearts. Amen.