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.
Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., who is the university’s first St. John Paul II Fellow in Social Thought and has held the position since 2019, will give a lecture on natural law on Feb. 16. Anderson’s...
Irving, TX (Jan. 27, 2023) — The University of Dallas recently named Inelda Acosta, Ed.D., pHCLE, the University’s Director of the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX.
Former Democratic Congressman Daniel Lipinski, who represented Illinois’ Third District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005-2021, has been named Pope Leo XIII Fellow on Social Thought at the University of Dallas.