My Thoughts on Thanksgiving for 2010
November 25, 2010, is Thanksgiving in the United States, and because of that, my family has been discussing with me the upcoming celebration. (Yes, I am writing from Singapore, but I am originally from the United States and my family still lives there.) Me being me, I can never leave anything alone. I tend to reflect on things and Thanksgiving is no exception, but as pondered, I became saddened because Thanksgiving should not be one day a year, but everyday.
Now, I know that what I am about to write does not apply to everyone, as there are many who keep their lives focused on God at all times, but there exists quite a number of people who do not see the contradiction in their holiday celebration.
Thanksgiving...who are we thanking? The answer should be God, but how do we show our thanks to God? By loving him with our ever part of our being, with all our heart, might and soul, by consecrating every action; however, many people wander through life keeping God as a secondary consideration, a passing thought, if that at all; then, they come to Thanksgiving and eat together, but how have you given our Lord thanks?
If we go through life ignoring our Lord, disregarding His precepts, putting our own wants and desire first, then, we have essentially spat in the face our Creator. Giving thanks to God is a constant thing and it requires us to honor Him.
It should not be misunderstood, I do believe family getting together is a great thing and I am not discouraging it by any means, but I am just pointing out that the way we live our lives is our gift to God, and giving a good gift is a way to show thanks; therefore, we ought to make our gift the best we can to our Savior and King.
Everyone wants their celebration to go well and everyone to have good food, but I have to ask how many pay that type of care to their spiritual lives or even keeping Christ in their heart in their everyday affairs? For many families, if that type of attention were to be paid to their children and to their formation, we would not see many of the problems which exist in our youth. We would have youth who have excellent formation and exhibit the highest level of piety, but often times the ways of the world are given the predominant spot which only leads us to serve mammon. If the attention that were paid to the preparation of food were given to attending Mass on Sunday, our parishes would always be full. Ultimately, we should seek to please God before ourselves and others.
I guess the gist of what I am trying to say is that 'thanks giving' is an everyday thing. We should live our lives in a way to perpetual give thanks to our Lord. We should give attention to the minute aspects our lives realizing that nothing we do is autonomous from God and that he should be at the center of all our thoughts, words and deeds.
For all, I wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving and I hope that the Lord will be perpetually in your hearts, minds and on the tips of your tongues, that he will not be just thought of in passing this day and cast in the dark shadows of your life until a hardship occurs and you feel that you need His aid, but that He will be constant part of your life and thanked perpetually by all.
Pax tecum.
Now, I know that what I am about to write does not apply to everyone, as there are many who keep their lives focused on God at all times, but there exists quite a number of people who do not see the contradiction in their holiday celebration.
Thanksgiving...who are we thanking? The answer should be God, but how do we show our thanks to God? By loving him with our ever part of our being, with all our heart, might and soul, by consecrating every action; however, many people wander through life keeping God as a secondary consideration, a passing thought, if that at all; then, they come to Thanksgiving and eat together, but how have you given our Lord thanks?
If we go through life ignoring our Lord, disregarding His precepts, putting our own wants and desire first, then, we have essentially spat in the face our Creator. Giving thanks to God is a constant thing and it requires us to honor Him.
It should not be misunderstood, I do believe family getting together is a great thing and I am not discouraging it by any means, but I am just pointing out that the way we live our lives is our gift to God, and giving a good gift is a way to show thanks; therefore, we ought to make our gift the best we can to our Savior and King.
Everyone wants their celebration to go well and everyone to have good food, but I have to ask how many pay that type of care to their spiritual lives or even keeping Christ in their heart in their everyday affairs? For many families, if that type of attention were to be paid to their children and to their formation, we would not see many of the problems which exist in our youth. We would have youth who have excellent formation and exhibit the highest level of piety, but often times the ways of the world are given the predominant spot which only leads us to serve mammon. If the attention that were paid to the preparation of food were given to attending Mass on Sunday, our parishes would always be full. Ultimately, we should seek to please God before ourselves and others.
I guess the gist of what I am trying to say is that 'thanks giving' is an everyday thing. We should live our lives in a way to perpetual give thanks to our Lord. We should give attention to the minute aspects our lives realizing that nothing we do is autonomous from God and that he should be at the center of all our thoughts, words and deeds.
For all, I wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving and I hope that the Lord will be perpetually in your hearts, minds and on the tips of your tongues, that he will not be just thought of in passing this day and cast in the dark shadows of your life until a hardship occurs and you feel that you need His aid, but that He will be constant part of your life and thanked perpetually by all.
Pax tecum.
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