Dear beloved sisters and brothers in Christ,
A girl, maybe in fourth grade, got off the school bus. The summer camp kids had just returned from roller skating. Some were laughing with each other as they walked from the bus to the classroom building.
That one girl did not look happy. She cocked a look at the chaperone and said three words. “Is that all?” The skate trip did not meet her expectations. “Is that all?”
Later that year, I sat with my Aunt Sirrka over her breakfast table. She wasn’t eating much. The morphine, besides dulling the pain of the pancreatic cancer, had killed her appetite. The morphine made her emotions flat.
So when I asked her, “Aunt Sirrka, is there anything else you need to do?” she shook her head slowly and replied without expression, “No.”
“Is there anyone you need to talk to?” She again shook her head slowly and replied without expression, “No.”
“Well,” I ventured, “you will see God soon. What will you say to the Lord?”
Aunt Sirrka’s face grew a smile. Dimples popped into both cheeks. She said just two words. “Thank you.”
The difference between the summer camp girl and Aunt Sirrka is the difference between heaven and hell. The girl lived in the belief that she deserved what she got and more. Aunt Sirrka lived in gratitude.
At Mass when the priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” the assembly responds, “It is right and just.” Giving thanks to God is truly right and just. Gratitude is the beginning of our salvation.
Instead of wishing one another “Happy Thanksgiving,” if we were Greek, we would say “Happy Eucharist.” The Greek word for “thanksgiving” is eucharist.
Eucharist is also the official church name for the Mass. Every Sunday when we gather for Mass, we gather for Eucharist. We gather to give thanks and praise to God.
Once we recognize that God owes us nothing yet through Jesus Christ has given us everything, we see the world as it truly is, a gift.
How do we become grateful? There’s a saying, “The soul becomes loving by loving.” In the same vein, the heart becomes thankful by giving thanks.
Counting our blessings is the first step. When we count a dozen blessings every night as we kneel at our bedside, we realize how much we have been given. Unlike the summer camp girl’s disappointed “Is that all?”, we become aware that all is a gift from God. Our heart grows in gratitude.
Grateful for our blessings, we become more responsible to care for our blessings. We don’t take them for granted. We nurture our gifts.
Caring for our blessings, we find ourselves sharing our blessings. “It is better to give than to receive,” they say. The joy of getting a gift is surpassed by the joy of giving a gift freely and with no strings attached.
Count our blessings, care for our blessings, and share our blessings. The fancy church word is Stewardship. It’s the way to live so that one day we can stand face to face with the Lord and show off our dimples, smiling, “Thank you!”
In Christ,
Father David
THANKSGIVING EVE
Join the Pie Social after the Thanksgiving Mass on Wednesday, November 24. Drop off a pie before the 7:00 p.m. Mass. All pies welcome.
THANKSGIVING DAY
After the morning Mass at 8:30 a.m., join our 14th Annual Thanksgiving dinner for a beautiful dinner with all the trimmings. All are welcome and it is free, 1:00 p.m. in the Parish Center. To help cook, serve, clean-up, call Lee or Roger Kozlowski at 407-327-8841.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE SAINTS?
Let’s get together to talk about our beloved saints. We’ll use Fr. James Martin’s book, “My Life with the Saints,” as a guide. (If you haven’t read it, come anyway.) Some questions we’ll consider: Who was the first saint to whom you felt drawn? How did you encounter him or her? When in your life has a saint been particularly important? How has a saint been part of your daily life? What writings by a saint have inspired you?
Choose one of six discussion groups. You can find the meeting times and details on our website.
All holy men and women, pray for us!
