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Hello everybody!
Happy Thanksgiving! As we invariably reflect every Thanksgiving on that which we are grateful for, I think is beneficial to remember that we are not just grateful, but grateful to God. At every celebration of the Eucharist, we “give thanks to the Lord, our God.” This is more than the cliche, “an attitude of gratitude.” It is a tangible offering of thanks, an offering which means sacrifice. Giving thanks to God is an offering of our very selves, of our time, attention, energy, endeavors, relationships, and service. It is not just an attitude, but a lifestyle of gratitude. In thanks, we offer the gifts we have been given to be used by God for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Thanks be to God!
We will give thanks to God in the celebration of the Eucharist on Thanksgiving Day at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome to bring bread and wine for your Thanksgiving meal, which we will bless at mass. This blessing of the bread and wine is a blessing on those who will share them, as well. It is also, in a way, an invitation to God to be an honored guest at your meal. Welcome to the feast! In observation of the holiday, the parish office will close at noon on Wednesday and will reopen on Monday morning.
This year, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Dec. 8) falls on a Sunday and the celebration of the feast has been moved to Monday, December 9. Normally, this feast is a holy day of obligation, but Archbishop Shelton has granted a dispensation from the obligation this year. As such, we will celebrate the feast at our normal Monday mass time at 5:00 p.m. on December 9.
I am grateful to God for you, the love of our community, and the grace of God poured into our hearts. May your Thanksgiving be blessed, even for those who struggle this holiday because of grief or trials, and may God be close to all of us and those we love.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff
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