Every Sunday in children’s formation (Sunday School), we open our time together with prayer. Our way of praying is a way that I have borrowed from my previous time as choral director at St. James School in Philadelphia. We say “please, God” and “thank you, God” prayers. On one level, this is a simplistic way of praying, but it is also a way to teach children that the first step in praying is simply to talk with God. Over time, prayer can be deepened. But what I find interesting about these Sunday morning prayers with children is that the “thank you, God” prayers are usually more abundant and come more easily than the “please, God” prayers. As I ponder this a bit more, this is theologically correct. Whether we are aware of it or not, all movements toward prayer are—even if unconsciously—impulses from a place of gratitude. The gratitude that moves one toward prayer might be an instinctive awareness of God’s ability and willingness to act and respond to prayer, and this can be true of our most impassioned laments.
Something that is not entirely true from the word “Mass” is that the Mass is primarily an act of thanksgiving. While the average person has no idea that “Eucharist,” which is synonymous with “Mass,” comes from the Greek word for thanksgiving (eucharisteo), the term “Eucharist” does more directly point to the Mass as a corporate act of giving thanks. When Mass is no more than an “obligation,” thanksgiving is crowded out. And yet, when we have no sense of our obligation to be at Mass, we are also losing something, too. Perhaps when we are finding it difficult to hang onto the expectation of observing the Lord’s Day, we would benefit from a gentle recollection that attendance at Mass (even if we don’t “feel” it) is principally an act of gratitude.
For me, this is most visibly felt at the beginning of each Sunday Mass. We move corporately towards God’s altar with singing, and then as we all face east, we begin with the opening acclamation: “Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” We start by blessing God, or put another way, acknowledging the awesome majesty of God. This is an act of thanksgiving. The rest of the Mass flows from this. It flows into our daily life, when we look out our window at dusk during this time of year to see a beautiful color in the sky or when we experience some act of kindness from another person or even when we recognize that some disappointment in our life reminds us gently of our utter reliance on God.
There is something to be gained from an annual pause in the life of a nation to give thanks. The Thanksgiving holiday is such a blessed relief from some of the anxiety and social pressures that come with late December. The Thanksgiving holiday can be eucharistic for us if we allow it to be.
Hardly a day passes when I am not consciously grateful for some great blessing in ministry at Good Shepherd. I hope you find this to be true as well. Such conscious gratitude can occur even when the world around us seems to be crumbling down or in our moments of deepest despair. I am grateful for all of you, for your connection to this parish, and for your prayerful and financial support of its ministry. I’m grateful for our excellent and hard-working staff. I’m grateful for the privilege of serving as your rector.
On Monday, November 20, we will celebrate Thanksgiving as a parish a bit early, as I will be away over the holiday and many of you may be traveling, too. We will have a liturgical act of thanksgiving with Low (Said) Mass at 6 p.m. in the Lady Chapel. Afterwards, we’ll gather in the retreat house for a potluck supper. Please bring a dish from your family’s heritage (I’ll bring something Cajun!), or just bring anything at all. You don’t even have to make it yourself! You can sign up here. Monday evening will be an opportunity for all of us to give thanks together and enjoy each other’s company.
If you are traveling over the next week, may God bless your travels. I ask us all to keep in mind those who will not have food or shelter this Thanksgiving and to include them in our prayers. And even in the midst of war, daily violence, health challenges, and the many very real concerns of this life, may we always know that there is ample reason and time to give thanks. Thanks be to God for such boundless love, mercy, and compassion shown to us!
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle