From Living Faith Daily Catholic Devotions (Oct/Nov/Dec 25)

Thanksgiving Day USA

Daniel 6:12-28 + Daniel 3:68-74 + Lude 21:20-28

Not a Religious Holiday?

Let the earth bless the lord… Daniel 3:74

Thanksgiving is not on the universal Catholic calendar.  It is a secular holiday that was celebrated at the end of the fall harvest.  And yet, many American homes have adopted it as a religious feast.  The faithful go to Mass in larger numbers on this day.  The American bishops have provided specific prayers for the Mass.  It “feels” like a religious feast.

The first formal proclamation of Thanksgiving by the national government was October 3, 1789, by George Washington.  He said we should give “our thanks, for [God’s] kind care and protection… for the manifold mercies.”  Moreover, he added that the people should “beseech [God] to pardon our transgressions” and to ask God “to bless them”.

Despite its secular origins, the spirit of Thanksgiving is very religious: giving thanks to God, asking forgiveness and beseeching Divine blessings.  And when we sit down to our Thanksgiving meal and give God thanks, it is reminiscent of the great Eucharistic feast.

□ Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti