The grace of gratitude

Deacon Greg brings us his Thanksgiving Day homily:

Gratitude doesn't always come easily. We all know that generosity - the giving of a gift - means thinking more about others than about yourself. It represents an act of love. But so does being thankful. To give thanks is to extend yourself. It is to remember where the gift came from.

It is to go out of your way to acknowledge that -- like the one cured leper in the gospel, who changed the direction he was headed, and walked back to Jesus, all the way back from the temple, to thank him.

There is love in that. A love for the gift - and for the one who gave it.

...

The other day, I was walking down Continental Avenue and passed the McDonald's by the train station. There was a big sign taped to the window. I think it tells us something about America this autumn.

The sign said: "Open 24 hours on Thanksgiving Day."

For a lot of Americans, that will be the place for feasting. That will be their holiday. It won't involve turkey and pumpkin pie. It will be a hamburger and a milkshake.

But Thanksgiving isn't about giving thanks for having a lot. It's about giving thanks for just having. For being. For knowing that whatever we have, whether it is served on a china plate or a Styrofoam carton, it is all a gift. The prayers whispered over a Happy Meal are just as precious to God as the ones said over the turkey and stuffing.

And all of us, no matter where we find ourselves praying, will be bound together by one simple word: grace.  At a few McDonald's this Thanksgiving, I'm sure that grace will be said.

And, I am just as sure of this: that grace will be present.

The grace of gratitude. The grace of thanking God for whatever gift He gives. And in the giving, and in the receiving, and in the thanking, there is something that transcends time and place.

There is love.

Love for what we have, and love for what we have been given. And love for the God who gives it. Because no matter how fierce the winds, or how unforgiving the storm, at least on this day we all remember that God is near.

The pilgrims knew that. And so did the Samaritan. He lived a life of disfigurement and shame. But he trusted, and he listened, and he was healed -- changed forever, made new.

He could have gone on his way. But he didn't. He couldn't. He had to thank The One who made his miracle possible.

Twenty centuries later, that anonymous figure left us a legacy, and a lesson: a beautiful example of what it means to have an "attitude of gratitude."

It is an attitude we all need to nurture -- not just today, but every day. Gratitude can open our hearts - and change our lives - if only we let it.

The Brutally Honest household hopes you and yours will open your hearts in gratitude to He who has graced us with the knowledge of His Son.

Comments

[Morgan K Freeberg]

Wishing you, The Mrs., and the whole BH household all the best. Great post there, Rick.

[Mommynator]

I hope everyone here has the best and most blessed Thanksgiving ever. I'm thankful to have met you all.

As for the good Deacon, I've often thought to myself that one of the reasons we have so many physical and emotional problems these days is a lack of gratitude towards our Maker and towards each other. We don't say grace over our meals to remind us of the source. We don't look around enough with grateful hearts to realize our true wealth.

Here's to learning how to be thankful and grateful.

[Shifty1]

Amen and Amen!

Thanks for that post!

[Leslie]

Blessings to all of you this Thanksgiving.

[Tim Chesterton]

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Statesonians!

[Liz Cosline]

Gratefulness is beautiful and thanks for your thoughts. We get nothing in my thoughts without giving, plus without being grateful for what is received. Best to you.