Some Thanksgiving Thoughts

From Archbishop Burke's column:

Thanksgiving Day and the Royal Heart of Jesus

...Although Thanksgiving Day is a civic holiday, it was religious in its origins and remains for us always a religious celebration. Even as the Pilgrims desired to give thanks to God for the first harvest brought home in their new-found land, we want to give thanks to God for all of his many blessings given to us in our homeland which we love.

Thanksgiving defines for us our whole being. It is our response to God Who has first loved us and has given up His life for us, out of pure and selfless love. Reflecting upon the mystery of God’s love of us, we can only be filled with the deepest sentiments of gratitude toward Him and of love of Him, in return. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes our moral life as “the acknowledgment and homage given to God and a worship of thanksgiving” (n. 2062)...

Be assured that you and your families will be remembered in my prayers, especially at Holy Mass, on Thanksgiving Day. I will be spending a few days with my family in Wisconsin during the week of Thanksgiving Day. As I thank God for all of His many blessings extended toward me, I will be remembering, with particular affection, you whom I am most blessed to serve. I will be asking God to bless your home with the unity and peace of the Holy Family of Nazareth...

Thanksgiving and the Enthronement of the Royal Heart of Jesus
On the Sunday following Thanksgiving Day, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, bringing to a conclusion the current Liturgical Year. The new image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, which I dedicated and blessed on June 17th of this year, expresses the true meaning of the kingship of Christ. Christ rules from His glorious pierced Heart, receiving into His all-glorious Heart the hearts of all who call upon His Name and invoke His mercy. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is rightly also called the Royal Heart of Jesus...

On Thanksgiving Day and on the Solemnity of Christ the King, be sure to give special honor to the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which you have enthroned in your home. Gather before the image of the pierced Heart of Jesus to recognize God’s manifold blessings in your life and in our world, and to offer Him your homage of praise and thanksgiving... [emphasis added]

Again, my best wishes for the celebration of Thanksgiving Day and the Solemnity of Christ the King. Please continue to pray for me that God will help me to be a good, faithful and generous shepherd of His flock. You will be in my prayers, as I thank God for calling me to serve you, His flock in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. In these days, let us pray with special fervor: Heart of Jesus, of Whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.

The full version of Archbishop Burke's column can be read here. (PDF file)

As we give thanks to Our Lord, especially tomorrow, remember to pray also for Archbishop Burke as he prays for all the faithful of St Louis and to offer thanks for being so blessed to have such a faithful shepherd.

And from the past, but still worth reading:

Preparing for Thanksgiving Day-Thank you, God!

Last year's Thanksgiving Address by Fr John Corapi