Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke at Oratory of St. Francis de Sales

A few weeks after his elevation to the College of Cardinals by the Holy Father, His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke is coming home to St. Louis.

St. Francis de Sales Oratory will have the great honor of receiving His Eminence on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 5:00 PM. Cardinal Burke will celebrate a Solemn Te Deum of thanksgiving with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. After the ceremony all the faithful are invited to the church hall for a reception in the Cardinal’s honor. Please join us on this glorious occasion when we will have the opportunity to congratulate His Eminence personally and to thank him for all that he has done for St. Francis de Sales Oratory.

Source.

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God --- to obey His will --- to be grateful for His benefits --- and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

Archbishop Burke's Homily, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This is the homily given by His Excellency this past Sunday at the Cathedral Basilica at the Mass of Farewell and of Thanksgiving to God for Archbishop Burke's four and a half years as shepherd of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
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Praised be Jesus Christ, now and for ever. Amen.

The dialogue of our Lord with the Canaanite woman and the miraculous healing of her daughter are striking signs of God's love of us, which truly knows no boundary. The Canaanite woman, who was not Jewish but Gentile, was, nevertheless, full of faith in God's love which alone could save her daughter. She recognized God's love incarnate in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord tested her faith by making reference to the privileged place of His own people, the Jewish nation, in the Father's plan for our salvation. He reminded her that He was sent, first, to save His own people, so that they, in turn, might bring His salvation to all the nations. The Canaanite woman, with her great faith, begged to taste some fruit of the salvation which she clearly understood would come to the Gentiles, to all the nations, through the Jewish nation (Gospel). Our Lord's immediate healing of her daughter confirmed her faith and gives all of us the assurance that the gift of faith in Jesus Christ is indeed, at one and the same time, the gift of eternal life for all, without boundary.

God's desire to save all nations, without boundary, was manifested in a particular way in the miraculous conversion and subsequent apostolic ministry of Saint Paul. In Saint Paul, we see the realization of God's plan to bring eternal life to all the nations through the Jewish nation. Saint Paul, a most devout Jew, in his zeal for the Jewish faith, was thoroughly dedicated to the persecution and even execution of the first Christians. The risen Christ appeared to Saint Paul, while he was on the road to Damascus to arrest Christians. Through the miraculous apparition, Saint Paul understood that Christ is the fulfillment of all that the Jewish people believed and practiced.

Our Lord gave Saint Paul the gift of faith and poured out the Holy Spirit upon him in the Sacrament of Baptism, so that Paul could be His chosen instrument for bringing the faith and sacraments to all the nations. Saint Paul, therefore, was most conscious of the vocation of his own nation to bring the Savior to all the world. The observance of the Year of Saint Paul, which we have just begun, gives us a grace-filled occasion to grow, through the intercession of Saint Paul, in our understanding of the mystery of faith, by which God the Father unceasingly seeks to save all the nations through the passion and death of His only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saint Paul faced the difficult situation of the rejection of the vocation to show the Savior to the world, on the part of some of his people. But he never lost hope that God's mercy, manifested in the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles, would also bring the Jewish people to the faith and to the eternal life which faith in Christ brings to all mankind. He declared:

For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,
what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Reading II).

As a devout Jew, Saint Paul had come to understand the meaning of the Word of God, spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

...for my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples (Reading I).

Saint Paul understood that God the Father, Who had chosen the Jewish people for a most special service in His work of salvation, was, thereby, desiring to receive into His holy temple all other peoples, "[t]he foreigners" who would receive His Word with faith and put His Word into practice, worshiping Him in His holy temple and doing what is right and just. During the Year of Saint Paul, conscious of the immeasurable and ceaseless love of God, drawing all men to Himself, may we be inspired to pray ever more fervently, as we have just prayed: "O God, let all the nations praise you!" (Responsorial Psalm).

Over the weeks since the announcement of my transfer from the office of Archbishop of St. Louis to the office of prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, my thoughts have been filled with deepest gratitude for the manifold ways in which God our Father, through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, pours out His Holy Spirit upon us in the Church, drawing all men to Himself in love. A major change in our lives leads us to a grateful reflection on the chapter of the story of our life pilgrimage, which we are completing. As I reflect upon the relatively brief time of my service as Archbishop of St. Louis, I cannot thank God enough for the great mystery of His love, which brought me to you, His beloved flock of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and has never ceased to increase my pastoral love of you. I have even come to thank God for the deep sorrow which leaving you means for me, for it, too, is a manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit Who binds a shepherd in love of the flock for the sake of the teaching of the Gospel and the bringing of the grace of the sacraments to all, both the members of the household of faith and those who have not yet received the gift of faith but look to the Church for the sign of God's mercy and love.

As I bid you farewell today, I invite you to be one with me in reflecting upon the many signs of God's love at work in the Church in our archdiocese. The reflection goes far beyond what we can express in the few minutes we have, but there is a special grace for such reflection in today's farewell, to which we must respond. Consider, for example, the longstanding and deep roots of the Catholic faith in the archdiocese, and how they continue to bear fruit in the lives of devout Catholic families. Consider the dedication to Catholic education, to sacred worship, and to the works of charity, which are all fruits of the Catholic faith, handed down, with integrity, from the time of the apostles and from the time of the first evangelization of this chosen portion of God's vineyard. Consider the gift of our priests, both priests of the archdiocese and members of religious orders and communities, true shepherds of the flock, who are totally loyal to Christ, the Good Shepherd, represented in their bishop, and are thus united, with the bishop and each other, in the one priestly ministry of our Lord. Consider the flowering of many new vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life, and the wonderful work of preparing the future shepherds of the flock at our own archdiocesan seminary, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

Consider the study of the Catholic faith and the teaching of the faith in the homes, parish schools of religion, Catholic schools, and the Paul VI Pontifical Catechetical and Pastoral Institute, and through the activities of many associations of the faithful and other Catholic institutions. Consider the incomparable beauty of this Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, which symbolizes so stunningly the Catholic faith, lived, historically and presently, by the faithful of the archdiocese. Consider the ministration of the sacraments, especially the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance, and, above all, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the continuous adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, which take place daily in the many churches and chapels throughout the ten counties of our archdiocese. Consider the most beautiful fruit of the teaching of the faith and the worship of God, which is the daily conversion to Christ in seeking to live a holy life, a life poured out, with Christ, in pure and selfless love of God and our neighbor, especially our neighbor who is in most need. Consider the Christian stewardship practiced by so many in the archdiocese, on behalf of the whole Body of Christ, through parish support, the Annual Catholic Appeal, and many other charitable, educational, and missionary works.

In bidding you farewell, my thoughts, full of gratitude for all that God has been accomplishing in our midst, turn also to what remains to be done in carrying out more effectively the new evangelization. Today, we are called to teach, celebrate and live our Catholic faith with new enthusiasm and new energy in a society which is enslaved by materialism and secularism, and by the destructive individualism which is their fruit. We know the challenges in living the Catholic faith, which the faithful of the Archdiocese have historically faced, for example, the severe hardships to be overcome in carrying out the first evangelization of our area, the intimidation caused by a virulent anti-Catholicism, especially in the 19th Century, and the struggle to overcome the evil of the socially-acceptable prejudice toward and hatred of neighbor because of nationality or race.

We know the challenges in living the Catholic faith, which the faithful of the Archdiocese must meet today. We experience, for example, the daily temptation to compromise our witness to the truths of the faith or to remain silent before the agenda of a totally secularized society, an agenda which is constantly propagated by the communications media and which worships “politically-correct” speech and action over the speaking and living of the truth in love. We are painfully conscious of the most grievous attacks on human life and on the cradle of human life in the sacramental union of man and woman in Holy Matrimony, which are carried out daily in our society. We face directly the call to be one people with our brothers and sisters who are immigrants to our nation, to overcome any lingering form of national or racial prejudice and hatred. Within the Church, we struggle daily with those who would remake the truths of the faith and its practice, in accord with their own agenda, rebelling against the teaching authority of the Church’s pastors and betraying the Church’s witness to Christ in the world.

Conscious of what we must yet do in the new evangelization of our culture and of the daunting challenges which we face, we do not give way to confusion or discouragement. Rather, we remain confident in the immeasurable and unceasing thirst of God for our souls and the souls of all men, without boundary. Before our failures and the challenges we continue to face, we turn to our Lord to instruct us in the truth and to fortify us with the grace of the sacraments. We turn to our Lord in His holy Church, with humility, seeking the salvation which He alone can give us, and with confidence, trusting that His only desire is to save us from sin, to save us for eternal happiness with Him.

When our hearts are beset with doubt and fear and worry, let us go the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Blessed Mother, especially under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the title of her wondrous visit to our continent in 1531. She lovingly draws us to herself, so that she may bring us to her divine Son, the only-begotten Son of God. She helps us, by her example and her intercession, to lift up our hearts, with her Immaculate Heart, to the glorious pierced heart of Our Lord Jesus, the heart which He took in her sinless womb, under her Immaculate Heart. Our Lord never fails to receive us into His heart, with unceasing love, giving us rest and strength. He overcomes in us all doubt and fear and worry, so that we can bring the Father's mercy and love to our world. The Heart of Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father in glory, is the unfailing source of divine love in our lives, the divine love which alone heals and nourishes our souls, the divine love which alone saves our world.

Recognizing in the Heart of Jesus the source of our every grace and blessing, we consecrated ourselves, our archdiocese, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on June 17th of last year, on the occasion of the dedication of the shrine to the Sacred Heart in this Cathedral Basilica. As we reflect, today, upon the blessings of the past and the challenges of the future, let us renew again the Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart. Let each of us pray to Our Lord, as we prayed in the Act of Consecration:

I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants ("Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart" by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque).

May God the Father, in His infinite mercy and love, make the fruit of my time as your shepherd to be the faithful union of our hearts with His heart, the Sacred Heart of His incarnate Son, so that we may always find our joy and peace in serving Him with all our heart.

Let us now, with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, lift up our hearts to the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus. One in heart with the Heart of Jesus in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, may we know the mystery of salvation in our lives and be, for the world, without boundary, the faithful messengers of freedom and peace, of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America and Star of the New Evangelization, pray for us.
Saint Louis of France, pray for us.
Saint Vincent de Paul, pray for us.
Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, pray for us.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Source: Archdiocesan Web Site

“In Every Place There Is Sacrifice”

by Fr. F. X. Lasance
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“Did you ever think that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is being offered in some part of the world every hour of your life? When it is midnight in New York, Masses are beginning in the churches of Italy. There ancient altars, at which Saints have knelt, are lit up with tapers, and the Vicar of Christ and thousands of priests are lifting holy hands up to Heaven. A little later and the bells of a thousand towers of France begin to sprinkle the air with holy sounds; and in every city, town and hamlet, kneeling crowds adore the chastening hand of God and pray for sinners who despise His ordinances.

“Chivalric and religious Spain catches the echoes, and when it is one a.m. in New York, offers the great Sacrifice in countless splendid churches. And then Catholic Ireland, the “Island of Saints”, which had during many centuries suffered for the Faith, rallies anew around the altars it would never forsake. At two o’clock and after, the priests of the islands of the Atlantic- perhaps the Cape Verde – white-robed and stoled and wearing the great cross on their shoulders, bend before the tabernacle. An hour later a courageous missionary lifts up the chalice of salvation on the ice-bound coast of Greenland.

“At half-past four the sacred lamps twinkle through the fogs of Newfoundland; and at five, Nova Scotia’s industrious population begins the day attending Mass. And now all the Canadian churches and chapels grow radiant as the faithful people – the habitant of the country, the devout citizen, the consecrated nun, and the innocent – hasten to unite their prayers around the sanctuary where the priest is awaiting them. At six, how many souls are flocking to the churches of New York, eager to begin the day of labor with the holiest act of religion! Many young people, too, gather around the altar at a later hour, like the fresh flowers open with the morning, and offer their dewy fragrance to Heaven. An hour later the bells of Missouri and Louisiana are ringing; and at eight, Mexico, true to her faith, bends before her glittering altars. At nine the devout tribes of Oregon follow their beloved black gown to their gay chapels, and California awhile loosens its grasp on its gold to think of the treasure that rust doth not corrupt.

“And when the Angelus bell is ringing at noon in New York, the unbloody Sacrifice is being offered up in the islands of the Pacific, where there are generous souls laboring for our dear Lord. And so the bells are ringing on, on, over the waters, and one taper after another catches the light of faith, making glad all the isles of the sea. At two the zealous missionaries of Australia are murmuring with haste, eager for the coming of Our Lords: “Introibo ad altare Dei.” And all the spicy islands of the East catch the sweet sounds, one after another, till at four in the afternoon China proves there are many souls who are worthy of the name of celestial by their rapt devotion at the early rite. Then in Tibet there is many a modest chapel where the missionary distributes the Bread of Life to a crowd of hungry souls.

“At six the altars of Hindustan, where St. Francis Xavier ministered, are arrayed with their flowers and lamps and the sacred vessels, and unwearied priests are hastening to fortify their souls before him Who is their life and their strength. At nine in Siberia, where many a poor Catholic exile from Poland has no other solace from his woes but the foot of the altar and the Bread of Heaven. During the hours when New York is gay with parties and balls and theatrical amusements, the holiest of rites is going on in the Indian Ocean and among the sable tribes of Africa, whose souls are so dear to the Saviour Who once died for all. At eleven in Jerusalem, the Holy City over which Jesus wept, where He wrought so many miracles, where He suffered and offered Himself a sacrifice for the whole world.

“When midnight sounds again in New York, the silver bells are tinkling again in every chancel in Rome. And so it goes on; the divine Host is constantly rising like the sun in its course around the earth. Thus are fulfilled the words of the prophet Malachias [1:11]: ‘From the rising of the sun even to the going down thereof, My name is great among the Gentiles; and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a clean oblation: for My name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.’”

“Not an instant of time passes that Mass is not offered, and the Host not adored. Talk of an Empire on which the sun never sets, of the British reveille drum ever beating as our planet revolves on its axis and the day chases night around the globe; what is that to the unending oblation of the Catholic Church? What moment is not a priest’s voice uttering ‘Te igitur, clementissime Pater!’ What moment is not counted by the bell which announces the silent and invisible coming of their God to prostrate adorers in some quiet sanctuary, in Europe, or in Asia, or in America, in the Atlantic cities or in the woods of Oregon, in the Alps or on the Andes, on the vast terra firma all along the Meridians or on the scattered islands of the sea?”

- Webster (Knickerbockers’ Mag., p. 638, vol. 38, 1851).
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HT to Mark S. for the info.

Easter, The Empty Grave

"He has risen, He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him." St. Mark, 16:6.

There was a salesman by the name of Frank Headland, who had an unusual hobby. For over fifteen years his sideline had been finding out where the great men and women of the world are buried. One might think that is an easy task, but you will be surprised at the amount of time and effort he had to spend in locating the graves of the famous and the near famous.

He started his hobby back in 1932, when he came upon an editorial in a newspaper which lamented that the grave of a famous citizen of Ohio, a former Supreme Court justice, could not be located. The dead man's friends wanted to erect a memorial to him. Headland finally found the site of the grave in some old records. He decided to continue searching out the secrets of other graves, when he realized that there were dozens of directories tell­ing where famous folk lived when alive, but no list of their last resting places. In this way was born his unusual book with the title Where's Who. Kings, governors and presidents are listed with the site of their burial place.

But the most famous name, the greatest name in all history is not on his list, for the simple reason that the most outstanding Person in history did not stay buried, and there is no record or even suggestion that His body is buried anywhere on this earth.

Where's Who cannot tell us where Christ is buried today, for the simple reason that He is not buried. Yes, Mr. Headland could tell us where Christ was buried 2000 years ago - for three days - but the risen body of Christ is now in heaven. The angel still stands by the grave of Christ and still declares:

"He has risen, He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him."

That is the glorious fact which we celebrate this Easter morning. That
is the truth which makes us happy today. But how do we know that Christ rose from the grave? How do we know that there was a first Easter, which gives all the meaning to this Easter of 2008? The primary proof for the Resurrection we might put in this way: Jesus Christ is truly risen from the grave, if the Apostles were not deceived or mistaken, and if they did not deliberately deceive or mislead.

1. The Apostles were not deceived.

A. The resurrection of Christ from the grave is something that comes under human observation. In other words, the Apostles could see that the stone was rolled away, and that the grave was empty. They had heard of the statement of God's messenger that He was not there, that He had risen. They could also hear the silly excuse of the sol­diers that Christ's friends had stolen His body while the guards were asleep.

B. During forty days, at various times, to various individuals and groups, Christ appeared, talked, and even shared food with them.

C. They definitely did not want to be deceived because they refused belief. Think of St. Thomas, the Apostle, refusing to believe unless he would put his finger into the wounds of the risen Christ.

D. But when they were finally convinced, the Apostles went forth into the whole world to preach the resurrection of Christ, in the face of ridicule, torture and even death. All but one laid down their lives for this truth.

2. The Apostles did not deceive.

A. Christ's followers, especially the faithful eleven of His chosen twelve, had no reason to deceive or mislead others with regard to the Lord's rising from the grave. On the. contrary, they had every rea­son not to deceive.

i. God would punish their lie and deception.
ii. Men would persecute and punish them for their deception.

B. Furthermore, the Apostles had no way or means of deceiving.

i. Of themselves they were timid, uneducated, men without influ­ence. How could they convince the world of such a lie?

ii They knew the world would never believe such a statement, if it were not true.

iii. Nevertheless, a great part of the world has accepted the fact of the resurrection. Accepting that fact and that truth has made the world better, and has made the world sure that Christ, who taught such a high way of life, was really God.

3. Added to these reasons are many others:
the prophecies carried out; the testimony of the angels, especially of the angel at the tomb; the Jewish council giving bribes to the guards to tell a lie; the appearances of our Lord to others beside the Apostles; the constant belief and teaching of Christ's Church; the firm faith of the Apostles and martyrs in dying for this truth; the conversion of the world because of this belief; yes, and the unshaking faith of entire Christendom today, including ourselves, who believe without doubt that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by His own power, rose from the grave on the third day after He was put to death.

That is why on this Easter day we wish you all a Happy Easter. Mother Church decks out her altar with fragrant flowers; she puts on her brightest vestments; she sings her most joyous songs; she greets your shining faces and your shining souls with the words of the angel:

"He has risen, he is not here."

Yes, if Frank Headland had compiled a book with the location of the graves of all who ever died, he would have to leave out the name of Jesus. But for that very reason, for the reason that Christ rose from the grave, the graves of all others become places of hope rather than despair. Because Jesus rose, we will rise.

Because the grave of Jesus is empty, all the graves of all time will one day be empty. That is part of the joy; the blessed joy and hope, we wish all of you this morning. Amen.
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Adapted from Lent and the Capital Sins
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1952)

Thanksgiving greetings & blessings from Fr. John Corapi & Co-workers

From Fr Corapi via email:
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I want to take a moment this Thanksgiving day to greet and bless all of our dear friends and customers. From the day I began my ministry it has been you who encouraged me and made what we do possible. You have been kind and you have been generous, purchasing the media materials that alone provide the financial support we need to carry on. We receive no funds from the Church to do our work, only your support...No salaries, no benefits, no subsidies of any kind. We don't need them. You support us, and we in turn contribute to the support of the Church's many good works.

Early this morning before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I:

*thanked God for God, as my old friend Bernice used to say: 'Thank God for God!'

*thanked God for the 'gift Who contains all gifts,' the Holy Spirit.

*thanked God for Jesus in the most holy Eucharist, truly Emmanuel, 'God among us.'

*thanked God for our Blessed Mother whose 'fiat' gave us the Word made flesh.

*thanked God for all of the Angels and all of the saints, who help us every day.

*thanked God for Holy Mother Church, pillar and bulwark of truth.

*thanked God for my mother, father, grandparents, and all the Catholic family I was fortunate enough to grow up in.

*thanked God for Tamra and Matt, without whom none of my work would go on.

*thanked God for you, our friends and customers at fathercorapi.com & Santa Cruz Media.

*thanked God for my health, when it is good, and even when it isn't - for that is the gift of the Cross, the power to sanctify and save souls.

*thanked God for being born in and living in the United States of America, not perfect, but still the best there is.

*thanked God for the blessings of creation: the beauty of the mountains, the rivers, the birds and fish, the animals, the trees, and everything that is.

*thanked God for each and every person who ever persecuted, hated, or cursed me and what I do, for it is of such hard stones that the road to Heaven is paved.

*thanked God for being able to thank Him, for it is only through the Holy Spirit in Jesus that we are enabled to give thanks to our Father.

Happy & Blessed Thanksgiving,
Fr. John Corapi
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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