Thanksgiving Day

I read about “Thanksgiving Day” in history books but I never really experienced it. I lived in a predominantly Catholic country and in a mainly Catholic country like the Philippines, Christmas and Feast days of Patron Saints are the days of thanksgiving. We don’t have a holiday called “Thanksgiving Day”, what we have are local holidays of Feast Days of Patron Saint. We prepare sumptuous meals as a way of thanking God through the patron saints who protected our lives and ways of livelihood. Though the focus sometimes is on the extravagant foods being prepared and somehow it has become a showing off of social status, by and large it still retains its original meaning of celebration, which is that of thanksgiving.

Western countries “Thanksgiving Day” on the other hand focus on immediate family. It is a way of the entire family having an opportunity to give thanks around the prepared meal. I experienced it first time two years ago in Vancouver when a CFC Family invited me. They prepared traditional roasted Turkey and other dishes. I find it simple yet meaningful. The family starts by gathering around the table and start a prayer of thanksgiving. They gave thanks from the mundane things to the most complicated unexplainable blessings received fro the entire year. Such a wonderful tradition!

This kind of tradition is for me a wonderful opportunity for people to have a paradigm shift in the regular cycle of events. It provides an opportunity to focus on the other instead of self. Thanking God is an act of humility because it is an admission that it is Him who did it not us. I would like to believe that having an attitude of gratitude could heal so many ills of the society.

Psalm 107:1 says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. So today on the eve of Thanksgiving Day, I thank you God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for everything. Thank you my advocate, protector, guide and helper Saints and Angels. Amen. 

by aats