WEBVTT 00:00:00.680 --> 00:00:03.160 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:06.019 of the Holy Spirit, amen. Glory to Jesus Christ. 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:11.220 Come, draw near, dear friends. No reason to be 00:00:11.220 --> 00:00:17.019 so far. We're celebrating really an incredible 00:00:17.019 --> 00:00:23.440 thing. It's a national holiday dedicated to... 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:30.609 Someone said, maybe it was last year. What are 00:00:30.609 --> 00:00:34.270 you thankful for? And that's a good question. 00:00:35.210 --> 00:00:38.850 And there's a good attitude of gratitude there, 00:00:38.990 --> 00:00:41.770 which makes the person attractive to God's grace 00:00:41.770 --> 00:00:51.009 with that attitude. The great famous theologian 00:00:51.009 --> 00:00:56.130 musician Willie Nelson said, when I started counting 00:00:56.130 --> 00:01:01.549 my blessings, my whole life turned around. St. 00:01:01.609 --> 00:01:04.909 John Chrysostom said something different long 00:01:04.909 --> 00:01:07.790 before. Happiness can only be achieved by looking 00:01:07.790 --> 00:01:11.709 inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has, 00:01:11.930 --> 00:01:15.609 and this requires transforming greed into gratitude. 00:01:16.750 --> 00:01:19.870 What are you thankful for is a fine question, 00:01:20.030 --> 00:01:23.290 and the attitude of gratitude is fine, but it's 00:01:23.290 --> 00:01:28.750 only a beginning. First, Does that feeling or 00:01:28.750 --> 00:01:32.750 inward sense of gratitude? It's a feeling. Feelings 00:01:32.750 --> 00:01:35.810 are fine, but it's not enough. The gospel doesn't 00:01:35.810 --> 00:01:40.230 talk about our feelings. Does that action, does 00:01:40.230 --> 00:01:45.790 that attitude lead to direct action to the one 00:01:45.790 --> 00:01:51.170 who is, as the liturgy says, the giver of every 00:01:51.170 --> 00:01:55.129 good gift and every perfect gift, which is coming 00:01:55.129 --> 00:01:59.750 down from above? from the Father of lights. That 00:01:59.750 --> 00:02:04.549 is to say, not what are you thankful for, but 00:02:04.549 --> 00:02:09.409 to whom are you thankful. Who do we give our 00:02:09.409 --> 00:02:11.650 thanks to first in formulas? And that's what 00:02:11.650 --> 00:02:14.210 we're doing here right now. That's what this 00:02:14.210 --> 00:02:17.990 day is. Liturgically, always, every liturgy is 00:02:17.990 --> 00:02:21.930 that. Don't you love the Psalms? We heard it 00:02:21.930 --> 00:02:27.400 earlier. The Psalms said, the chanter said, The 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:31.759 sea is his. Everything's his. The sea is his 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:35.259 and he made it. And the dry lands he has fashioned. 00:02:35.639 --> 00:02:38.500 Now, you know, it could have just been he made 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:42.520 everything. But it tells us and it celebrates 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:47.099 the fact that God has given those things as a 00:02:47.099 --> 00:02:51.539 gift to us for our communion with him and in 00:02:51.539 --> 00:02:56.139 him. That's what we're doing right now. Rejoice 00:02:56.139 --> 00:03:00.520 always, says St. Paul. Pray without ceasing. 00:03:01.139 --> 00:03:07.039 Two things there. Third, give thanks in all circumstances. 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:13.479 Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:17.120 in all circumstances. You might be miserable. 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:21.840 You might be bored. Give thanks to God. You might 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:24.909 be in pain. You might be suffering. You might 00:03:24.909 --> 00:03:29.930 be disappointed. Give thanks to God. Give thanks 00:03:29.930 --> 00:03:34.349 in everything, St. Paul says, no matter what 00:03:34.349 --> 00:03:38.490 life has dealt you. Those words from his letter 00:03:38.490 --> 00:03:42.789 to the Philippians. Written in prison, probably 00:03:42.789 --> 00:03:47.330 chained to the wall. The Romans didn't offer 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:53.810 yard exercise or bathroom breaks. He was chained 00:03:53.810 --> 00:03:59.830 to the wall. Give thanks in all circumstances. 00:04:00.030 --> 00:04:03.469 Rejoice always, he says. There are many things 00:04:03.469 --> 00:04:08.370 that are impossible without God. And this is 00:04:08.370 --> 00:04:11.689 certainly one of them. My grace is sufficient 00:04:11.689 --> 00:04:15.960 for thee, says St. Paul. The word St. Paul heard 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.639 from the Savior, which he writes, my grace is 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:20.860 perfected in weakness, says the Savior to St. 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:23.379 Paul. In your tribulation, in your difficulties, 00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:27.759 we're perfected by those things. The God of all 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:31.800 did not come to solve the political problems, 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:34.980 the social problems, the economic problems. He 00:04:34.980 --> 00:04:40.759 came to solve the problem of death and sin. I 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:45.170 love, and we read this last week. God, who is 00:04:45.170 --> 00:04:48.149 rich in mercy because of his great love with 00:04:48.149 --> 00:04:52.129 which he loved us, even when we were dead in 00:04:52.129 --> 00:04:55.149 trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. 00:04:55.389 --> 00:05:00.050 Our model is that Samaritan, that outcast, that 00:05:00.050 --> 00:05:03.649 stranger whose life was basically a living death. 00:05:05.629 --> 00:05:09.649 Ten were healed, but he returned. This is an 00:05:09.649 --> 00:05:14.370 act. This is an act of gratitude. This is thanksgiving 00:05:14.370 --> 00:05:20.810 in action. St. Paul also writes, he says in Romans, 00:05:21.110 --> 00:05:25.529 for since the creation of the world, his invisible 00:05:25.529 --> 00:05:29.629 attributes are clearly seen. We look at the nature, 00:05:29.769 --> 00:05:32.529 we look at each other, we look in our own heart. 00:05:32.589 --> 00:05:36.410 How can you not see the work of God and glorify 00:05:36.410 --> 00:05:41.279 him? being understood by the things that are 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:43.639 made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:47.180 that they are without excuse, because although 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:51.620 they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:57.879 nor were thankful, but they became futile in 00:05:57.879 --> 00:06:01.300 their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:04.779 darkened. This is what happens when we do not 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:11.050 act with thanksgiving. I take pleasure each and 00:06:11.050 --> 00:06:14.389 every year in reminding myself and you about 00:06:14.389 --> 00:06:16.769 either President George Washington's Thanksgiving 00:06:16.769 --> 00:06:22.310 Day Proclamation of 1789 or Abraham Lincoln's, 00:06:22.310 --> 00:06:28.750 which he gave during the Civil War. Washington 00:06:28.750 --> 00:06:34.389 says this, that today is the day in which we 00:06:34.389 --> 00:06:39.139 acknowledge the providence of Almighty God. to 00:06:39.139 --> 00:06:42.459 obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:48.079 to humbly implore his protection and favor, to 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:52.660 offer public, public thanksgiving and public 00:06:52.660 --> 00:06:56.360 prayer with grateful hearts for the many signal 00:06:56.360 --> 00:07:00.759 favors of Almighty God, who is the beneficent 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:05.339 author of all the good that was, that is, or 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:11.360 that will be. Isn't it interesting that Thanksgiving 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:15.379 is the beginning of the Christmas season, but 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:18.639 the founders of the feast of Thanksgiving certainly 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:21.860 would not have celebrated Christmas. The Puritans 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:26.019 did not celebrate. That was a popish thing and 00:07:26.019 --> 00:07:28.639 not something they were going to do. So it's 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:31.980 rather ironic that this day in which we begin 00:07:31.980 --> 00:07:35.199 to give thanks, especially for the birth of our 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:39.829 Savior in this world, was started by those that 00:07:39.829 --> 00:07:44.149 would not recognize the glory of the Feast of 00:07:44.149 --> 00:07:49.990 Nativity. Brothers and sisters, let us lift up 00:07:49.990 --> 00:07:55.810 our hearts and say to the Lord, I thank thee, 00:07:55.810 --> 00:08:00.610 O Lord, for this parish, for the name of your 00:08:00.610 --> 00:08:04.610 love is proclaimed. I thank you, O Lord, for 00:08:04.610 --> 00:08:07.459 our families, husbands, wives. and especially 00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:10.800 children, who teach us how to celebrate your 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:15.939 holy name in joy, movement, and holy noise. Thank 00:08:15.939 --> 00:08:20.100 you, O Lord, for everyone and everything. Great 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:22.639 art thou, O Lord, and marvelous are thy works, 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:25.019 and there is no word which sufficeth to him that 00:08:25.019 --> 00:08:29.040 wonders. Lord, it is good to be here. To our 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:32.139 Lord be glory, now and ever, to ages of ages.