Attitude of Gratitude

Prayer of Thanksgiving

O God, we thank you for this earth, our home; For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills
And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses
By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thornbush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

By Walter Rauschenbusch

"I beg you to show the greatest possible reverence and honor for the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things, whether on earth or in heaven, have been brought to peace and reconciled with Almighty God."

- Words of St. Francis of Assisi in a letter to his fellow friars

Happy Thanksgiving!

For the Catholic, everyday is Thanksgiving. In the Eucharist, which comes from the Greek word, meaning "Thanksgiving", we are brought back to Calvary, reminded of Jesus' sufferings and his ultimate thanksgiving to His Father, our Father in Heaven as he commends His spirit to his eternal care.

Brother David Steindl-Rast reminds us of the importance of gratitude in our daily lives "In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful but gratefulness that makes us happy."

So, let us think about what makes us feel grateful, when we are grateful and how can we bring that forth into our everyday lives in a spirit of Justice, Peace and Stewardship of God's creation.