Thanksgiving: Taking gratitude a step further
A message from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Gratitude and thanksgiving are certainly admirable human qualities and the source of many social graces. That we Americans devote a whole day to lift them up and celebrate them is equally admirable. The final Thursday in November is the day we traditionally devote to giving thanks as a nation, dating back to the early 19th century. “Over three centuries ago,” President John F. Kennedy wrote in his 1963 Thanksgiving Proclamation, “Our forefathers in Virginia and in Massachusetts, far from home in a lonely wilderness, set aside a time of thanksgiving. On the appointed day, they gave reverent thanks for their safety, for the health of their children, for the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together, and for the faith which united them with their God.”
Those sentiments make it clear why gratitude and thanksgiving have endured in our nation’s memory since the days of its first settlement. “Gratitude” is a feeling, an emotion that originates in a full heart that realizes and recognizes all the blessings God has given. “Thanksgiving,” often considered synonymous, takes gratitude a step further. Thanksgiving is an action —- it’s what we “do” with our gratitude. To be grateful, to express thanksgiving gives birth to so many other emotions, dispositions and virtues. Humility. Patience. Kindness. Charity and many more good things we show to and do for one another in response to what has been shown and done for us by the Almighty.
To read the full message from Bishop O’Connell, click here.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., announced the following clergy appointment:
Rev. Stanley W. DeBoe, O.SS.T., to pastor of Incarnation-St. James Parish, Ewing, effective Dec. 15, 2020.
Chancery offices will be closed today, Wednesday, Nov. 25, through Monday, Nov. 30, in observance of Thanksgiving. We offer the warmest of wishes to our families as we gather safely in our homes and over video calls to give thanks to God for his many blessings.
Next week, the Diocese of Trenton invites the social media community to support Catholic schools by participating in #GivingTuesday on Dec. 1. Supporters are asked to make a donation, and/or to commit to volunteer for their local Catholic school or to offer prayers for the mission of Catholic education. Funds collected will benefit the Catholic Schools Have it All Annual Fund, with the option of directing 100 percent of one’s donation to the parish or diocesan Catholic school of your choice.
Learn more at https://www.leadinfaith.org/.
