I had a great time last week sharing with longtime friends (no family, because all my family is in Venezuela) a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  For me, Thanksgiving Day should be every day because we should give thanks always and everywhere.  That is why every day when we celebrate Mass, the priest give thanks to God on behalf of the community.  In the liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest says from the Roman Missal: “ It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,. always and everywhere to give you thanks”.  

In other words, every Mass is a Thanksgiving. In fact, the word Eucharist from the Greek means:  eukharistos ‘grateful,’ from eu ‘well’ + kharizesthai ‘offer graciously’ (from kharis ‘grace’).   The first Thanksgiving in U. S. soil was the celebration of the Eucharist.

Then, we have to be thankful always and everywhere.  Constantly, I am reminding myself that I have to give thanks for every second of my life.  Sometimes, I forget to give thanks because I am so busy thinking about many things at the same time.  Often times, I am not grateful enough. I ask the Lord every day that help me to be thankful.

Saint Paul also encourages us as he did with the people of Corinth by saying “be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” 2 Cor. 9,11

I am thankful to God for the community I am serving.http://www.stpeterstpaul.com/  I am grateful for the ups and downs of my life. Everything is a learning experience on this journey with Christ.  I give thanks to God for my priesthood.  There were many obstacles on the way that helped me to be strong.  I can go on and on giving thanks, but it now your turn.   Do you want to give thanks to God?  Do it then.  How can we give thanks with a grateful heart when we are going through a difficult situation? There is always a way to be thankful, not only by words but by your attitude.  It is your decision and nobody will take that decision for you. Then, do not stop giving thanks to God.

THANK YOU are the two words that help me to understand that everything I do is because of the grace of the Lord.  Being thankful has helped me to consolidate my personal relationship with God. Moreover, being thankful it is also good for your health.  A couple of years ago Time magazine published an article that stresses the beneficial aspects of a grateful attitude.http://time.com/4124288/thanksgiving-day-2015-thankful-gratitude/

As we enter into a new Liturgical year and the Advent season, we give thanks to the Lord for one more year of blessings. God bless you all… and do not forget to be thankful.