Celebrate and Give Thanks Daily

By Lisa Haddican, Parishioner, St. John Bosco Parish, Harvey, LA

The holiday of Thanksgiving is celebrated only once a year in the month of November. On that Thursday in November, we prepare a feast to give thanks for family, shelter, and food. However, we should take it a step further to be grateful and celebrate daily. In our ever-changing world, we should give thanks for our ever present, never changing God, our steadfast Blessed Mother, our liturgy, and our true friends, the Saints.

Our God is the one constant in our lives. He never abandons us; He is patient with us. He never changes and loves no matter how many times we wander and leave His side. Our God is ever present in our lives, and He patiently waits for us to turn to Him. Even though we may change in our appearance, thoughts, attitude, and ideas, God never changes. He sends the Holy Spirit to guide us, comfort us, and keep us on the path to Heaven. The fact that God is ever present and never changing should be a source of peace and calmness in our lives that we should give thanks for and celebrate daily in a world that is constantly changing.

We should also celebrate our Blessed Mother every day. She is our Heavenly Mother! I am sure she gets frustrated with some of the choices we make in our daily lives, just like our earthly mothers. Yet she never stops loving us and praying for us. She is in our lives to guide us, pray for us, help us gain wisdom, and, more importantly, intercede for us to her Son, Jesus. She is always there to drape her protective mantle over us. With this in mind, we should celebrate and give thanks for daily for her love.

How blessed are we that we can receive the Eucharist daily! No matter if we attend Mass in our home parish or in a neighboring parish, the liturgy is the same. We can celebrate and give thanks daily to our Lord. Each time we attend Mass, we celebrate His victory over death and opening the gates of Heaven for us. We are so blessed to be able to go to Mass and receive Jesus openly without fear. We should give thanks daily and celebrate that we can receive spiritual nourishment through our Catholic liturgy.

The Saints in Heaven are our special friends. We are so lucky to have them as part of our daily lives. They are constantly praying for us and with us. No matter the time, day or night, we should be comforted to know that all we must do is “call” on our favorite saint, and they will pray with us. It is so wonderful to know that there is a saint who understands our struggles because they may have experienced the same. They are our best friends that we should give thanks for and celebrate daily.

Yes, the holiday of Thanksgiving that we celebrate in November is important for us to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor by the feast that we prepare and enjoy with loved ones. Yet maybe the idea of having Thanksgiving as a daily celebration is a good thing. We are blessed with so many material things that, at times, the spiritual, soul nourishing moments are unintentionally pushed aside. By making Thanksgiving a daily practice when we celebrate in November, the holiday will become even more special.