Father's Message
THANKSGIVING
DAY
Thursday,
November 26, 2009
“Brethren, give thanks always for everything in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” (Eph. 5: 20)
I am sure all of us agree that the above verse is
the most fitting and proper greeting for the forthcoming National Observance of
THANKSGIVING DAY. In its beautiful simplicity it urges us to be thankful and
grateful to God always and for everything.
Not to give thanks to God for His grace and mercy,
for the blessings He renews for us each day, or to thank Him in half-hearted or
perfunctory manner is a sin. So, may every day be for us a day of thanksgiving
to God, and may all our thanksgiving to God be from the
fullness of a grateful heart.
Such thanksgiving does not come naturally. A
grateful heart is a precious gift of God. Genuine thanksgiving to God is
possible only when, by God’s grace we are brought to the realization that we
are nothing, that for everything, for the life now we live and for the life
that awaits us, we are completely dependent on God’ mercy. Daily we are in
desperate need. Daily we are utterly unable to solve the simplest problems of
life through our own wisdom and strength. For the beat of our hearts, for every
breath of air we breath, for
the water we drink, for the beauty of nature we admire, for the dear ones we
cherish, for the health we desire, for the work we do, for the freedom we
enjoy, for the peace we yearn, we are all dependent on God. For all these we
have just cause to praise and thank God each and every day of our lives.
But more than this! For strength in our weakness,
for comfort in our sorrow, for help when we are helpless, for a Savor who has
redeemed us, for faith that is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and
righteousness, for the assurance of peace with our heavenly Father and the
promise of life eternal in the hour of death, we are utterly dependent on God’s
grace and mercy revealed and certified to us by the Death and Resurrection of
our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. For all these blessings, which only to often we take for granted, we have just cause and need
to thank God always.
Genuine thanksgiving has yet another price, that of
sharing our blessings with others less fortunate. Truly, this is not a price
which a grateful and thankful heart finds it grievous to pay. A grateful
Christian finds his greatest delight in praising and thanking God for all the
blessings with which God daily enriches him by lavishly sharing them with
others. This is the highest and most eloquent form of thanksgiving to God. Let
us not grow weary in our exercise of this form of thanksgiving. Rather, as we praise
God from a genuine grateful heart, let us also pray for greater joy in
reflecting God’s love for us in our outreach of compassion, love and service to
others.
This year THANKSGIVING DAY FALLS ON Thursday,
November 26. The THANKSGIVING SERVICE WILL BE ON Wednesday evening: Divine
Liturgy at 6:00 p.m.
Dear members, only as we perceive, feel and act out
our Christian responsibility can Thanksgiving Day be a day of joy and gladness.
Such is the Thanksgiving Day I wish for you and your
families, one of joy and gladness, blessed with “ Every Perfect Gift ’’ from
our loving Father in heaven.
Fr. Peter