Thanksgiving: The Lived Experience of God

Our spiritual life is most deeply shaped not by abstract ideas, but by lived experience. The divine is the depth dimension of everything that exists—God as Being itself, dwelling at the core of who we are. When we discover a place of at-homeness within ourselves, we awaken to the unique God-dimension planted in each soul.

Thanksgiving invites us to pause in gratitude for this presence. In solitude and mindful receptivity, we open to the beauty all around us, recognizing that every breath, every moment, is gift. Gratitude becomes the posture that allows us to see God alive in creation, affirming the harmony of contrasts—joy and sorrow, abundance and need—as mutually enriching.

This lived experience calls us to simplicity, to take the material world seriously, and to remain faithful to the message of Jesus Christ without watering it down. Gratitude is not sentimental; it is a way of being present, available, and attuned to grace.

In giving thanks, we discover that God is here—in the fullness of life, in the quiet of solitude, in the shared table of community. Thanksgiving is not only a holiday but a spiritual practice: a way of living in continual awareness of the divine depth that sustains all things.